What is your favorite low budget plane?

inigo88 said:
I'll see your ground clearance and better useful load and raise you a semi-symmetrical airfoil and inverted oil system/1.5 gallon fuel header tank. :)
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I will give you that! I have no need to go inverted though. The 170 to me is more aesthetically pleasing. :)
 
ASpilot2be said:
The 170 to me is more aesthetically pleasing. :)
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I will give you that too. I knew nothing about the 170 (other than that it exists) and I've been reading up on it. First impressions are that it has the beauty of a 120/140 (same time period) but can actually carry stuff (more than the 172 that succeeded it in fact). Pretty awesome!
 
inigo88 said:
I will give you that too. I knew nothing about the 170 (other than that it exists) and I've been reading up on it. First impressions are that it has the beauty of a 120/140 (same time period) but can actually carry stuff (more than the 172 that succeeded it in fact). Pretty awesome!
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It is a very popular airplane, so Cessna must have done something right!
 
inigo88 said:
Mid-1970s American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon, preferably with the aluminum wing spar conversion, but I can't afford to be that picky. :)

Edit: I just found her. <3333
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Not picking on you at all, it is just I have sort of noticed a theme of sorts when it comes to the older Champion/Bellanca highwings...


Why all the love for the aluminum spars?

Serious question...
 
ctab5060X said:
Not picking on you at all, it is just I have sort of noticed a theme of sorts when it comes to the older Champion/Bellanca highwings...


Why all the love for the aluminum spars?

Serious question...
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Not an expert, but I used to work at a school that had a few of them (twotwoleft still does, he'd answer better). I think it's because the aluminum spar makes the airplane perform manuvers a little more crisp because it flexes less.
 
I, on the otherhand, would only spend 30,000 dollars. Why you ask, because I would have bought myself a seat in this:
4790650989_5240b2dd66.jpg
 
ctab5060X said:
Not picking on you at all, it is just I have sort of noticed a theme of sorts when it comes to the older Champion/Bellanca highwings...


Why all the love for the aluminum spars?

Serious question...
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Obviates the awful inspection AD, and the dozen hideously ugly inspection covers under each wing, for one. Two, it often comes with a gross weight increase and sometimes a small performance increase. Three... Personally, if I'm going to be flying acro in an airplane I haven't owned since it was new, knowing that the wings are young makes me more confident. Four, the resale value seems to hold up better.. though for buying used, I guess it's a wash. I've never flown a wood-spar ACA/Bellanca, so I can't speak to any differences in acro between the two.

Five, an aluminum-spar super D is at the absolute top of my list for this post, and I was going to post it up ... though I'd say mid 90s rather than mid-70s, for me, since a mid-90s 8KCAB with reasonably low hours can easily be found for not much more than $75k.

-Fox
 
N519AT said:
I thought I was the only one.
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You would have been had Adler not posted all of those pics of him in that one in central Florida. There's a pretty incredible video that the company did that I think is on Youtube showing the plane flying through canyons and above water. Plus being able to log multi time? 'tis awesome.

There's one that's been on Barnstormers website for awhile now that I would totally jump on if the wife and I weren't trying to spawn ... http://www.barnstormers.com/ad_detail.php?ID=554907
 
Wood wings vs Metal Wings.

The Wood wing team: Skip Stewart, Sean Tucker, Steve Wolf, Jim Leroy, Okie_Pilot, and all the other aerobatic guys that know their stuff.

The Metal Wing team: (sound of crickets)


:D
 
Murdoughnut said:
You would have been had Adler not posted all of those pics of him in that one in central Florida. There's a pretty incredible video that the company did that I think is on Youtube showing the plane flying through canyons and above water. Plus being able to log multi time? 'tis awesome.

There's one that's been on Barnstormers website for awhile now that I would totally jump on if the wife and I weren't trying to spawn ... http://www.barnstormers.com/ad_detail.php?ID=554907
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I just looked last night when I posted that and there is a bunch of new Aircam videos on YouTube in 1080p if your pc can handle. They're all pretty awesome. there's even one video where the guy has the 914s (turbocharged) with reversible pitch props on floats.

The only thing that bothers me about the one on barnstormers is those 582s on it. If I had the cash to buy it I'd probably try to put 912s on it but that's $30k or so for new ones. Plus that Aircam has been on there for a while (I'm always looking haha) and started at $85k now it's down to 40. Not sure why.


Sent from my iPhone using the power of bear stuffs
 
Okie_Pilot said:
Wood wings vs Metal Wings.
The Wood wing team: Skip Stewart, Sean Tucker, Steve Wolf, Jim Leroy, Okie_Pilot, and all the other aerobatic guys that know their stuff.
:D
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citation needed

Not too many wood wings in unlimited these days, as little as it means for the purposes of this discussion. As I said above, there's nothing inherently wrong with wood ... and if the same quality of hardwood was available with the same quality of work, I would have no hesitation about flying a wood-winged aircraft... but as with anything else, there are plusses and minuses. Neither wood nor metal responds well to neglect, and neither is inherently easier to inspect. However, aluminum is much more of a known quantity these days, and it's a lot easier to miss a critical problem with a wood spar on inspection. In fact, in general I would say that my bias towards metal wings on the bellanca/champion aircraft is almost wholly due to the fact that the metal wings are guaranteed to be newer. If I knew an A&P who was an expert in wood wings who I trusted, and who was cheap(!!), I would have no compunction about sporting a woody. As it is, I'm hoping to find a metal-winged 8KCAB to keep in the bay area, in conditions that are less favorable for wood.

I think the biggest problem with the wood-versus-metal debate is that it assumes that all other factors are equal.

-Fox
 
(I must note that the above post should have been seasoned copiously with "my understanding is that", "From what I know," and "I'm led to believe", lest I give the impression that I'm speaking from a position of authority or complete knowledge; what I've said is only my impression from my own research, and that largely in lieu of personal experience. I haven't yet been able to purchase an airplane, and am still trying to figure out my best options, to put it in perspective)
 
Acrofox said:


Not too many wood wings in unlimited these days, but as with anything else, there are plusses and minuses. Neither wood nor metal responds well to neglect, and neither is inherently easier to inspect. However, aluminum is much more of a known quantity these days, and it's a lot easier to miss a critical problem with a wood spar on inspection.
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Not too many biplanes left in Unlimited either. Or airplanes that have a price tag less than $300,000.... The current and latest fab seems to be carbon fiber and other composites. It's a bit harder to find someone reputable to build you a composite wing versus a wood wing.
 
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