Biggest POS You've Ever Flown

Ok, I have to give kudos to the plane whose entire instrument panel fell off.

But let's be honest, talking about "POS" twin turbine equipment is a first world problem.

I've flown a 1960 Cessna 182 that was originally a farmer's airplane, followed by a jump plane for skydivers for 30+ years. Anyone who's been around farmers and skydivers can imagine what it was like. Incidentally, this plane is still actively working as a jump plane...until the next 100 hour inspection, at which time it will be parted out.

On my Cessna 140, nothing works aside from the basic VFR instruments and engine.

I've ferried a few sketchy planes for work over the years. Not often, but they happen from time to time.

Anyway...quit yer whinin'. If you get from Point A to Point B through the air, it couldn't have been THAT big of a POS.
 
There was an AMF Navajo that I flew where one of the engines would smoke on every departure.

The worst was a duchess I flew. Tons of stuff that should have been found long before I flew it. Stuff like a leak in the door seal allowing water to flow on to electrical lines and cause about and inch of water in the floor. Half the circuit breakers were bypassed. Random live wires that connected to nothing. One of the engines would spike on oil pressure/temperature every once in a while and a quick mag check would fix the issue. Corrosion found after opening the plane up. Heater never worked. The thing was a mess.
 
arkflyr said:
Now Mike, I have to take offense to this. That was one of the better ones we had in BHM. It had MHS's name on the side in permanent marker under the window like a fighter jet. You need to find a pic of 696BD or 9189Q, both of which were the absolute finest vintage of crap to ever fly under the starcheck call sign.

Nick
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95bb.jpg

One of my favorite memories from Airnet on one of my last days in the props.
Line guys at MKE having a little fun with me and I believe ackeight was flying with me then.
 
jrh said:
a jump plane for skydivers for 30+ years. Anyone who's been around farmers and skydivers can imagine what it was like. Incidentally, this plane is still actively working as a jump plane...until the next 100 hour inspection, at which time it will be parted out.
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Lemme guess... They've been planning to get rid of it at the next 100 hour for the last 25 of those 30 years.
 
jrh said:
Ok, I have to give kudos to the plane whose entire instrument panel fell off.

But let's be honest, talking about "POS" twin turbine equipment is a first world problem.

I've flown a 1960 Cessna 182 that was originally a farmer's airplane, followed by a jump plane for skydivers for 30+ years. Anyone who's been around farmers and skydivers can imagine what it was like. Incidentally, this plane is still actively working as a jump plane...until the next 100 hour inspection, at which time it will be parted out.

On my Cessna 140, nothing works aside from the basic VFR instruments and engine.

I've ferried a few sketchy planes for work over the years. Not often, but they happen from time to time.

Anyway...quit yer whinin'. If you get from Point A to Point B through the air, it couldn't have been THAT big of a POS.
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Ok, Ok, I got one, I flew a Cherokee that was physically bent - like it had a been bent like a banana - and my buddy flew it and said to MX, "Uh, hey, this flies funny" and they took it in the shop and the goddamn spar was busted.
 
Roger Roger said:
Lemme guess... They've been planning to get rid of it at the next 100 hour for the last 25 of those 30 years.
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Ha! No, it was more an issue of the local mechanic saying something to the effect of, "Ok, I'll sign it off this time, but there are so many marginal issues developing, it will literally cost you more than the value of the plane to fix it next time." I know the mechanic, and he's not exactly the most picky guy in the world.

The DZ now has a very nice 1969 182M sitting in their hangar, ready to go, waiting for FAA approval to install a jump door/step.
 
ppragman said:
Ok, Ok, I got one, I flew a Cherokee that was physically bent - like it had a been bent like a banana - and my buddy flew it and said to MX, "Uh, hey, this flies funny" and they took it in the shop and the goddamn spar was busted.
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Ok, I give kudos to that, same as the panel falling out.

But the fact remains, your buddy *flew* from point A to point B. He beat the Wright Brothers for goodness sakes.

Unless somebody gets stranded in the middle of nowhere and burns their plane to the ground in one final act of disgust, I probably won't be impressed.
 
ppragman said:
Ok, Ok, I got one, I flew a Cherokee that was physically bent - like it had a been bent like a banana - and my buddy flew it and said to MX, "Uh, hey, this flies funny" and they took it in the shop and the goddamn spar was busted.
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If you're referring to the Bluebird, the part that was cracked was not the spar, not even close.
 
frog_flyer said:
It's a great airplane..... when it works. It works about as often as it doesn't, unfortunately. Once FRED gets moving though, he'll keep moving.... for about 30 hours. Then he'll take a crap and you have to hope you're somewhere nice. :)
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Damn, had no idea. lol Always loved seeing them flying around here and at airshows. Though come to think of it, I believe MikeD mentioned the one he was supposed to ride out of the sand pit earlier this year, had engine issues, was grounded and he had to wait for another plane.
 
It's a toss up between an old Decathlon that tried to kill me and a Cherokee Six.

On the Decathlon I got the ailerons to jam solid at full left deflection while rolling on a vertical down line. Almost got to teach my self how to sky dive that day. The Six was a retired bank check hauler. Nothing worked including the crank shaft seal that gave up over the LA basin and pumped oil all over the windshield. Luckily there was a plethora of airports to choose from. It was a tough choice between the FBO with the cutest girls and the best cookies.
 
I haven't flown that many airplanes....

But the 152 I got my PPL in was sufficiently a beater. It wasn't until AFTER I got my license and moved to Austin that I discovered you don't have to do a burn-off during the runup every time you fly.

Every. Single. Flight. That 152 would need a burnoff session.
 
jrh said:
Ha! No, it was more an issue of the local mechanic saying something to the effect of, "Ok, I'll sign it off this time, but there are so many marginal issues developing, it will literally cost you more than the value of the plane to fix it next time." I know the mechanic, and he's not exactly the most picky guy in the world.

The DZ now has a very nice 1969 182M sitting in their hangar, ready to go, waiting for FAA approval to install a jump door/step.
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Are you talking about the plane at carmi?? Eeesh that one was scary!
 
TwoTwoLeft said:
It's a toss up between an old Decathlon that tried to kill me and a Cherokee Six.

On the Decathlon I got the ailerons to jam solid at full left deflection while rolling on a vertical down line. Almost got to teach my self how to sky dive that day. The Six was a retired bank check hauler. Nothing worked including the crank shaft seal that gave up over the LA basin and pumped oil all over the windshield. Luckily there was a plethora of airports to choose from. It was a tough choice between the FBO with the cutest girls and the best cookies.
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Along the same lines, I was once acquainted with a beat up 1960s Citabria. According to this airplane's weight & balance paperwork, two average sized guys and any fuel in the tanks would put the airplane over gross. The spring-steel main gear sagged bottomed-out as it taxiied by. It had POS heel-brakes and had supposedly been ground-looped into the grass many times in its illustrious lifetime, but the wood spar apparently prevailed and continued to remain in one piece over the years.

I once met a gentleman who told a tall tale of being the only renter brave enough to fly acro in the thing. Upon tying the aircraft down after every session, he reportedly performed the obligatory ritual of popping all the wing inspection plates, pulling the aileron cable back onto its rollers, and buttoning it up again. :eek:

Oh well, at least he was courteous. :D
 
killbilly said:
I haven't flown that many airplanes....

But the 152 I got my PPL in was sufficiently a beater. It wasn't until AFTER I got my license and moved to Austin that I discovered you don't have to do a burn-off during the runup every time you fly.

Every. Single. Flight. That 152 would need a burnoff session.
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I hate to say it but this is fairly standard of all the 152s I've ever flown, and has more to do with operator error then any mechanical problem. If the CFIs don't teach their students to always taxi with the mixture leaned out... and I mean really leaned out, not a turn or two... this will inevitably happen regardless of how often the spark plugs are sandblasted.
 
inigo88 said:
I hate to say it but this is fairly standard of all the 152s I've ever flown, and has more to do with operator error then any mechanical problem. If the CFIs don't teach their students to always taxi with the mixture leaned out... and I mean really leaned out, not a turn or two... this will inevitably happen regardless of how often the spark plugs are sandblasted.
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I didn't know this was a trend. There were two more I flew down in Austin before I started flying other things...a 152 with the Sparrowhawk and a 152 Aerobat and neither of those had that issue. But, a) my instructor DID teach me to lean it out for taxi - about an inch or more as I recall, and b) I'm guessing that's how they were teaching it down in AUS when I moved there.

Good to know, though.
 
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