Aeronca Champ vs. Cessna 150?

TreeTopFlyer83

TreeTopFlyer83

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TreeTopFlyer83
Question guys/girls. I'm dragging my feet on starting my PPL. I've been back and forth trying to decide to start with a tail wheel with stick and rudder or the 150. Any information or recommendations any of you can provide would be most appreciated. The pros and cons so to speak. I've done a fair amount of research online about the differences between the two and I know they're not very comparable but both are good planes to learn to fly in. I'm open ears folks and thanks in advance for any information and recommendations that you all may have.
 
frfly172 said:
If your just starting,either will serve your purpose,and you will be a tail wheel pilot if you choose the champ.
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Just starting, brand new at this flying thing. My father is in the middle of getting his sport pilot license and he's doing so in the Champ, he's really enjoying it. My hope is that we can do some flying together if I begin with the Champ. Thanks for the advice.
 
Lowflynjack said:
The Champ will be a lot of fun. It will make the Cessna 150 look like a rocket though! Not many planes can make a 150 seem fast!

Seriously, I would choose the Champ. I always choose the tailwheel!
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And to be honest I'm not sure how far I want this flying thing to go. I can let my imagination run wild at times and find myself thinking about buying a plane, or flying for a living, not necessarily as a commercial pilot but some sort of pilot. Starting with a plane like the Champ builds a solid foundation, or so lots of people say.
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
Question guys/girls. I'm dragging my feet on starting my PPL. I've been back and forth trying to decide to start with a tail wheel with stick and rudder or the 150. Any information or recommendations any of you can provide would be most appreciated. The pros and cons so to speak. I've done a fair amount of research online about the differences between the two and I know they're not very comparable but both are good planes to learn to fly in. I'm open ears folks and thanks in advance for any information and recommendations that you all may have.
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Is this a serious question?


The champ, it’s not even a debate.


I learned how to fly on a 7AC myself, it’s really not even a comparison.
 
N3368K said:
Someone has to say it (almost a Godwin's Law of Aviation)...J-3 Cub. :D
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You're one of the few who says the Cub over the Champ. There is a good video available somewhere online where a gentleman and his bridge demonstrate the differences between the two planes. Very good and very informational video.
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
I've also heard good things about the 140's and 120's, just hard to find a school that has those instead of Champs.
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If you learn and demonstrate proper fundamentals in the 7AC you’ll be fine in most any tailwheel
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
You're one of the few who says the Cub over the Champ. There is a good video available somewhere online where a gentleman and his bridge demonstrate the differences between the two planes. Very good and very informational video.
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Well, I learned in a Cub and own one, so... Having flown both, they both have good points and bad. That said, it was all in good humor. Either is hands-down better than a 150. :D

N7155H.JPG
 
N3368K said:
Well, I learned in a Cub and own one, so... Having flown both, they both have good points and bad. That said, it was all in good humor. Either is hands-down better than a 150. :D
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Perfect. Thank you for the information.
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
Question guys/girls. I'm dragging my feet on starting my PPL. I've been back and forth trying to decide to start with a tail wheel with stick and rudder or the 150. Any information or recommendations any of you can provide would be most appreciated. The pros and cons so to speak. I've done a fair amount of research online about the differences between the two and I know they're not very comparable but both are good planes to learn to fly in. I'm open ears folks and thanks in advance for any information and recommendations that you all may have.
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Does the champ have an electrical system? If not you’ll have to do the night flights in something else. Not a big deal though. Are you renting somewhere that will let a student solo the champ?
 
Somedudeintn said:
Does the champ have an electrical system? If not you’ll have to do the night flights in something else. Not a big deal though. Are you renting somewhere that will let a student solo the champ?
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Not to mention a VOR to demonstrate the ancient nav technology for the PP Checkride.
 
Do you have a flight school nearby that has a Champ, or better yet two Champs, and will they let you fly it solo?
 
^ not a issue

Do the night stuff and a checkout in a 172, which will come in handy anyways.

Also many DPEs will let you use a handheld in the champ for the nav part of the checkride, or just land swap over to a 172/150 and go do unusual attitudes and stuff and land, ether way no biggie.
 
Somedudeintn said:
Does the champ have an electrical system? If not you’ll have to do the night flights in something else. Not a big deal though. Are you renting somewhere that will let a student solo the champ?
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The instructor has a 172 that he can do flight instruction in so that's going to be the plan for the night flying. His Champ does not have an electrical system.
 
FormerHangie said:
Do you have a flight school nearby that has a Champ, or better yet two Champs, and will they let you fly it solo?
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He has one Champ that he will let me solo and also a 172 that I can do my night training in. So it's all there as far as the instruction and him giving quality time in both.
 
My experience / observations have been that it is easy to learn in a tailwheel aircraft, and easy to transition to a nosewheel. But, it appears to be somewhat difficult to transition from a nosewheel to a tailwheel. So the easy route seems to be to start in the Champ.
 
If you train in both airplanes you will have a more well rounded education, and probably a somewhat longer and more expensive one.
 
Is this POA? 25 posts in and nobody suggested a Bonanza? What has this forum become. I’m thoroughly disappointed.

That said, I’d love to fly a champ. They’re cute planes and seem like a lot of fun.
 
If you have a choice learn to fly in a champ. You will learn more about coordinated flight. Slipping is a must and spinning is available. Of course handling a tail wheel plane on the ground is a skill that will help in anything you choose to fly. Then there is the classic case of what you will be ready for after you learn in a champ...cub, Stearman, etc.. Get a few hours in the 150 too. And the champ is a more comfortable cockpit with better visibility than the 150.
 
FormerHangie said:
If you train in both airplanes you will have a more well rounded education, and probably a somewhat longer and more expensive one.
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It'll just be doing the night portion of the PPL in the 172. Not doing anything else in the 172. Guessing because the Champ doesn't have an electrical system as one of the guys mentioned above.
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
He has one Champ that he will let me solo and also a 172 that I can do my night training in. So it's all there as far as the instruction and him giving quality time in both.
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You lucked out big time man.

Do all you can in the champ, and do the night and instrument stuff in the 172.


As someone else said, have him do the full stall routine
Power on, power off, turning
Also falling leaf stalls
Than spins
Do all that Pre solo, you’ll learn to step in the high wing, plus do real short field and real soft field ops, you have no idea how far head of the average new PPL this will make you.
 
FormerHangie said:
Do you have a flight school nearby that has a Champ, or better yet two Champs
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Right, because everyone knows that when you can fly two Champs at the same time, then you're a "real pilot". :) :)
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
Question guys/girls. I'm dragging my feet on starting my PPL. I've been back and forth trying to decide to start with a tail wheel with stick and rudder or the 150. Any information or recommendations any of you can provide would be most appreciated. The pros and cons so to speak. I've done a fair amount of research online about the differences between the two and I know they're not very comparable but both are good planes to learn to fly in. I'm open ears folks and thanks in advance for any information and recommendations that you all may have.
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I own a Champ (or at least all of the pieces). I would suggest going with whichever is most convenient (ease of access, cost, stuff like that) to earn your PPL. If there is no difference in convenience, go with the Champ.
 
If you soloed the Champ, then finished out your training in the plane you'll fly for the checkride, you should be fine. I've done that before with a student and it worked out great.
 
Lowflynjack said:
The Champ will be a lot of fun. It will make the Cessna 150 look like a rocket though! Not many planes can make a 150 seem fast!
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We had a 100-hp Champ and two 150s in the flight school, and I instructed in both. Exactly the same engines in both types, the O-200-A. That Champ outran and outperformed both 150s easily, making one wonder what the 150 was doing with its 100 hp. The Champ took off shorter, climbed faster and cruised faster than either of the 150s. It didn't glide as far, about the only disadvantage it had.
 
TreeTopFlyer83 said:
And to be honest I'm not sure how far I want this flying thing to go. I can let my imagination run wild at times and find myself thinking about buying a plane, or flying for a living, not necessarily as a commercial pilot but some sort of pilot. Starting with a plane like the Champ builds a solid foundation, or so lots of people say.
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If you’re flying for a living it will most definitely be as a commercial pilot. ;)

As a 150 owner, I recommend learning to fly in the obvious choice: the Champ. :) Chicks dig airplanes with tailwheels.
 
My advice, fly whatever you're gonna want to and afford to fly most often. Nosewheel/tailwheel, the only difference is how much the airplane will let you get away with on takeoff and landing, all else is the same.

Dan Thomas said:
We had a 100-hp Champ ... It didn't glide as far, about the only disadvantage it had.
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With the throttle out, the Champ becomes a barn door. With no flaps and pretty beefy landing gear, its at its draggiest and soon as you haul the throttle back and try to maintain something close to approach speed.

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Champs are a blast to fly. Got my training and checkride in one (85 HP). Tailwheel handling skills are worth learning.
 
Tailwheel planes are simply inferior and obsolete technology as far as their ground handling characteristics and, besides often superiors look and aesthetics , there is no reason to fly one except as some kind of masochistic excersize to prove a point.

But hey , the same can be said just about any GA plane and since 90% of GA flying is for fun....I guess why not make it a bit more challenging just for the heck of it.
 
Warmi said:
Tailwheel planes are simply inferior and obsolete technology as far as their ground handling characteristics and, besides often superiors look and aesthetics , there is no reason to fly one except as some kind of masochistic excersize to prove a point.

But hey , the same can be said just about any GA plane and since 90% of GA flying is for fun....I guess why not make it a bit more challenging just for the heck of it.
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Would you care to show which nosewheel airplane is better for aerobatics in the Piston world than the myriad of conventional geared aircraft? A lot of tailwheel planes ARE more efficient from a drag standpoint than the same plane with a big ole clunky nosewheel...
 
RyanShort1 said:
Would you care to show which nosewheel airplane is better for aerobatics in the Piston world than the myriad of conventional geared aircraft? A lot of tailwheel planes ARE more efficient from a drag standpoint than the same plane with a big ole clunky nosewheel...
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Compare the PA-20 to the PA-22
 
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