Beauty is in the eye...

Grum.Man said:
I have a newfound love of the 150 apparently. I've purchased two in the past week. I need an intervention
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Tired of going too fast in "the Egg" are we?
Desiring to slow down as old age approaches?
Gone over to the dark side and decided high wings are the correct placement after all?
Lost a bet during a drinking binge with your pilot friends?
You feel the Bern, then watched Gore's movie, and now have a sudden urge to cut your carbon footprint?

We're looking for a plausible explanation for this rash course of action. :D
 
GRG55 said:
Tired of going too fast in "the Egg" are we?
Desiring to slow down as old age approaches?
Gone over to the dark side and decided high wings are the correct placement after all?
Lost a bet during a drinking binge with your pilot friends?
You feel the Bern, then watched Gore's movie, and now have a sudden urge to cut your carbon footprint?

We're looking for a plausible explanation for this rash course of action. :D
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First of all at 35 I'm far from old age Mr!!! My desire is to see the world from the other side to determine if their foolish arguments have any merit. I will report back with my findings in 2020.
 
Grum.Man said:
First of all at 35 I'm far from old age Mr!!! My desire is to see the world from the other side to determine if their foolish arguments have any merit. I will report back with my findings in 2020.
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I used to think that when I was in my 30s too.
Quoting the late Roy LoPresti "Life is short. Fly fast!" :D
 
Ryan thank you for the superb photos!

Everyone thank you for a pleasant trip down memory lane. We get so caught up in various things on here sometimes we forget the joy and fun. Speaking personally thank you all!
 
jonvcaples said:
We get so caught up in various things on here sometimes we forget the joy and fun.
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Maybe it's time to revisit this ...

One fine, hot summer afternoon a Cessna 150 was flying the pattern at a quiet country airfield. The CFI was getting quite bothered with the student's inability to hold pattern altitude in the thermals and was getting impatient, at times having to take over the controls. Just then he saw a twin Cessna 5,000 feet above him and thought, "Another 1,000 hours of this and I qualify for that twin charter job! Ahhh...... to be a real pilot...going somewhere!"

The Cessna 402 was already late and the boss told him this charter was for one of the company's premier clients. He'd already set MCT and the cylinders didn't like it in the heat of this summer day. He was at 6,000 feet and the winds were now a 20-knot headwind. Today was the 6th day straight flying and he was pretty tired. Maybe if he got to 10,000 feet, the wind might die off .... geeezzzz, those cylinder temps! He looked out the window momentarily and saw a 737 leaving a contrail at 33,000 feet in the serene blue sky. "Oh man," he thought, "My interview is next month. I hope I don't blow it! Outta G/A, nice jet job, above the weather..no snotty passengers to wait for....ahhhhhhhhhhh".

The Boeing 737 bucked and weaved in the CAT at FL330 and ATC advised the captain that lower levels were not available due to traffic. The Captain, who was only recently advised that his destination was below RVR minimums, had slowed to LRC to try and hold off a possible inflight diversion, and arrange an ETA that would hopefully ensure the fog had lifted to CAT II minima. The Company negotiations broke down yesterday and it looked as if everyone was going to take a pay cut. The F/O's will be particularly hard hit as their pay wasn't anything to speak of anyway. Finally deciding on a speed compromise between LRC and turbulence penetration, the Captain looked up and saw the Concorde at Mach 2. Tapping his F/O's shoulder as the 737 took another bashing, he said, "Now THAT's what we should be on..huge pay packet........super fast..not too many routes....not too many sectors...above the CAT. Yep! What a life!"

FL590 was not what he wanted anyway and considered FL570. Already the TAT was creeping up again and either they would have to descend or slow down. That rear fuel transfer pump was becoming unreliable and the F/E had said moments ago that the radiation meter was not reading numbers that he'd like to see. The Concorde descended to FL570 but the radiation was still quite high even though the NOTAM indicated hunkydorey below FL610. Fuel flow was up and the transfer pump was intermittent. Evening turned into night as they passed over the Atlantic. Looking up, the F/O could see a tiny white dot moving against the backdrop of a myriad of stars. "Hey Captain", he called as he pointed. "Must be the Shuttle". The Captain looked for a moment and agreed. Quietly, he thought how a Shuttle mission, whilst complicated, must be the "be all and end all" in aviation. Above the crap, no radiation problems, no fuel transfer problems ... ahhhhhhhh. Must be a great way to earn a quid.

Discovery was into its 27th orbit and perigee was 200 feet out from nominated rendezvous altitude with the COMSAT. The robot arm was virtually OTS and a walk may become necessary. The 200 feet predicted error would necessitate a corrective burn and Discovery needed that fuel if a walk was to be required. Houston continually asked what the Commander wanted to do, but the advise they proffered wasn't much help. The Commander had already been 12 hours on station sorting out the problem and just wanted ten minutes to himself. Just then, a mission specialist, who had tilted the telescope down to the surface for a minute or two, called the Commander to the scope. "Have a look at this, sir, isn't this the kind of flying you said you wanted to do after you finish up with NASA?" The Commander peered through the telescope and cried "Ohhhhhhhhh yeah! Now THAT'S flying! Man, that's what it's all about. Geeezz, I'd give anything just to be doing THAT down there!"

What the Discovery Commander was looking at was the Cessna 150 flying the pattern at a quiet country airfield on a nice bright sunny afternoon.​
 
Attempt at humor here....beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes all the way to the bone as proven by my x-rays and CT scanso_O
 
Yes, we spend so much energy wanting to go higher and faster. And now, late in life, I am learning to fly a rag & tube taildragger, maybe the plane in which I've had the most pure fun of all.
 
Grum.Man said:
Keeping the o200. It’s so much cheaper than any of the bigger options and being at sea level on the east coast I don’t need something that will take off and land in <300 ft at 7k DA.
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:yeahthat:
Love the O-200. Never any problems in either my C150 or my current O-200-A powered LSA other than the (very) rare carb icing. My 150 had a gross weight of 1600 and cruised about 95 knots, but with the lower 1320 pounds gross of my LSA the prop is pitched for higher cruise speed and I do 110 knots with roughly the same rate of climb as the 150.

In my experience, the O-200 is super reliable.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
...I had to turn down river to miss a 500' hill off the end of the runway. It did spin much better than my Skyhawk.
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Hopefully not in that 500 ft AGL turn. ;)

Learned to fly in a 150 when I was 18 and, like most teenagers, thought I was immortal. I have a huge number of spins in those 150s from back them. Wasted a lot of post-solo flight hours during training having fun doing those, although my instructor was often not amused when I got back to the airport and I hadn't followed his lesson plan.
 
Stan Cooper said:
:yeahthat:
Love the O-200. Never any problems in either my C150 or my current O-200-A powered LSA other than the (very) rare carb icing. My 150 had a gross weight of 1600 and cruised about 95 knots, but with the lower 1320 pounds gross of my LSA the prop is pitched for higher cruise speed and I do 110 knots with roughly the same rate of climb as the 150.

In my experience, the O-200 is super reliable.
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I bought a new Sport Cub in 2007, partially because I trusted the O-200-A. I'd flown those engines extensively since student pilot days in the 1960s, and I've owned two C-150s in the past.

That factory-new 2007 O-200-A was a shock. Exhaust valves were leaking and compressions down at 125 hrs TT. Continental paid for a top OH. I later found out that many other Sport Cub owners had the same issue, but engines that had been reworked by a reputable outside shop were doing fine. I was told the new O-200-As have a different valve seat design from the older builds.

Loved the airplane, but the engine was a big disappointment.
 
Pilawt said:
I bought a new Sport Cub in 2007, partially because I trusted the O-200-A. I'd flown those engines extensively since student pilot days in the 1960s, and I've owned two C-150s in the past.

That factory-new 2007 O-200-A was a shock. Exhaust valves were leaking and compressions down at 125 hrs TT. Continental paid for a top OH. I later found out that many other Sport Cub owners had the same issue, but engines that had been reworked by a reputable outside shop were doing fine. I was told the new O-200-As have a different valve seat design from the older builds.

Loved the airplane, but the engine was a big disappointment.
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I think there is something about all the later engines that just doesn't hold up as well. On the positive side, I've heard stories of O-200 bottom ends lasting 3-4k hours if used frequently and cared for properly. I would expect any engine could do that though under the same circumstances.
 
Eye of the beholder - 150 vis always seemed atrocious to me, about the worst of the high-wing Cessna family, which is generally awful. Other than looking straight down on the left, it's pretty blind. Easy to land, handled OK, but not a top flight trainer.
 
I don’t get the “bad visibility” comments that many people toss out regarding the 150. Other than flying in a Cub with the door open, every other airplane I’ve flown in has a panel, doors, doorposts, wings, etc. Maybe those visibility comments come from powered parachute drivers and balloon riders? I fly with a neighbor in his old, rare biplane now and then. Open cockpit, radial windmill, sooooo cool, and you can’t see above or below, or over the nose. {shrug}. Still tons of fun, but I can see lots more from my 150. As far as speed goes, do you fly because you’re in a hurry, or is flying the destination? I know my answer. :)
 
I'm trying to remember a commonly available fixed gear nose dragger with worse vis than a 150? I guess there are some. . .maybe; the trainers contemporary with the 150 are all much better, like a 140, or Tomahawk, or AA1, or Skipper. . .
 
I called the 152 we used to fly "the Fisher Price plane". It felt like it was powered by a giant rubber band.

Having said that; it flew great. I really loved that plane. It was easy to stay ahead of for IFR training. It only had one VOR with an ILS. To fly the plane while dialing in cross radials was a challenge that I enjoyed. I enjoyed short field landings with it.

Now I want a 152!
 
Lachlan said:
I don’t get the “bad visibility” comments that many people toss out regarding the 150.
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Never occurred to me. One of the C-150s I flew had the skylights which were mostly useless, and you sit a lot further forward and higher than in my C-182 with the enormous panel blocking quite a bit more forward for anyone short.

Ive has to grunt groan and strain to see around stuff regularly in the Skylane. In the C-150 if there’s two aboard there’s none of that, you can’t move anyway! LOL
 
denverpilot said:
In the C-150 if there’s two aboard there’s none of that, you can’t move anyway!
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A 1960s magazine writer described the Cessna 150 as "an aluminum serge suit." :p

In September 1965 Flying's Richard Weeghman wrote of the just-introduced 1966 150F:

"In an age of super-technicrafted flying machinery oozing sophistication and straining with excess tonnage, the Cessna 150 is a relief.

"A man can pull the 150 around the ramp with one hand; he can encircle the fuselage with his arms; he must strain to hear the passing whisper of a taxiing 150. The 150 is light, deft and dainty.

"The 150 is the antithesis of a juggernaut. On takeoff it doesn't charge down the runway chewing up surprised air; it minuets along the concrete, then like a grasshopper jumps up into the wind."​

:D
 
As much as I love the little 150 for sentimental reasons, I always wanted to get the tailwheel endorsement and fly a Champ.

We’ll see if I ever get a shot at it, but sure looks fun in a different way.

Cubs are great, love their history and all of that, and wouldn’t turn down flying one, but they never screamed “come fly me!” to me like a Champ does, sitting on the ramp.
 
Liked the 150 till I started gaining weight.
 
RyanShort1 said:
So I was flying a Cessna 150 this evening with a student practicing landings at KRBD and it was just a pretty evening and when I got done I was just thinking that the ol’ 150 is still a pretty cool little bird. That is all!

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RyanShort1 said:
So I was flying a Cessna 150 this evening with a student practicing landings at KRBD and it was just a pretty evening and when I got done I was just thinking that the ol’ 150 is still a pretty cool little bird. That is all!

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My CFI says the 150's are way under appreciated. I have to agree.
 
Huckster79 said:
No clue as I’m a c-140 guy...
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I can’t fit in a 140. The 150/152 is just enough to enjoy for an afternoon ride.

I’ve looked at several converted to tail wheel over the years. Always found problems I did not wish to inherit. At the times I looked there were not any active and available stc’s. It has been years since I last checked... the boat is almost paid off...
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I can’t fit in a 140. The 150/152 is just enough to enjoy for an afternoon ride.

I’ve looked at several converted to tail wheel over the years. Always found problems I did not wish to inherit. At the times I looked there were not any active and available stc’s. It has been years since I last checked... the boat is almost paid off...
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Gotcha, I guess I didn't realize we were much smaller than a 150/152 inside... But I guess even a bit small makes a big difference when you are not working with much space to begin with... I'm fortunate I'm not much larger than the "Average" sized guy was in the 40s. 5'8" 180lbs and so I fit rather comfortably... I do put the seat all the way back and then use a memory foam pillow behind me, then if I have a passenger our shoulders aren't lined up, helps a bit...

So the 150 TW conversion STCs are just not out there anymore that you can find? I've never tried that adventurous of a project so I'm completely ignorant...That is really unfortunate :(
 
Huckster79 said:
Gotcha, I guess I didn't realize we were much smaller than a 150/152 inside... But I guess even a bit small makes a big difference when you are not working with much space to begin with... I'm fortunate I'm not much larger than the "Average" sized guy was in the 40s. 5'8" 180lbs and so I fit rather comfortably... I do put the seat all the way back and then use a memory foam pillow behind me, then if I have a passenger our shoulders aren't lined up, helps a bit...

So the 150 TW conversion STCs are just not out there anymore that you can find? I've never tried that adventurous of a project so I'm completely ignorant...That is really unfortunate :(
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I’m 6’6”. I can’t get in a 140. Not sure what it is about the 150 ergonomics but I can fly it even though it doesn’t seem any bigger.
 
Huckster79 said:
Gotcha, I guess I didn't realize we were much smaller than a 150/152 inside... But I guess even a bit small makes a big difference when you are not working with much space to begin with...
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The fuselage widths are the same. In 1967 (150G) the doors were bowed out by three inches, which made a lot of difference. In the early '70s the seat cushions were lowered some for more headroom.

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Got an hour or so in a 140 not long ago. It has to be the tightest fit I've had to date in a plane.
Also one of the funnest.

I've not been in an Ercoupe yet, but they looked purty durn tite standing next to one.
 
So honest at 5' 11" and 150 lbs (me) the 150 is NOT as tiny as people make it out to be. I'm not judging anyone specifically, but if more people were like my dad and a bit more disciplined in eating and other parts of life we wouldn't hear so many complaints about weight and size. It's not rocket science y'all, and there was a time when non-supersize me was the norm back when these aircraft were new.
 
RyanShort1 said:
So honest at 5' 11" and 150 lbs (me) the 150 is NOT as tiny as people make it out to be. I'm not judging anyone specifically, but if more people were like my dad and a bit more disciplined in eating and other parts of life we wouldn't hear so many complaints about weight and size. It's not rocket science y'all, and there was a time when non-supersize me was the norm back when these aircraft were new.
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My wife and I can fly with full fuel in our 150 and still be 85 pounds under gross. I guess we weren’t fed on hormone-injected meats when we were growing up. :) My wife is 5’zero and well under a hundred pounds. I’m only 5’6” and 158 lbs. (mostly chiseled muscle and stunning good looks, I might add.) The 150 is perfectly sized for us. If we were larger humans, closer to modern averages, I can see where we would have problems, though. A 150 isn’t for everyone.
 
RyanShort1 said:
So honest at 5' 11" and 150 lbs (me) the 150 is NOT as tiny as people make it out to be. I'm not judging anyone specifically, but if more people were like my dad and a bit more disciplined in eating and other parts of life we wouldn't hear so many complaints about weight and size. It's not rocket science y'all, and there was a time when non-supersize me was the norm back when these aircraft were new.
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I'm 6'3 and wear a 48 jacket, and still fit into 32 waist pants. Wouldn't matter what I ate, some of us just can't fit into certain planes no matter what our diet is. Anything under 190 and I start getting asked if I have a terminal illness - no lie. I got down to 178 and was told to put on weight. We aren't all pipe cleaners.
 
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