As someone who has only flown a 152, how does the 120/140 compare?
There's a C140A in the hangar bay next to my Citabria and they are nice aircraft to fly.
The seats are not adjustable and the rudder pedals are fixed, so if you are tall the yoke might hit your knees, and if you are short, you might need a pillow behind you to reach the rudder pedals. I you are 5''9" it'll be perfect.
Gross weight is 1450 for the 120 and 1500 for the 140, which is notably lighter than the 1760 pound GW for the C152, so performance is pretty similar even with 85-90 hp in a 120 or 140, with slightly slower cruise speeds in the 95-100 mph range. With a C-85 with O-200 crank, rods, pistons and cylinders, or an O-200 you'll probably see 105-110 mph.
That said the 120 didn't come with an electrical system from the factory and most have them now, so real world empty weights on modern equipped 120s cut into the useful load a bit, as will larger engines. Similarly, metalizing a 120 or 140 wing adds about 40-50 pounds and along with an electrical system and starter can potentially reduce the useful load down around the 500-550 pound range rather than 600 or so. So check the W&B numbers before you buy to see if the one you are looking at got fat.
The C140 was produced first with the economy model C120 coming a couple months later, both with C-85-12 engines. As noted above the C140A had a metal wing, but it wasn't just metalized. it was an entirely new C170 style tapered wing design with a single wing strut. It also had the option of a C-85-12F or C-90 engine. The C140A is less common as only about 500 were made.
The O-200 in the small aircraft like the Champ and the C120 and C140 is better in theory than in actual practice. The O-200 won't generate full horsepower at less than 2800 rpm, and you don't usually get that much rpm in these aircraft. At best the O-200 was a 97 hp engine anyway even at 2800 rpm.
The C-85 cranks are getting hard to find, so there are STCs out there to install O-200 cranks and pistons in the C-85s and C-90s. That's really the sweet spot as the combination of the C-85 cam, designed to produce max power at 2575 rpm, and O-200 crank, cylinders, pistons and rods gives you slightly more real world power than an O-200 anyway
My impression is the 120 and 140 handle better than the C150 and C152. and I think the 120 or early rag wing 140 has better roll response than the metal wing 140A. The difference the flaps make on the 140 compared to the 120 isn't much. The small flaps on the 140 are not like the larger fowler flaps on the C150 and C152, so a C152 pilot will have to manage approach speeds differently. You'll have to learn how to slip and the C120/C140 rudder has a lot of authority for that purpose as well as for good control in crosswind landings.
I wasn't aware of the gear being moved forward on the 1949 and later models, but there is an STC out there to add an extender block to the bottom of the gear leg, which moves the main wheels forward a few inches. If you buy a 120 or 140 without that mod, it's well worth getting. With or without the mod, stay off the brakes until you are almost stopped and be very diligent in keeping the stick back with any head wind and prop wash to keep the tail down. With a tailwind it's a judgment call whether the airflow over the elevator warrants stick forward or stick back, but if the tailwind exceeds the prop wash effect, keep the stick forward.
They are not as forgiving as a Cub or a Champ, but they also are not difficult to fly for a competent tailwheel pilot. They were after all designed as trainers. That said, it'll be rare to find one that has not been ground looped. If you do ground loop one at more than taxi speed the odds are good you'll damage the gear boxes. However parts support from Univair is quite good.
The trim tab equipped elevator authority is Champ like in that it could use a bit more at low speed, so it's not as short field as it could be. But on the other hand, you do not want to get on the brakes until you've slowed to a walk anyway, so don't try to make it a stol aircraft and you'll both be happy.
In terms of a pre buy be sure to check:
- the area around the door posts, like you would any Cessna;
- the main spar carry through structure (leaks from the small skylights can cause corrosion);
- the landing gear boxes (there are inspection panels in the cockpit floor;
- the tail section for cracks, especially around the tailwheel spring; and
- The tail wheel spring for both breakage and sag. Sag will cause a negative castor angle which will cause the tailwheel to shimmy and a broken tail wheel spring will cause total loss of control on landing, which will do major airframe damage. Looking for a cracked or broken leaf really should be a pre-flight inspection item.
All of the above are repairable, but with the exception of the tailwheel spring won't be cheap, so you want to find those issues before you own it.
