Cessna 150K- What to expect

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

Final Approach
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Jaybird180
A friend is loaning me his Commuter at an unbeatable dry rate! Since I've got no time in type, the insurance company wants to have 5hrs dual before I do anything else.

Majority of my time is C-172, but I have a few other types thrown in there.

What can I expect about the handling characteristics of this airplane? What are the similarities with the Skyhawk?
 
You'll probably over control it for a bit, then learn to appreciate how light the controls are.

I grew up flying one, to me they make great pilots that feel "one with the wind"

Almost effortless to fly when you're comfortable.

Full flap landings at night can be easy to touch nose wheel first,
 
The 150/152’s have lighter and more responsive control forces and it’s more ‘kite-like’ in breezy conditions. You’ll have heavy feet on the pedals for a little while until you get used to having less HP. Otherwise, it’s not that big of a change.
 
Don’t fall asleep on the climb out, controls are much lighter than a 172. Fun airplanes to fly for little money.
 
It parallels a phrase from the Motorcycle world.

It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow.

A C150/152 is a fun machine (um, when solo, that is). Enjoy.
 
6gph and 100mph, hold the yoke like a pencil.
 
Vx, Vy are 5 knots slower than the 172. It will feel like it accelerates slower before rotation.
 
If you have a passenger and full tanks better get an accurate weight. Too damn easy to overload one of those things.
 
You'll know if you are uncoordinated very quickly... Nice little plane, easy to handle and slow so you can watch the scenery go by better.
 
What should you expect? To have oh-so-much fun.

I flew about 150 hours in a C-150 the first couple of years of my PPL, but sold it 4 years ago and hadn't flown one since. I just bought another and last night went up for the first time in 4 years... it felt like putting on a comfortable old glove. What a joy to fly!
 
I got my license in a 1966 150G in 1977.
6 or 7 years go, my brother and I bought a 1974 150L. My daughter got her license in it 5 years ago. We sold it, and 1 year later, I bought it back from the guy we sold it to. He never took ownership of it because he didn't have a hangar for it so I kept it hangared for him. He sent me a text 2 or 3 weeks ago saying he'd had another stroke and needed to sell the airplane. I made him an offer and he took it.
So now I have a 150 and an RV9A. My brother and I have a 172 partnership. The 150 flies just like the 172 except a little/lot slower. It's a little more "picky" about the numbers landing and taking off though. I flew it a little over 30 hrs. last month.
 
Marshall Alexander said:
I got my license in a 1966 150G in 1977.
6 or 7 years go, my brother and I bought a 1974 150L. My daughter got her license in it 5 years ago. We sold it, and 1 year later, I bought it back from the guy we sold it to. He never took ownership of it because he didn't have a hangar for it so I kept it hangared for him. He sent me a text 2 or 3 weeks ago saying he'd had another stroke and needed to sell the airplane. I made him an offer and he took it.
So now I have a 150 and an RV9A. My brother and I have a 172 partnership. The 150 flies just like the 172 except a little/lot slower. It's a little more "picky" about the numbers landing and taking off though. I flew it a little over 30 hrs. last month.
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Interesting that you bought a 150 when you already had an RV
 
A C150/152 is a little more sprightly in roll and pitch than a C172, but very easy to fly. Brush up on the POH numbers and you will be fine. A C152 is a fun little airplane.
 
fun, fun, fun.
Just don't expect to go anywhere fast or with anything heavy.
What is your field elevation, or places you plan to fly to?
 
Marshall Alexander said:
I got my license in a 1966 150G in 1977.
6 or 7 years go, my brother and I bought a 1974 150L. My daughter got her license in it 5 years ago. We sold it, and 1 year later, I bought it back from the guy we sold it to. He never took ownership of it because he didn't have a hangar for it so I kept it hangared for him. He sent me a text 2 or 3 weeks ago saying he'd had another stroke and needed to sell the airplane. I made him an offer and he took it.
So now I have a 150 and an RV9A. My brother and I have a 172 partnership. The 150 flies just like the 172 except a little/lot slower. It's a little more "picky" about the numbers landing and taking off though. I flew it a little over 30 hrs. last month.
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You should probably get rid of the RV9A. I'd be happy to give it a home, and even chip in a token adoption fee.
 
I flew one for the first time without a checkout. Shocking I know.

As a teen in the 70's I worked as a loader boy for a crop dusting outfit in Montana. I got my private license in their brand new 172. I learned to fly from the ag pilots. They were CFI's by the way.

After I got my private license they asked me to ferry their 150 from one of their bases to another. 50 mile flight. I told the boss I was more than willing to do it but I'd never flown a 150 before. He laughed & told me I'd be fine. I was.

I remember how light it felt on the controls & needed no trim. I thought it was a blast.

Aviation was more fun in the good old days before people started suing everyone for easy money.
 
It's hard to beat the 150 for economy flying. use them like they were made for,, fun :)

one day saw 190 MPH over the ground in a 150, but it took me 3 hours to get home.. :) the next day.
 
Tom-D said:
It's hard to beat the 150 for economy flying. use them like they were made for,, fun :)

one day saw 190 MPH over the ground in a 150, but it took me 3 hours to get home.. :) the next day.
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I left OKC one day and went to Eastern Oklahoma (Muskogee) then back to OKC. When I got flight following, the controller asked "say aircraft type", I told him Cessna 150. He responded "Cessna 60687, you'd been better off driving today, lol". :)
 
They're OK if you're not a big person, fly solo and are just out boring holes. Otherwise be prepared to be underwhelmed...
 
They fly like an airplane... not a big transition at all... like driving an f150 and then jumping in a Ford ranger...
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
fun, fun, fun.
Just don't expect to go anywhere fast or with anything heavy.
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"C152" and "fast" are rarely used in the same sentence. The one I trained in would cruise at best at almost 100 kt on a good day. My little AA-1A could easily leave it in the dust, and I planned on 108 kt for the AA-1A at a reasonable cruise setting. But the C150/152 is certainly seriously fun to fly. For one aboard, useful load and performance should be quite reasonable, at an economical 6 gph. You can land a C152 on next to nothing for a runway.
 
chemgeek said:
"C152" and "fast" are rarely used in the same sentence. The one I trained in would cruise at best at almost 100 kt on a good day. My little AA-1A could easily leave it in the dust, and I planned on 108 kt for the AA-1A at a reasonable cruise setting. But the C150/152 is certainly seriously fun to fly. For one aboard, useful load and performance should be quite reasonable, at an economical 6 gph. You can land a C152 on next to nothing for a runway.
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Especially if there is any wind.
 
chemgeek said:
"C152" and "fast" are rarely used in the same sentence. The one I trained in would cruise at best at almost 100 kt on a good day. My little AA-1A could easily leave it in the dust, and I planned on 108 kt for the AA-1A at a reasonable cruise setting. But the C150/152 is certainly seriously fun to fly. For one aboard, useful load and performance should be quite reasonable, at an economical 6 gph. You can land a C152 on next to nothing for a runway.
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No disrespect to the AA-1A, which is certainly a faster plane - but I'm not sure 8 knots qualifies as being left "in the dust"
 
samiamPA said:
it felt like putting on a comfortable old glove.
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That reminds me when I asked my instructor about buying a Cessna 150 when I started taking lessons. He was using 2 different Cherokee 140s for instruction. He said that would be an option if I really wanted to, but he also said that in his opinion, you don't fly a Cessna 150. You wear it.
 
samiamPA said:
No disrespect to the AA-1A, which is certainly a faster plane - but I'm not sure 8 knots qualifies as being left "in the dust"
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Let's compare landing speeds.
 
Thus far, I've got 2 flights in the Commuter. For all practical purposes, I took a 4 year break from flying - a flight here/there doesn't really count. I'm glad that I'm using this airplane. It's costing me just a smidge over $20/hr to brush up on proficiency. Can't beat that if you tried.
 
earned PPL in 152's and 150's then transitioned to 172's and after that mostly flew 172's and other larger stuff.
Years later after not having flown 152's in a while... and was frequently flying 172's and 172RG's at the time working on a commercial rating, I rented a 152 for a flight one day just for fun.
It was windy.... and man that thing was a handful!
If I were you I'd focus on calm days for the first flight or two....
 
Jaybird180 said:
Thus far, I've got 2 flights in the Commuter. For all practical purposes, I took a 4 year break from flying - a flight here/there doesn't really count. I'm glad that I'm using this airplane. It's costing me just a smidge over $20/hr to brush up on proficiency. Can't beat that if you tried.
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I guess you're only paying for gas... sounds like a great deal!
 
I did a landing in my 150 in a 24 knot direct crosswind. No foolin'. Had to duck out of storms, and they were whipping the wind up pretty fierce. My first and only full throttle landing. Used up most a very long runway. Still landed on the centerline on one wheel. Fun times.
 
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