Favorite classic 2 seat taildragger

Pick your favorite

  • J3 Cub

    Votes: 28 35.0%

  • Champ

    Votes: 26 32.5%

  • Cessna 120

    Votes: 7 8.8%

  • Luscombe

    Votes: 10 12.5%

  • Taylorcraft

    Votes: 9 11.3%
  • Total voters
    80
Silvaire

Silvaire

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Silvaire
Given your choice, which of these do you or would you prefer and why. I know there are others like Porterfields and Skyrangers, it's an open discussion but let's keep it to 2 seaters.
 
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I voted Luscombe because it's prettier than the T-Craft, but flying I could be swayed either direction. If I wanted to torture people, I'd get a Cub.
 
Cub, will always have a soft spot for those as it was the first GA plane I ever got a ride in.
 
don't vote if you haven't at least ridden in one as a passenger. people who have never been in one will always choose the cub.
 
Henning said:
I voted Luscombe because it's prettier than the T-Craft,
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You watch your mouth :D

I've been flying in the same taylorcraft for the last 25 years, so I am a bit biased.

Looks good, light, and quicker than all the others with the exception of the luscombe :D
 
I voted Champ, but the Chief is my real favorite. Aeroncas rock.
 
JHW said:
don't vote if you haven't at least ridden in one as a passenger. people who have never been in one will always choose the cub.
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Ain't never flewed no Cub or Luscombe.

Done learnt to fly in the 120, not a big fan of the Champ, Taylorcraft is nice. I'd vote for the Taylorcraft.
 
Voted for the T-craft, since I have one;) Fun flying.
Love the visibility in the Champ, and the stick.
Cub is my least favorite, Ok flying around with the door open is cool....
Used to own a Chief, Good solid little flyer.
 

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I've not flown in any, but have flown a Citabria, so I will vote for the Champ.
 
JHW said:
don't vote if you haven't at least ridden in one as a passenger. people who have never been in one will always choose the cub.
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That's a good point. People always ask: can you fly a Cub from the front seat? To which I answer with another question: Have you ever been in the front seat of a J3? Because if you have it's probably not a place you're pining to get back to :rolleyes: The fact is, in all my years, I don't think I've ever seen anyone climb up in there the same way twice :D

I guess I should chime in here. I didn't vote in my own poll because I'm torn. I learned to fly in a J3 and for years I was always a "Cub" person. I didn't like Champs because Cub people just don't like them, that's all. About ten years ago I bought a Luscombe, a pretty rough one that I soon disassembled and began a long restoration on. About halfway through I realized that this was going to take a while, having a full time job on the side and all, so I started looking around and stumbled upon this smoking deal on a 90 hp Champ.

Well I'll have to admit, the Champ kind of grows on you. It sure is a heck of a lot more comfortable than the Cub and although flying the Cub with the door open is pretty neat there comes a point where your glad you can close the darn thing because admit - it is a bit windy back there with it open. The other point the Cub has against it is that people are just paying way too much for them. You could almost have two Champs for the price and I just don't see it as justified - but it is what it is.

Surprisingly, I've never flown or ridden in a Taylorcraft. I know the owners are an extremely loyal and enthusiastic group and everyone says they are sweet flyers. For me, I'm not crazy about steering wheels but I think that's just a stigma thing, it really has no bearing on the operation and they do make it easier to get in and out. The Aeronca Chief is practically the same aircraft as the Champ but with a side by side bench seat and big honkin' steering wheels

The Cessna I think is an outright copy of the Luscombe but altered to make it easier and cheaper to produce. The result is that it is not anywhere near as pretty as the Luscombe which is one of very few small general aviation aircraft that truly deserves to be polished - which is my other problem, it's a LOT of work (at least initially) But regardless, I wouldn't turn one away if a good deal presented itself and you have to love that art-deco panel with the piano key switches.
 
Love the cub. I wouldn't buy one though. I just fly someone else's.
 
Silvaire said:
That's a good point. People always ask: can you fly a Cub from the front seat?
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As a kid -- 160 lb kid -- I hung out at the airport and a Cub owner, who thought he did not like flying from the back seat, let me occupy that seat while he flew from the front seat. He only did that once.

I've flown the Cub, Aeronca Champ and Chief, and the Citabria. I still prefer the Champ.
 
My Champ is quite comfortable. I put in a set of discarded seat cushions and covers from a B-777 Pilot's seat which fit like they were made for a Champ. I also installed a discarded sun visor from an A-320. It's amazing what these high falootin' airline pilots will toss in the dust bin :D
 

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Learned to fly in the Cub, even if it is a pain to get in and out of, so it gets my vote. But my CFI has a beautiful Luscombe parked next to my 150, so that'll get my #2 vote.
 
JHW said:
don't vote if you haven't at least ridden in one as a passenger. people who have never been in one will always choose the cub.
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What if the cub is the only one of those I've been in, does that count. :goofy:
 
Silvaire said:
Given your choice, which of these do you or would you prefer and why. I know there are others like Porterfields and Skyrangers, it's an open discussion but let's keep it to 2 seaters.
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Champ', tandem seating is roomier and the view up front is better than the back seat.
 
e.pie said:
What if the cub is the only one of those I've been in, does that count. :goofy:
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in that case you should know that the correct answer is one of the others, you just don't know which one
 
Luscombe. I've a got a little stick time in all of them, but the Luscombe seems to do more with the same engine and prop. T-craft is a close second. None of them glide worth a shyte so if the fan fails you're coming down anyway. Might as well go a few knots faster on the same gas.

Ground handling the Luscombe is much worse than the Champ and marginally worse than the others, but if you get training and pay attention it goes exactly where you tell it to go, exactly when you tell it to go there. Many pilots are not ready for that kind of control authority. Metal fuse, and some have metal wings cuts down on mx.

There was one out of annual for sale east of Dallas about 3 years ago I could have had for $12k with nice paint and int, just needed an annual and some trim work. Kick myself regularly for missing that one.
 
docmirror said:
Ground handling the Luscombe is much worse than the Champ and marginally worse than the others,
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CFI speaking to student in Luscombe: "Keep that nose straight, Keep that nose straight, AUCK!, pull that stick back! Keep it in your gut! Keep that nose straight! Don't you dare touch those brakes. KEEP THAT NOSE STRAIGHT. DON'T LET GOT OF THE STICK! Ah, that was a nice landing.
 
tinerj said:
CFI speaking to student in Luscombe: "Keep that nose straight, Keep that nose straight, AUCK!, pull that stick back! Keep it in your gut! Keep that nose straight! Don't you dare touch those brakes. KEEP THAT NOSE STRAIGHT. DON'T LET GOT OF THE STICK! Ah, that was a nice landing.
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Dateline midwest, 10 Sept 2013: Student pilot realizes he has feet, and they are connected to the airplane via rudder pedals. Film at 11. :yes:
 
The Cub is over-rated, but oh well! And I have a LOT of front seat Cub time. It's not my favorite seat.

I voted Taylorcraft.

Ryan
 
Silly question.

Luscombe. The rag wing 8A flies a little better than the 8E.

Deb
 
Cub is sure a pain to get in and out of and to work on. Champ is much easier on all those counts. Since so many of us are stiffening-up old guys, the Champ is the better bet of the two.

T-craft is nice. I have some time in the rare Model 19 (from around 1951) and it was a bit blind to the sides; the upper windowframe is around eye level or lower and there isn't a lot of headroom. The control wheel makes it easier to get in and out than of there was a stick, but my old Auster (British, built under license from T-Craft) had a stick instead of the wheel, and that stick pushed up against the panel out of the way. It's the only stick setup I ever saw that was really sensible.

Dan
 

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Learn to fly in any one of them, and you'll be a darn sight better pilot than most of the training wheel camp...at least at the motor skills part of piloting. But if I had to live with one of them, I think a real minimalist Luscombe with fabric wings, (because they're almost 60 lbs. lighter) all ball-bearing pulleys and an engine I don't have to hand-prop. Flown them all, but it's been 30 years for all but the Champ. Always wanted to fly a Swift. And a Culver.
 
JHW said:
don't vote if you haven't at least ridden in one as a passenger. people who have never been in one will always choose the cub.
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I learned Tail Wheel in the Cub. NH coastline.
I've flown C-170, Super Cub and Pawnee, but they were not on the list.

If I was buying, I would be looking for a 180 or 185.
Or a Husky or Legend Cub.
 
My first ride was in Uncle Art's (the P-38 Pilot) J3.

But I vote for the Champ, my first solo, in 1964. 1800 ft gravel runway, no radio or avionics, a cork float on a coathanger for a fuel gauge, heel brakes, 85 horses, no flaps.
 
Gotta put in a good work for the Skyranger 185. It seems to have a fairly long moment arm like the Champ which makes it a dream to fly. I only have a short time in the right seat in one but what a fine flying little plane. Not many made, but if you get a chance to take a ride in one they are very sweet on the controls and ground maneuvers as well.
 
I've owned an T/C L2-M since 1979, just spent about $10k more than Cuba's GNP having it restored and re-engined to O-200, so gotta vote for it. I'm willing to testify under oath that the guys who rebuilt it installed a smaller door than before, but that's another story.
 
Voted C120
Flew in Luscombe, Cub and C140 - C140 felt like "the most airplane" on the list. Don't see how a C120 would be too far behind
 
It's not on the list, but I love the Super Cub. It's what I got my tailwheel in.
 
THE best of the bunch was left off the list, steerman, N3N, F-22, Waco, ryan.
Who can tell me they wouldn't love these.
 

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I like the t-carts. I did primary in an L2, took my checkride in an F19, got to fly an F22 and owned a 41 BC12-65 for quite some time. They were all great planes. I like the cub and flying from the backseat is an odd but kind of neat feeling. I do like flying with the door open but it pays to never be in a hurry with the cub. The Chief was ok but it handled a bit piggy compared to the Tcraft....at least in New Mexico where the altitude was a factor. I don't have enough time in the Luscombe though I'd like to and the champ was one I never flew.....Citabria and decathalon but no real champ. The decathalon was really cool with constant speed and ball bearings everywhere....
Never really got to fly the little cessnas either though I looked at a few before buying the 175.
I would have to say however that any on the list are a better choice than "none".

Frank
 
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