quickest alt gain on Cessna 150?

Peter Ha

Peter Ha

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Hey folks,
Planning to buy 150/152 soon(haven't flown one yet); I'm told it takes FOREVER to gain altitude on 150.
So 150/152 owners... what climbing maneuver or tips or tricks for quickest altitude gain?
Do I just shoot for Vx, chandelle?
 
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Follow the POH. The 150 doesn't take any longer to gain altitude than most other old certified airplanes. Standard day, full fuel, and my 175 lb self I see 7-800 fpm from SL to 4500 or so then it starts to fall back towards 500-600 fpm up to 6500 which is the highest I have taken it so far. At gross you will give up 1-200 fpm. This is in a 1963 Cessna 150C
 
150HP engine works nice. ROC is one of the biggest improvements you get with the thing (doesn't do much for overall speed).

And yes, a 152 AT GROSS will out climb a 172 AT GROSS. It's just that you're almost always at gross when you're flying a 152.
 
There aren’t any tips or tricks on making a 150/152 climb better. It does what it can do and nothing more. Pitch for Vy and let it climb.
 
flyingron said:
150HP engine works nice. ROC is one of the biggest improvements you get with the thing (doesn't do much for overall speed).

And yes, a 152 AT GROSS will out climb a 172 AT GROSS. It's just that you're almost always at gross when you're flying a 152.
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I've got a 150/150 and the climb rate is satisfactory. What isn't is the endurance with factory fuel tanks. :( Our STC did allow for an increase in gross to 1760lb.
 
Ryanb said:
There aren’t any tips or tricks on making a 150/152 climb better. It does what it can do and nothing more. Pitch for Vy and let it climb.
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Yeah, I was wondering when we rewrote the laws of physics.
 
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Peter Ha said:
Hey folks,
Planning to buy 150/152 soon(haven't flown one yet); I'm told it takes FOREVER to gain altitude on 150.
So 150/152 owners... what climbing maneuver or tips or tricks for quickest altitude gain?
Do I just shoot for Vx, chandelle?
Click to expand...

Quickest sounds like time, that's Vy. Although you did mention Chandelle which makes it sound like your concerned how much space the climb covers is a factor. That would be Vx unless you're in like a box canyon or something and have to change direction. Also, lose weight. Diet, amputate unnecessary body parts, fly naked, clothes have weight. Put less fuel in, plan to land on fumes.
 
I was fortunate enough to have a range of hills to the N of the airport, our winds are typically southerly much of the year. That and later I put in a 0-320, combined to give me eye watering climb rates, lol.
I added the fuse aux tank, fixed the range problem.
 
Enjoy the ride.

10,000ish feet in a Cessna 120 with the mighty Continental 85 out front and right at full gross weight.

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Vx? Chandelle?? If this question came from a pilot I would be very concerned.
 
tsts4 said:
Sitting in the back of a C-17 or C-5.
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I was thinking more along the lines of bolted under the wing of a B52, then released at requested altitude. Actually, as small as the 152, bolt it under the wing of an F16.
 
Peter Ha said:
Vx
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Weekend Warrior said:
Vy
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OP only said "quickest" .. did he mean time or distance?

Grum.Man said:
Follow the POH
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Yes. Unfortunately there are no real "chef's secret sauce" to this

schmookeeg said:
Chandelle??
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I was confused on that too... assumed it was either:
-based on very little knowledge of a what a turn does to the lift and climb capabilities of an airplane
-maybe he wanted "quickest" because he's thinking of flying in canyons? (although I'm reaching on that one)
 
luvflyin said:
C'mon now, you was gettin a little help, weren't you?
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Nope. Departed from the former Phillips Field near Fairbanks which would have been at 400 and some odd MSL and climbed up over pretty much flat land as we flew south.
How long did it take?
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Don't know, don't want to know. :)
 
Load it on a flat bed truck and have it hauled to altitude.
 
I fly the 150s older sister, the C140 with a c85... Vy and find what that is for your plane and peg it, not in the +-10mph range... it can make a big difference. Put her on a weight loss program, I have 40+ lbs less 140 than when i bought her, haven't spent much, it can be done, do it with the mindset “ounces make pounds”.

Respect her and she will take ya most anywhere you want to go, you just need to be more mindful than the guy with a super-cub.
EC98042C-EB30-4F69-AD0C-32067708E520.jpeg
10,000 going into Johnson Creek Idaho, dealt with high DAs n such she did just fine...

8968BCA2-1DF2-4DA4-9479-BB3E0C16B9BE.jpeg

Parked next to the Supercub, 180, 2 172sps, and the Navion I flew in there with...

They are not incapable birds... just gotta be extra careful...
 
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When I was in college (50 years ago) four of us on the flight team had CESSNA 140’s, one had a Luscombe, one had a Cessna 150 and there was one Ercoupe. Of the 140’s I could out climb all of them by 200 to 300 fpm even though I weighed more. They could cruise faster by 2 or 3 mph. The only difference was the prop. If you aren’t getting enough climb performance take your prop to a prop shop, have it checked out and take a bit of pitch out. If it has too much pitch it will not climb well. Reducing the pitch to get really good climb performance does reduce your cruise but not as much as you might think. I will take a fixed pitch climb performing prop over one with too much pitch that someone set up for high cruise speed every time. Two miles an hour on a four hour flight with an airplane that cruises 108 mph vs 110 is less than a tenth of an hour. And if you are cruising at 3,000 AGL about half of that is made up with 800 vs 500 fpm rate of climb.
 
If your wanting to know how to increase your angle of climb just fly on days the surface winds are just slightly above Vs and straight down the runway... or takeoff directly into the wind across the ramp or something. Pitch for Vx and climb pretty much straight up... maybe even backwards
 
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