Taildragger for 1400' of grass

Might find an older Citabria 150 with adjustable front seat that meets your budget. POH runway length with obstacle is 755'.
 
UngaWunga said:

Aeronca Sedan is what you need​

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N1162H | 1948 AERONCA 15 AC SEDAN on Aircraft.com

Find N1162H 1948 AERONCA 15 AC SEDAN on Aircraft.com. View photos, ownership, registration history, and more. Aircraft.com is the leading registry for planes, jets, and helicopters.
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A Sedan for $50K will be a project, and one that requires hard to source components. Burl’s Aircraft in Chugiak, AK now holds the TC. Great planes.
 
The first several chapters of the book "Wager with the Wind" all involve adventures in an Aeronca Sedan.
 
Sat in an RV14 at OSH; felt good. I was all ready to order a tail kit until I did the math on what the whole project would cost with the engine, paint and decent avionics. :yikes: It can be done cheaper, but I'm not that interested in chasing down a used engine and avionics, and even then it'd still be well into six figures. I'd still like to build one, but that will definitely be a few years down the road.

Also sat in the Rans S21, which was surprisingly small to me.

Couldn't get any attention at the Bearcat booth, but I suspect it will have the same issue as the RV.

My crop duster friend invited me for a ride in his Champ this evening. It's heavily modified with 115hp and he claims it will take off in 300'. On paper, the 90+hp Champs would work, so I'm excited to see how well I fit into it.
 
Kit prices have gotten out of hand. No way I am investing 150+ to go meet buddies for lunch! Vans are still the most affordable kits especially when you consider what you get. It would cost the same or more to build a kit fox that will only do 100 mph and mostly land at the same places you could take an RV to. The S21 is a happy middle ground but still stupid expensive. At least it is sized to take the good old O-320 of which are a dime a dozen to save cost. No need for a fancy panel with backup instruments. Single GRT with a remote transponder and radio for about 10k. Only interior it needs are some seat covers and cheap carpet.
 
Jim K said:
Sat in an RV14 at OSH; felt good. I was all ready to order a tail kit until I did the math on what the whole project would cost with the engine, paint and decent avionics. :yikes: It can be done cheaper, but I'm not that interested in chasing down a used engine and avionics, and even then it'd still be well into six figures. I'd still like to build one, but that will definitely be a few years down the road.

Also sat in the Rans S21, which was surprisingly small to me.

Couldn't get any attention at the Bearcat booth, but I suspect it will have the same issue as the RV.

My crop duster friend invited me for a ride in his Champ this evening. It's heavily modified with 115hp and he claims it will take off in 300'. On paper, the 90+hp Champs would work, so I'm excited to see how well I fit into it.
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Just highlander? Kitfox?
 
Get a 182 and convert to tail dragger. Add a STOL kit.
 
There is a a STC for doing that, and really doesn’t look bad. Add the wing fences on top for STOL. (Please skip the mini wing thing on the firewall though).
 
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WDD said:
Get a 182 and convert to tail dragger.
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Or just get a 180.

Lots of inexpensive experimentals out there, but 6'4" and 270# narrows the field considerably. Still, I knew a guy who was pushing 300 (not 6'4" though) who flew an Avid Flyer (ancestor to the Kitfox). Mostly solo, but he did take his wife on occasion. Presumably she was very petite.
 
The champ is snug, but livable. Maybe a bit less comfortable than a 172. The back seat wasn't bad at all. I wish there was about 2" more legroom. My friend is a bit taller than me, but his is more in his torso. There a few 7EC's for sale right now under 50k that look decent. I could probably live with that for a couple years and move up to a citabria later as I understand they have adjustable seats. The visibility, particularly of the ground, is incredible. I'm starting the understand the attraction of "low&slow" now.

The kitfox is smaller than the s21, and the older ones are tinier yet, so I think they're out. I've given up on building anything in the short term as I just can't spend that kind of money right now.
 
@Jim K: I built an RV-14. It did cost more than your budget to build, and took me a little over 3 years of unmarried life to get in the air. But it is a very good fit for your mission. I don't have a lot of time on grass in it, but my airport has a 750-foot displaced threshold and I have yet to cross the threshold on takeoff, and that's without using short-field techniques. Granted, I also haven't flown it much at gross weight since it has a UL of 835 lbs (or 315 lbs plus me and full tanks). So if you mow the grass and don't fill the tanks and load it to the gills, you should have no trouble flying in and out of 1400 feet. I haven't even built the wheel pants or gear leg fairings yet because I've had too much fun flying it the past 2-1/2 years, but despite the drag penalty I get 155 KTAS and have flown it as far as Gulf Shores (1300 nm, one stop each way). One of the best parts of having the RV-14 is that I am always tailwheel current.

I also have J-3 Cub time (85 hp, and it's the first plane I soloed) and Champ time (a 2007 model with 100 hp). If I had to pick between those to live on grass, I'd go with the Cub. If I had to pick one to actually fly somewhere, the Champ was more comfortable and easier to get in and out of, not to mention that it had a starter and a panel mounted radio which are kind of nice at times.

The takeoff and, to a greater extent, landing performance of the Cub is very sensitive to pilot skills. When my home airport still had a grass crosswind runway and I spent a summer working on it, I could take off and land in impressively short distances despite the brakes being more for show. (I don't even like using them because they're heel brakes, which makes it harder to get my feet onto them while maintaining rudder control in my sportier/crappier landings.) When I didn't fly the Cub for the winter and came back to it in the spring, I was much less impressive. This is probably true in all airplanes, but more noticeable when the freeway fence or your barn are looming large in the windshield and you're still bouncing.

In conclusion, please post pictures of your Cessna 195 as soon as you take delivery next week.
 
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