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From front-and-back into side-by-side!

T

tbone

Registered User
Twin Cities, MN KANE
I currently own a PA-12 and love it!
I am however newly married and my wife who loves flying with me would much prefer to sit next to me instead of behind.

Long and short is:
Typical trip is 100-250nm
2people & 80lbs baggage total of 450lbs

Based at an asphalt runway in MN, but Long grass strips (1,000ft+) and some lengthy x/c trips are on the horizon.

I’d like to be in the ballpark of the PA-12 costs.
More legroom and cabin space would be nice (I’m 6’3”-225).
I was thinking 182 or 180 if the price is right.
Should be the final single-engine plane purchase.

Recommendations on what to change to for a plane would be greatly appreciated.




Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org mobile app
 
I would prefer a 180 or 185 however a 182 is easier to climb in an out of and also has a wider cabin for "big" people. A 1,000ft grass strip is not long, particularly for a 182.
 
Make sure she actually prefers side by side before committing, many think they would like it better, but tandem is nice to be able to see out both sides. Rent a 172 and take her up to make sure she knows what she wants.
 
Airframe of metal or fabric and maintenance should be decided upfront. Then product support and expense going forward for the airframe, engine, and prop. Try to make it a family decision so everybody happy!

Gary
 
If someone is at all inclined to airsickness, sitting aft of the center of lift as in a cub can be tough. That rear seat can move around more than the pilot realizes, while the pilot, sitting close to the center of everything, doesn’t realize how much that back seat moves around.

A side by side seating arrangement really helps fix that.

MTV
 
If I had the money for your mission, I'd buy a 180. I had to give up 180-185s because the cost of certified took the pleasure out of it. I went experimental and wish I'd done it 40 years ago.
 
180's &182's cost a lot more to own and operate. Would love to own a 59 182. Your wife would like a 56 or later Converted Tripacer or even better a plain old Tripacer. My wife likes side by side too. Would probably trade my Supercub clone for a nice Tripacer.
 
Re converted Tripacer: that's where I went, a Bushmaster/Producer, l80hp, 84/43 prop, same burn as SC but haul anything in and out of small lakes, same price as a PA12 around here.
 
For longer trips my wife likes the speed of the 180 but her preference is the Super Cub for comfort (Oregon Aero Seats and a cloth interior) and visibility (she absolutely loves the glass lower door). Last year we took the Cub from Oklahoma to New Holstein and when we got home I asked which plane she prefeered and it was hands down the Cub.
 
Maybe let her get use to the Cub. We started out in Cessna 150, 172, T41B. Then the flying club got a O1D Bird Dog and it was Marcia's absolute favorite. Then our own C120 which was just ok. Now it's open cockpit with her up front and she loves it.

Of coarse after 46 years sitting next to me is problematic.

Jack
 
If she has not had much time in a side by side have her fly in one for a bit first. My wife prefers the cub to our old Pacer and current 180 from the view standpoint. Pacers are great bang for the buck, but a 182 (especially wide body) would be great for long cross country trips. Look for one with a sportsman cuff and wing extensions. Do you have a hanger?
DENNY
 
My wife is all about the destination, not the flight to it. She doesn't care what the airplane is or does as long as she gets there safely. My advice? Be careful buying a plane to please a passenger. Especially if you like what you have now. If you are serious about a switch? A good 180 is hard to beat. Nobody's suggested a Maule yet?
 
Had to make that same decision before and after looking at all the options, I decided I just liked the PA 12 too much, To trade it off. So decided it was time for a new woman!
So went from a 45 year old basic model to a 35 year old "Sport Model" with a ton of options on her!! She loves tandem. Now its all good. Lol.
Heard the old one is living in a " pop up camper":p
 
Great suggestions! We have plans to ride in a rental 172. This should get her a frame of reference for a 180 or 182 cabin.
I may have made a mistake flying a cirrus with her on a long x/c since it’s out of my budget and she loved it.

The idea of a Pacer is intriguing and a maule has always seemed to be a perfect plane for my profile. Mailed are suggested by many however for each suggestion I hear another pilot talk about quality and insurance cost issues.

I operate from asphalt 2,500ft+ 80% of the time
and grass around 1,500-3,000ft 20% of the time.

A new wife is not an option. Found the best after a long search. She's a champ, even flies fully bundled up in the Cub before I had real heat!




Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
A Maule is very similar to a Pacer, little bit bigger but not much. If you are going side by side for comfort and believe this will be your last plane purchased you really need to take a serious look at a 182 if it's within your budget. There's just a heck of a lot more room in them and they are way more comfortable from a passenger's perspective. If she's used to the elbow room in the back seat of a SuperCruiser she's going to be a bit disappointing with a Maule, a Pacer, a 170 or even a 180 for that matter.
 
Alaska's the end of most NW roads and C-182's seem to come to the Fairbanks area to spend their Golden Years. There's several parked at various strips and a friend has one on floats for sale - sorta rare but a comfortable plane to fly in. Don't know the operating costs so that may be a reason they end up here with flat tires.

Gary
 
tbone

Make sure she actually prefers side by side before committing, many think they would like it better, but tandem is nice to be able to see out both sides. Rent a 172 and take her up to make sure she knows what she wants.​
Click to expand...

We always thought side by side seating is what we wanted but after switching to a exp. cub she has never looked back. She loves the view and being able to open both doors on both sides, kinda like a motorcycle in the air. She has flown more with me in this plane than all the others combined.

I
f I had the money for your mission, I'd buy a 180. I had to give up 180-185s because the cost of certified took the pleasure out of it. I went experimental and wish I'd done it 40 years ago.​
Click to expand...

Agree completely, 180-185s are expensive to properly maintain or upgrade, I had one. Wish I had gone experimental from the beginning.

Wes.
 
Hmm. Lots of years with my 180. Lots of upgrades done. It's fast and carries a big load. Operating costs for a Cub when you figure pounds-miles-time-fuel are higher than a 180. And the notion that experimental is cheap? Far from it. I like the lack of certified restrictions but it isn't cheap.
 
So this is the O-235 powered PA12 you bought from Ron Groom in Brownwood? Lot of great suggestions on 180 etc but you stated in your original post you wanted something of equal value to what you have? $35-40K?
 
Steve Pierce said:
So this is the O-235 powered PA12 you bought from Ron Groom in Brownwood? Lot of great suggestions on 180 etc but you stated in your original post you wanted something of equal value to what you have? $35-40K?
Click to expand...


This is the great 12 from TX that I bought from Ron in TX.
The plane has a new 0-320, borer prop, Sutton exhaust and panel upgrades.

Realistic outlook for budget will be $50-100k.
 
DENNY said:
If she has not had much time in a side by side have her fly in one for a bit first. My wife prefers the cub to our old Pacer and current 180 from the view standpoint. Pacers are great bang for the buck, but a 182 (especially wide body) would be great for long cross country trips. Look for one with a sportsman cuff and wing extensions. Do you have a hanger?
DENNY
Click to expand...

When did the wide body 182 start?
I have a heated hanger. Why do you ask?
 
If you want to fly in the winter without a hanger I lean towards a metal plane. But you have a heated one so not a issue.
DENNY
 
I have owned a few different planes over the years. Hands down the C180 is the one my wife likes the best. The plane flys IFR in the system and goes slow (ish) and low. Side by side with her own door. The plane hauls a lot so there is no negotiating on what she can bring for luggage or gear.
I am not sure why she likes our Wagon but she does and I am not asking.

After almost 30 years of flying with me, she calls the 180 our plane vs. your Cub, Husky or Mooney.
 
Good point. There are some winter overnights when hanger space is not available!


Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
 
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