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My C150 Project

Aerodon

FRIEND
So I bought this airplane about 5 years ago with an uninstalled Bolen Taildragger kit. So finally getting something that looks like an airplane. Added vinyl registration and Cessna '2012' trim. I think it looks pretty good. Wings have both Horton STOL and VG's. That was painful, the VG's need to be installed across the Horton cuff seam, so every VG needed a small shim, every one a different length. Now looking for an O200 engine and prop. Plan is to learn to fly taildraggers, list it for sale, or let my son to learn to fly sometime. Aerodon

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So I bought this airplane about 5 years ago with an uninstalled Bolen Taildragger kit. So finally getting something that looks like an airplane. Added vinyl registration and Cessna '2012' trim. I think it looks pretty good. Wings have both Horton STOL and VG's. That was painful, the VG's need to be installed across the Horton cuff seam, so every VG needed a small shim, every one a different length. Now looking for an O200 engine and prop. Plan is to learn to fly taildraggers, list it for sale, or let my son to learn to fly sometime. Aerodon

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Nice looking airplane!
 
Nice! You'll have some fun in that. I have time in a C150 tail dragger with 100hp. I enjoyed flying it. Consider an 0-320 for up front. 150hp makes those planes perform pretty nicely.
 
More HP makes it go better, but there are some serious legal useful load issues when you start adding things to a C150. The C150 TD I flew was an older "fastback". Looked like a mini C180. It was a hoot to fly, but a C150 at heart.

John Scott
 
Definitely go for the 0-320. performs as good as a stock 150hp supercub. Built a couple of them! Full flap takeoffs are awesome!

John

PS: there used to be a grossweight increase available for the 150/150hp. not sure its still out there but I believe so.
 
Definitely go for the 0-320. performs as good as a stock 150hp supercub. Built a couple of them! Full flap takeoffs are awesome!

John

PS: there used to be a grossweight increase available for the 150/150hp. not sure its still out there but I believe so.

I quoted this so you can't edit it away when you get all jumped on about it:)

....there were a couple at Valdez one year in light touring class.........well-used birds in taildragger configuration with big tires and all.......not as quick as the Cubs to get off..as I recall......probably stats and even video available somewhere.
 
I thought that the stock tri gear 150 would get off better because it could rotate harder ( more AOA ) then the TW version?

Glenn
 
I thought that the stock tri gear 150 would get off better because it could rotate harder ( more AOA ) then the TW version?

Glenn

I'm sure there's video of the TD150/150's at Valdez, but I haven't found it.

The one's there were on 31" Alaskan Bushwheels and may have had those crazy "gear extender" blocks also. They were pretty neat looking when they rolled up to the line with their noses in the air. Not sure they do what a Cub does, though.
 
I towed gliders with an old '65 straight tail 150/150. It could yank a glider in the air very well even in the hot summer. It was fun to fly.
 
The nifty 150 that took second was off the ground in 98 ft while the supercubs were in the 60 ft to 70 ft range.

That's not bad for 35,000 dollar plane.

those planes had vgs but no cuffs I would think that would help some.
 
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The nifty 150 that took second was off the ground in 98 ft while the supercubs were in the 60 ft to 70 ft range.

That's not bad for 35,000 dollar plane.

those planes had vgs but no cuffs I would think that would help some.

Is there video? I did a couplea searches, but didn't find TD150's easy, so I gave up.
 
No video, but I tryed to post a link to an article about that day and it won't let me.

if you go to www.redoubt reporter.com and put c150 in the search function there's some good history about the Cessna 150 on the Kenai.
 
I thought of installing a 150 hp kit, but STC and parts (no engine or prop) is north of 10k. I've already got too much into this project. Any one know how much weight it will add?

Don
 
Thread revival. Didn’t want to start another thread, but could anybody help out.?

A friend has a sparrowhawk Taildragger 150 I think with an O235 engine. Wants to put bigger tires on it likely 850’s.
Can anyone offer advice on an STC, or has someone got a field approval they’d like to share info on?

Thanks for any help,
M. Johnson
 
I will double check, but I think that’s the first place he checked. 152’s and bigger tires were covered there I think.
 
For Bushwheels 26-31"=
Cessna (see Notes: 1, 3, 4)
150, 150A, 150B, 150C, 150D, 150E, 150F, 150G, 150H, 150J, 150K, 150L, 150M, A150K, A150L, A150M

NOTES AND LIMITATIONS for conventional gear:
1. Must have heavy duty brakes.
3. Seaplane models are eligible when converted to land plane under separate approval.
4. Must have Conventional Gear installed under separate approval.

And they may know if smaller tires can be installed as well.

Gary
 
Go to the 150/152 owners club forum. Tons of information about Sparrow Hawk conversion. Nice improvement but nothing compared to a strong O320.

That was me that managed 2nd place in Valdez 2011. I've built 6 hot rod 150's. I've flown mine over 2000 hours. No complaints other than the Cub guys always asking me when I'm going to sell mine and get A REAL BUSH PLANE.
 
150's are underappreciated in the G.A. world. I have a '64 airframe I plan on rebuilding when I finish my Bearhawk Patrol.
 
I like the 150, mine was the later M model. I had spent time tweaking it such as reflexing the flaps and ailerons up a touch, making sure the doors could close as snug as possible, "2 Knots or better just there". little things like that. I ran the timing back up at 28° since the logic of the AD was based around one batch of cylinders. Sure I could have advanced it more, just didn't. But mine out climbed and cruised faster than any other ones around.
As for flat spring or tube gear, I actually liked the tube gear, it allowed the wheels to reflex backward as well as up on rough ground offering a smoother rollout on rough turf. Yah, mine developed cracks in the fairings by the steps, it was on the dirt allot.

I would love to build one, I would prefer an Aerobat long ranger. Taildragger conversion with an O-240 up front. Otherwise any tall tail version with a healthy 320 or 340 on it would work.

But then a stroker powered 120 would be simpler to own.
 
The manual flap '64/'65 back window straight tails are my favorite. I have a nice set of 140 gear legs I hope to use to convert mine. In the early '80s I towed gliders with a '65 150/150. It would yank the heavy two seat Schweizer 233 off the ground with no problem. On the rare occasion I got to make a take off without towing I loved the STOL rocket T/O.
 
I grew up around an early 150 with a 150 or 160 conversion, he towed banners. Plane was always filthy, never came in our shop for service. No one ever saw one of his logs. And the plane never faltered. He used to fly it home at times, basically to service it and store for the winter. Looking at Google Earth many decades later, not sure where he landed it, it was a tiny clearing. I never would have put my 150 in there and I could land shorter than most planes, could not get out though.
I wish I had been around when he passed away, I expect it sold cheap.
 
I used to own a 64 model C150/150TD, it was a fun airplane.
Kinda regret selling it. (but I don't regret buying the C180 that replaced it!)
Mine had all three of the "Texas Taildragger" STC's-
320 Lycoming, tailwheel gear, and 40 gallon "texas long-ranger" tanks.

That engine conversion STC bumped the gross weight up 160 pounds, from 1600 to 1760,
for the 64 & later (omnivision) models.
Unfortunately, it did not bump up the gross for the 1500# 59-63 models.

I wouldn't want a C150TD with the tubular gear myself--
there's no provision for adjusting the toe-in, so if you don't nail it spot-on when first installing the gear,
you're forever fu…..err, screwed.
 
The first C-150 TD conversion I was around was Arthur Miller's, the playwright. It was a yellow tube gear TX conversion. Sat low, to low for a working plane but he said it flew nice and met his needs. Hard to think it would have much reserve prop clearance in level stance. I am sure I have photos of it from back in the film or slide days.

But yes, If I were to build one it would have legs from a tail dragger version be it a 170 or 180 so the plane stands up properly.
 
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