Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Replace your 150 or 152 with a new LSA?

Robert..........I think you ought to plead ignorance when you make a statement like that about "rinky dink" airplanes......it is obvoius you haven't flown one........you can choose what YOU want to fly, but a statement like that is not necessary.

I've talked about this several times with my A+P. He doesn't like the Rotax engine. But we agree that the o-200 powered Cub knock-offs might be worthwhile aircraft.

I agree that some of them appear to be cheaply made, but I am still interested in trying some of the better ones out.

I have a Challenger ll, I'm thinking of selling it, or trading up for a 150/152. It's been a great and inexpensive plane for the last 10 years. But now I want to fly 150 mile legs, so my needs have changed. It's an experimental LSA. $10,000. Anyone interested? I'm new here, Jim Curns New London, WI (near Oshkosh)

Robert,

G'day,

Problem is...that some of those "Rinky-Dink" aircraft out class both in flying charactoristics and construction what we are flying!! - to some point, I agree with you, but when comparing apples witgh apples, there is a compelling argument not to overlook the category. Down here, there is every possibility the RAA - Recreational Aviation Australia - (your LSA equilevant I guess) will be sucessful in pushing to take under it's wing everything up to and including 750KG's - if this happens, well, 150/152's, Tomohawk's and a few others all make it into the category.

Right now, you can actually register as Piper Colt in this category, even a friends Aeronca 11AC (with a lable restricting the all up weight on the panel) is regestered in this category, and lets face it, who is actually going to check the weight matches the sticker - heck, I even flew it with a friend on board, and without actually doing a weigh in, I "suspect" we may have been a tad over..

I truly hope this happens down here, as it will give a chance to self maintain our own aircraft category - hey I might even buy another 150 - ( but this time an Aerobat)

Don't get me wrong, I was once a person who (in some way) looked down my nose at this category, but, just about everyday I find more and more aircraft the make me re-adjust my attitude. The only thing holding me back is, well.....Price . Even my gas guzzeling slow old Airdale (albeit, fully aerobatic 4 seat aircraft) is cheaper to own (purchase price wise) than some of these new Sport Aircraft - I have to use a heck of a lot of fuel to even catch the initial purchace price of some of those new LSA planes.

As I said, I was a sceptic too, but I have to say some of them are pretty smick indeed

Cheers

Cheers

Sport Aircraft (manufacturers are phasing out the word "light") offer some real advantages over existing two place aircraft.

I am building a Zenith 601xl. Compared to a Cessna 150, the 601xl is 4 inches wider, 28 knots faster, carries 30 gallons of fuel, luggage can be 100 pounds while carrying two 170 pound people. I have several options on how it is maintained and condition inspected. The two most common engines used with the sport aircraft do not require the pilot tinkering with the lean/rich mixture. With the wing loading the 601xl should feel the same as the 150 as far as being bouncy in turbulence.

If flown by a pilot with a PPL, then sport pilot restrictions do not apply.

John,

I think we all would be interested in knowing how much you expect your Zenith to cost when done. I personally am an admirer of the Zenith aircraft, also the Vans, Murphy, LSA's oh hell, I like anything that flies, even (gasp!) homebuilt helicopters.

My conclusion has always been that it is cheaper to buy, own and fly a C150-152 compared to most any of the homebuilts. I would be curious to know how your Zenith compares.

I was talking to someone around who showed up at the fuel pumps with the low wing, I think that is the 601. He absolutely loves the airplane after about 200 hours.

His is powered by the 100 HP Rotax and has basic avionics, essentially a six-pack, a comm radio (no nav, he uses a handheld GPS) and transponder.

He put about $35,000 and two years of essentially full time work into the airplane. He had nothing but praise for the Zenith folks. Very pretty little airplane.

Reg

I believe:
Cessna 150/152 will be less expensive to buy.
Homebuilts will be less expensive to own, maintain, and modify.
Cessna 150/152 and homebuilts will incur about the same cost for flying.

So it is a wash, really, except a Cessna 150/152 cannot (yet) be flown without a medical.

That is crazy - my parachute rig cost $4,500 all told.

Oh, wait - powered parachute - my can't go up, only down!

Can't go up?

You must not have read "The Man Who Rode the Thunder" by William H. Rankin. I believe he spent around 45 minutes under a round chute after ejecting from an F-8 in a thundersotrm. Some of the updrafts took him so high he passed out from lack of oxygen!

Anyway, a powered parachute may qualify as an LSA, but it doesn't qualify as an airplane. Any replacement for my 150 would have to have fixed wings, or it'll miss the short list.