Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes The "Lead Problem": Is it That Big a Deal?

I know how popular the 150 vs. 152 threads aren't. So, after poking through old posts for awhile, I thought I'd ask a few specific questions.

First some background: I probably won't have the dough scraped up for my own plane for some time now, and I haven't even settled on a make and model (those Cherokee 140s look like a pretty good deal...) But, assuming I go with a Cessna, it will likely be a 150M or a 152. Maaaaaybe a 150L (I prefer circuit-breakers to fuses, and knots to mph, but they're not necessarily deal-killers for me.)

I'm 6'3", most of it legs, so the roominess of the later models is very important. As I understand it, the cabins, seats, etc., of the later 150s are not too different from the 152s. Correct?

The useful load, speed, and climb is likewise more or less the same, right?

So that leaves the engines. The MOGAS STC is a non-issue, since there's no airport around here for miles to get the stuff, and I'm not too keen on carting gas in from the local filling station. The difference in TBOs looks to be fairly well offset by the difference in overhaul costs, so that's probably no biggie either, right?

But then there's the lead problem. How bad is it really? I really don't want to be out in the boonies on a Sunday evening with a stuck valve.

Then again, I also don't want to be stuck in the boonies on a Sunday evening with a dead battery and a 28-volt system. So you see my quandry...

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

- Jeff

If you lean aggressively and use TCP I don't think lead should be a show stopper.

George

I have had my 150L for 11 years now and pretty much use 100LL. It wasn't until a month a two ago(after reading the forum here) that I started to lean aggressively during taxi and cruise flying. I was taught not to worry about leaning until I get to 3000' msl or higher. I have never had a stuck valve in those 11 years(hopefully won't jinx myself here). Another thing if you buy a plane with millenium(excuse my spelling) cylinders or other newer cylinders they are made for 100LL.
Just my 2 cents.

One advantage the 152 has over the 150 is that it is less prone to carb icing.

I've seen more cracked cylinders on the continentals than the lycomings. The rope trick was invented for continentals (not really, just seems that way sometimes).

You can replace one exhaust at a time on the 150. It's more expensive on the 152. Who needs a rear view mirror anyway. Climb rate is lower with the 150. 40 degrees of flaps is superb.

Cherokee 140s are nice, too. with two people, you can still put more baggage in there. You shouldn't spin a cherokee. The 150hp lycoming in the cherokee burns more fuel for only a marginal increase in performance.

There are pros and cons, as you know. I love my 152. On a cool day, just me, half tanks, rotate at 50 and hold 54 KIAS to 2 or 300 feet produces a really nice deck angle. You can't go wrong with any of them. They will all make you poorer, but happier.

Sincerely,

True of all airplanes!!

George

Amen! Tomorrow I get to go to the airplane scrapyard ! Should be fun...

Here we go with that mirror thing again! I use it to check my six after hollerin' CLEAR! I can also check how good a job shaving I did that morning.

It's also neat when you take video of doing spins and seeing the sun flash in the mirror each rotation... 1.....2...3..4,5,6,7... ok that's enough!

Jeff,

You compared getting stuck in the boonies with either a stuck valve (150), or a dead 24volt battery (152)...

At least you could hand prop the 152 and get home.

Good comparison, though.

Later,