Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Airplanes Only Buying my first plane...

Hung... You're Awesome... I have a bottle of "home brew" reserved for you at Clinton this year!

Thanks for the thought and the offer. I don't/can't drink, but I'll raise my Diet Mt. Dew in a toast of our new acquaintance .

At temps below 20F, if you don't have a winter kit (restrictor baffles) in the cowl I wouldn't be surprised. It's entirely possible that it just isn't warming up enough to register a visible change on the gauge - especially if you were cruising lower power settings.

At least, that's my experience this past year. I've flown FJBN in temps from -25C to +30C, and in the colder temps it can be difficult to tell if the oil temp needle moves at all, particularly for shorter or low power flights. An extended climb at full power will definitely result in easily visible movement, so if in doubt - try a 15 min full power climb.

Hi. Yes the 150/150 looks like it would fit my needs perfect, if I could double the the fuel capacity. With standard tanks it doesn't seem like it would work.
Seems like a wealth energy and information here! It is enjoyable to read through the excitement.

While long range tanks are nice, there are some things to consider.

There's the added weight. The factory style long range tanks are great in that they enlarge the existing tanks but leave the fuel system unchanged. Other set ups add weight to the aircraft. I believe the Flint tip tank system adds 35 lbs. The added weight of the fuel reduces useful load available for passengers or baggage, regardless of the system. Most 150s don't have a lot of useful load to spare.

Factory long range tanks are hard to come by. You either have to find a plane with them already or spend a lot of time tracking them down. A few people in this club have been looking for them, I don't think anyone has succeeded in getting all the necessary parts.

I do not have long range tanks in my 150/150. I considered looking for them but could not afford them at the time I did the conversion. Since completing the conversion, I've found that I don't really need them. Most of my flying is in the local area and less than 2 hours. For my normal use, the long range tanks offer no benefit. I also learned that by pulling the power back, I can fly legs that are about the same length as I used to fly with 100HP. Just because the power is there doesn't mean it has to be used all the time.

A 150HP conversion has 3 really wonderful benefits. 1) Improved rate of climb. 2) Improved service ceiling (the reason I did the conversion). and 3) They're a hoot to fly!

And if done right, it'll burn less gas than a stock 150...



Right, David??? (remember that?)

....I vote for Stella;-)

And if done right, it'll burn less gas than a stock 150...



Right, David??? (remember that?) ..

Is that so David? I have been watching a 150/150 for a while, but have shy'd away because of the 22 usable gallons minus reserve, at 8 gph. I mostly just want to fly low and slow, up high in the hills.
So when a 150/150 is 150 pounds over mtow, do the wings take off without the rest of the plane? Does it just not leave the ground? Or is it just a matter more attention is needed to address the heavier plane? With the added hp I expect it would get off the ground. I'm thinking about two people in winter gear will definitely be over max gross, but the cold winter air will carry more weight. I think. ?
A 150/150 is more fun than a 172, right?

If I recall, David used less fuel than Poobs (Ed Pataky) each leg of the flight from
Huston to Clinton the year they Flew together.

Just because 150 might have 150 HP hanging on the nose doesn't mean you have to use them all during the entire flight.
Throttle back to normal 150 speeds and burn normal 150 amounts of fuel.

It works for Cardinal RGs, too. I have a 200HP engine but if I throttle back to just under 40% power, I can cruise alongside 150s at 6 GPH.

38% of 200HP is about equal to 75% of 100HP, i.e. - the normal cruise setting of a 150.

One item that really helps is a JPI FuelScan. Once you know *exactly* what your plane is burning, you'll have a far more comfortable feeling flying a 150/150 with stock tanks. Ed Figuli put one in Woodstock, I'm sure he'll pipe up soon.