When it sits too long in Louisiana

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
07/09/2019 at 07:27 • Filed to: None

A closer look at one of the derelict planes sitting at the airport. This one needs a lot of work, but there isn’t a ton of corrosion as I expected.

This poor little Cessna 150 has been sitting for a very long time.

It’s growing the standard black mildew on all of the upper surfaces.

Any wasp that ventures inside is doomed.

I don’t know anything about the history of the plane. It could have been bought as a project or it may have been run into the ground so far that the owner couldn’t resurrect it. Cessna 150s aren’t worth much and there’s a ton of work to do here. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next stop for this poor little plane is the scrap heap.

The useful load for a 150 is about 500 lbs, including fuel. Fill it up with fuel (about 40 gallons) and there’s enough useful load for one big guy and a suitcase. That will get about 5.5 hours of flight time, good for about 600 miles without stopping.

Even a limited machine like this would be great for a young pilot to build time. It’s too bad that this one is in such bad shape.

DISCUSSION (10)

GLiddy > TheRealBicycleBuck
07/09/2019 at 08:45

Sometimes you buy something and just don’t find the time. You promise yourself that you will someday. You get old and then its too late.

How much does a tie-down cost? Is someone paying for this or is it abandoned and the airport just doesn’t care either?

Darkbrador > TheRealBicycleBuck
07/09/2019 at 09:22

Make an offer on it.

Can be a long term/budget project, one fix at the time. 150s are great little planes, that can even do limited aerobatics.

TheRealBicycleBuck > GLiddy
07/09/2019 at 09:52

Tie-downs are cheap. Like $35/month. It’s being paid for, but the airport is trying to clear out this and three other planes in similar condition.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Darkbrador
07/09/2019 at 09:52

If I’m spending money, it needs to be on something I can fly right now.

WilliamsSW > TheRealBicycleBuck
07/09/2019 at 10:08

The Cessna 150 is a nice trainer, but tough to use for much else for the reasons you describe.

They’re also pretty cheap - I can’t imagine it’s worth more than scrap value. Too bad.

Darkbrador > TheRealBicycleBuck
07/09/2019 at 11:01

You’re right, I provide an unsollicited and terrible advice. But I feel bad for this little bird. It needs saving. Someone has to do it. Someone with a good heart. It’s you. It’s your calling. Save the yellow bird !

TheRealBicycleBuck > Darkbrador
07/09/2019 at 12:55

Unsolicited advice? That’s to be expected when posting on the internet!

I might consider it if I were able to spend any kind of time working on it. With me traveling every week, I’m only home on the weekends and my list of home maintenance projects is too long to add an airplane into the mix. If I could get it running and ferry it over to Houston where I could work on it a few nights a week, I might consider it. I’d also have to find an A&P to sign off on any work I performed.

Maybe someday, but not now. I’d rather fly!

functionoverfashion > TheRealBicycleBuck
07/10/2019 at 10:50

That paint scheme had me thinking Piper Cub when I clicked on it... clearly I was wrong. I’ve been up in a friend’s Cub several times, it’s so much fun.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > TheRealBicycleBuck
07/13/2019 at 10:52

I bought one of these (in good condition) to build time with back in 2002 or so. Bought it from the MD State Police, they used it to clock speeders. Had a Horton STOL kit and was (barely) IFR capable. Had a blast in that little thing. I’m a big guy, so I basically sat in the middle and worked one rudder on either side when I’d fly it for longer flights. I even got the autogas STC from the EAA for it, so it was super cheap to fly at about 3-4gal an hour.

It was a great investment. Put about 4 00hr on it, and next to nothing in insurance and maintenance. Sold it for 3k more than I paid for it. Replaced it with a Grumman Yankee which is the same basic concept except with a low wing and sliding canopy. That was much better. A bit roo mier, faster, and significantly more fun. I put 500 or so on that and sold for a profit as well after paying almost nothing in maintenance and insurance.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
07/13/2019 at 12:47

I keep waffling on the mission, so I’m having a hard time figuring out which way to go. I want something IFR ready so I can work toward my IFR cert. I want something small and cheap to fly, but I don’t want cross-country flights to take forever. I need something big enough to carry my tubby butt and it would be nice to carry the family along for the ride. I also need something my son can train in. Thoughts so far:

Piper Cherokee 140. It would be relatively cheap to fly , has enough useful load to carry two and some luggage, and enough range to fly 400+ miles without stopping. Pick the right one and it will be IFR capable. Downside? It’s slow. Really slow.

Piper Cherokee 18 0. It would be relatively cheap to fly, has enough useful load to carry four and some luggage, and enough range to fly 400+ miles without stopping. Pick the right one and it will be IFR capable. The cruise speed is a little faster than the 140 at 124 k ts. Let’s not kid ourselves here. I t’s still slow.

Piper 235/Charger/Pathfinder. It’s a little bigger, a little faster, and has a lot more useful load, all at the cost of fuel. It’s not slow.

Mooney M20 . It has a useful load similar to the 180, but is significantly faster at 17 4 k ts. The downsides are the fuel burn rate and the increased annual inspection cost because of the retracts.

V-tail Bonanza. Screw costs. It’s beautiful. I want one.

Piper Cherokee Six. This one’s significantly bigger with more payload and more room inside (seating for six!) but it also burns 15 gph with not much more speed than a 180. If I knew I’d be flying my entire family around on every flight, I might seriously consider buying one.

Typing all this out is helping me define the mission. Really, the bulk of my flying needs to be training and time-building for me and my son . I can probably rent for the rare occasions when I’ll be taking family anywhere. I’m thinking a Cherokee 180 or something similar might be the best choice. Time to hit Barnstormers again.