Hi All.
The SRGC at Tocumwal also use a Cessna 150.
It has a 150HP motor & tows without any dramas.
It also has tricycle undercarrage which to date has not caused any problems
& allows any endorsed pilot to tow.
The club has looked closely at upgrading to a 180hp motor, but the cost &
extra weight make it an unsound proposition.
Rebuilding the 150hp motor with some mods should produce 160hp for virtually
no more money & no extra weight.
Bernie.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Borgelt" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; "Discussion of issues relating to Soaring
in Australia." <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Towplanes
Stephen,
Dave Donald is at Boonah and they converted one
in the last few years. You don't need the
tailwheel conversion and both Boonah and
Kingaroy's C150s are still nosewheel types.
Performance of the 180HP C150 is impressive. I've
watched a launch behind a 235 Pawnee and the
Kingaroy C150 with ballasted 15m gliders with the
second rolling as soon as the first lifted off.
It isn't at all certain that the 235 Pawnee is
any better under those circumstances than the C150.
The O-360 Lycoming used is essentially 2/3 of the
O-540 in the Pawnee. Only 4 cylinders to fuel and
overhaul instead of 6 for around the same towing perfomance.
Mike
At 12:59 PM 1/10/2010, you wrote:
I was a bit interested this morning too, so I did a quick hunt around on
the internet. I think Daves guess is a bit on the low side.
Airframe : going by costs of 150/152 from the latest aviation trader (about
12 aircraft) costs range from 30k to 65k but typically fell in the 45-55
range for aircraft with about 6000 hrs on the airframe. (the $30k one was a
real outlier and would be a bit of a clunker I reckon, the 65k one "only"
had 2000 hrs on the airframe, least used by a long way).
So Airframe : average 48K, best 65k
Had a look at Lycomings 2010 price list for O-360s (there are 140+ types !
not counting IO, AEIO etc)
With exchange, a new O-360 $41k, rebuilt zero hours $29k. BUT up front they
say they are reluctant to exchange different types, so add 20% to either of
these prices for a straight out purchase (though you should still be able
to sell the old engine locally and recoup something).
Then looked for conversion prices. Found a site called Aeroprices which
quoted a tailwheel kit as US$2225 and an engine upsize kit as US$5835-7622.
HOWEVER (and this is the interesting bit) the STC for both these kits was
owned by "Aircraft Conversion Technologies" who seem to have folded as a
business in 1999. The STC ownership seems to have then passed to "Del Air"
who have little in the way of info on the web (only reference by third
parties). They could be gone too. Who owns the STC? The upshot being the
prices given must be pre 1999 prices so a conservative 50% inflation since
then (I would bet closer to 100%) gives:
Tailwheel kit $3300 (which seems neither here nor there in the overall cost
of the work)
Engine fit kit $9800
-------------------------
Finally if we were to buy a 150/152 on the Australian market and upgrade it
as above (not counting labour!) an "average/cheap" conversion would be
about $90k and a "top of the line" job would run to about $120k.
I haven't allowed any cost for labour (and chasing around after who owns
the STC etc). I expect you would get some change (but not much) out of $10k
After this expenditure you would still have a 30+ year old airframe.
Regards
SWK
On Fri 01/10/10 10:06 AM , Dave Donald [email protected] sent:
Why would you want a taildragger 150/152 (even though they exist)? If you
get a tricycle 150/152 that nearly every GA pilot trained on, they are a
ready source of tug pilots (when endorsed). And you don't have all of the
issues of ground handling that goes with a taildragger.
Airframe 20k
Engine 35k
Conversion 15K
= 70k
Pretty rough figures across a couple of years - the engine may be more or
less depending on condition. Also, most modded 150/152 have a recurring
problem shaking the rivets out of the tailplane skins/spar, but with proper
maintenance this risk is mitigated.
Dave
From: Colin Campbell
To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.
Sent: Fri, 1 October, 2010 10:04:54 AM
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] "Super Motor Falke" and towing
Can anyone supply information on current cost purchase and conversion of C
152 to taildragger and 180 hp engine transplant and a LAME who has done it
before?
Colin C
On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 9:37 AM, Mike Borgelt
<<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]>
wrote:
As proved at Kingaroy over the last 20 years.
Mike
At 09:41 PM 30/09/2010, you wrote:
One has to ask the question - why?
If cost is the answer then a 180HP Cessna 150/152 is the best alternative.
Tom
--- On Wed, 29/9/10, Richard Skinner
<<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]> wrote:
From: Richard Skinner
<<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]>
Subject: [Aus-soaring] "Super Motor Falke" and towing
To:
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
Received: Wednesday, 29 September, 2010, 4:57 PM
Does anybody out there have any information regarding the launching of
gliders by Motor Falke, or indeed, any other motor glider that may be used
to launch? Iâ?Tm not aware of it in Australia ia but I understand that
there may be some such happening in Europe? I am aware of Ultra lights
acting as tugs but Iâ?Tm speciecifically interested in motor gliders.
Regards
Richard Skinner
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
08 8431 8249
0419 818 024
If you want to grow old as a pilot, you've got to know
when to push it, and when to back off. Chuck Yeager
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
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email: [email protected]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
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