Check this out! I am heavily considering this one

the price is right. 150s are cheap. cant really go wrong. upgrade to 150 (or 180!) hp and put a towhook on it :)
 
hey be nice Ed. just because a 150/150 or 180/150 makes an excellent towplane doesnt mean you have to pick on me.
 
I pick on you because you're from Iowa. lol
 
tonycondon said:
hey be nice Ed. just because a 150/150 or 180/150 makes an excellent towplane doesnt mean you have to pick on me.
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I've never flown one of these, but have heard people talk about them as if they're kind of putt-putt. Do you really use them as towplanes?
 
we dont look for speed. we want climb rate. 150 and 180 hp 150s have killer rates of climb. excess thrust or power or something like that right?
 
Putting a 150 or 180 horse on a C-150 the only thing it is good for is towing.

useful load is 1 person

2 hour duration leg lenght, and if the wind is a head wind thats 150 miles.

If you want to tow its the way to go. but if you want fun/cheap flying leave the 0-200 on it.
 
Pjsmith said:
I've never flown one of these, but have heard people talk about them as if they're kind of putt-putt. Do you really use them as towplanes?
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Most folks use a Piper super cub 150 you don't have to do a 20k engine upgrade to do a ten cent job.
 
Hey, go for it Nick. You know how to paint a plane, and there is not much on it to break. Fly it for a couple of years and, when you grow weary of it, it'll likely be worth at least what you paid.
 
NC19143 said:
Most folks use a Piper super cub 150 you don't have to do a 20k engine upgrade to do a ten cent job.
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buying that 150 and putting a 20k engine on it would cost about as much as our ratty old 20,000 hour 150 hp supercub is worth. and then our pool of towpilots would increase exponentially. although, from the towpilots perspective, it wouldnt be nearly as fun
 
Pjsmith said:
I've never flown one of these, but have heard people talk about them as if they're kind of putt-putt. Do you really use them as towplanes?
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I used to have one with a LR tank...they are a much more capable plane at high DA loc's than the O-200.
I did some flying in a 180hp 150 (Tx to Fla). When empty at sea level, the thing is a rocket - its shocking how much sky fills the windshield on climb out.

Towing gliders is a drag.
(its a pun, Tony - sorry!)
 
tonycondon said:
the price is right. 150s are cheap. cant really go wrong. upgrade to 150 (or 180!) hp and put a towhook on it :)
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Tony, Check out the 150 HP Pawnee tow plane on Barnstormers for 22.5K. (if you are still looking)..
 
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Paul and I have a 150-150. It's great for Alaska where you want the extra power on those short gravel fields with trees at the end. It's got all kinds of other bells & whistles too... extra fuel tank, gross weight STC, etc. I took it out alone for touch & goes once with just a little fuel on board and OH, baby, climb rate and speed are amazing! Tony, you'd have to make us an "offer we couldn't refuse" if you want to get your hands on it...

(I tell ya, the best way to acquire an airplane is to marry into one!) :-)

--Kath
 
A bigger engine in a C150 is like a woman with a boob job. Only useful for showing off to your friends.

The $12k 150 sounds like a steal. Buy it and love it for what it is.
 
tonycondon said:
hey be nice Ed. just because a 150/150 or 180/150 makes an excellent towplane doesnt mean you have to pick on me.
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:hairraise: :hairraise: :hairraise: :hairraise: :hairraise: A 180/150 as a tow plane:eek: ??? Yeah, that emmpenage will last long. No thanks. I want a tube frame for towing anything but weenie banners.
 
Henning said:
:hairraise: :hairraise: :hairraise: :hairraise: :hairraise: A 180/150 as a tow plane:eek: ??? Yeah, that emmpenage will last long. No thanks. I want a tube frame for towing anything but weenie banners.
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There's a banner tower up by us who pulled the tail off of his 150. He got a shiney new rear end on it.
 
SkyHog said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968...2QQihZ016QQcategoryZ63677QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Not much if an instrument platform, but for where you're flying, you don't really want to be up in IMC anyway.... Are you still building that plane? If so, is this an engine you'd use in it? If not, my suggestion would be to find a plane that uses the engine you're gonna use with the best panel in the price range you can afford, forgetting about paint and interior. When you finish building your plane, you take the engine and whatever panel parts you want of f the plane you buy, then sell the rest of the parts. If you part it out, you may even end up with a free engine and a profit. Just a thought...
 
mikea said:
There's a banner tower up by usd who pulled the tail off of his 150. He got a shiney new rear end on it.
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Yeah, I've seen it in 150/150s and 180/172s I was doing some maint on for a banner operator. I was seeing rivets sheering and skins with elongated holes. I wouldn't fly them. When I see people yanking the big V billboards with them, I just cringe.
 
My friend Gary loves his:
http://www.cessna150-152club.com/aotm/coverplane200705.htm

I know someone who has towed gliders for many, many years with a 180/150. The tow hook is the only part that gets some wear. Think about it, you are not jerking a glider off the ground, the stresses involved are both low, and gentle. The only time you might get some sudden stress is if the glider pilot gets slack in the rope.

Compare it to the sudden yank of a banner pickup; its nothing. Tony will tell us the typical lbs a tow plane tail experiences in flight. Jerking a banner off the ground brings a lot of these planes from 100mph to vso in an instant.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
My friend Gary loves his:
http://www.cessna150-152club.com/aotm/coverplane200705.htm

I know someone who has towed gliders for many, many years with a 180/150. The tow hook is the only part that gets some wear. Think about it, you are not jerking a glider off the ground, the stresses involved are both low, and gentle. The only time you might get some sudden stress is if the glider pilot gets slack in the rope.

Compare it to the sudden yank of a banner pickup; its nothing. Tony will tell us the typical lbs a tow plane tail experiences in flight. Jerking a banner off the ground brings a lot of these planes from 100mph to vso in an instant.
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I did some towing with Pawnees and my Ag Cat, and when it was turbulent, I'd get yanked around by the tail a good bit.
 
Make sure you get a thorough pre buy. I've seen $6k to $12K annuals on poorly maintained 152's once they get to an A&P who cares.
 
JohnR said:
Is there any other kind? :)
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Unfortunately, yes. I squawked an inop electric fuel pump on a Cherokee where I used to fly.... and the next three pilots (one an instructional flight with a CFII) flew it anyway. :dunno:

Careless *tards.

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
Unfortunately, yes. I squawked an inop electric fuel pump on a Cherokee where I used to fly.... and the next three pilots (one an instructional flight with a CFII) flew it anyway. :dunno:

Careless *tards.

-Skip
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I see that all too often. Things that make you go "hmmm."
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I used to have one with a LR tank...they are a much more capable plane at high DA loc's than the O-200.
I did some flying in a 180hp 150 (Tx to Fla). When empty at sea level, the thing is a rocket - its shocking how much sky fills the windshield on climb out.

Towing gliders is a drag.
(its a pun, Tony - sorry!)
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was that Burts? He taught me to tow in that,starting the love affair. I seem to remember that the typical tension in the rope on tow is around 50 lbs. it depens on the glider. draggy glider pulls harder. would be pretty tough to duplicate banner pick up kind of forces though

Dean said:
Tony, Check out the 150 HP Pawnee tow plane on Barnstormers for 22.5K. (if you are still looking)..
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150 Pawnee is death trap. 235 Pawnee is ultimate towplane except only one seat.
 
tonycondon said:
was that Burts? ...... I seem to remember that the typical tension in the rope on tow is around 50 lbs.
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I saw him and the plane not an hour ago. (A constant) 50lbs is exactly what he said is the typical load.
 
he would know, he did write the book on glider towing...

*wishing I was in Marfa*
 
I'd almost consider that 150 Pawnee for a fun plane. Me and fuel, no big loads, not underpowered at all.
 
i shouldve clarified, 150 pawnee is a deathtrap for towing.
 
either i suppose. they just dont have the extra power needed. Pawnee's in general though tend to turn into balls of fire on any sort of crash, which isnt good of course. 235 horse pawnee is much much better as the rate of climb improves significantly. even at modest DA with a draggy glider (or banner, i suppose) climbout is going to be hairy.
 
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