Spins & Stuff

[pojawis]

This is a cute video of a gathering of the 150/152 Club. The spins recorded were of interest to me and I thought others on this board might find them so.

Musings:

The blonde in the right seat is the instructor performing the spins...

The father/daughter thing is one of those "awwww" moments...

I think I'd take along a mandolin instead of a git-box...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVBwri3Wqk

[4-Shipp]

That sure brightened my day Thanks for sharing!

[Bill Hart]

That made me miss my 150.

[N171TD]

Looks like a lot of good old flying fun with the egos left at the door.

[Robert Eilers]

In my opinion the cessna 150/52 and the 206 are the two best airplanes ever produced by Cessna. Of course, now I am partial toward the 170 as well. But for a basic trainer I don't think you can beat the 150. I am certain it would be interesting to learn how many pilots received their basic training in the Cessna 150/52. When I was considering upgrading from my Champ I very nearly settled on the Texas tail dragger version of the 150. Before my son went off to Pensacola for Navy flight training I beat the basics into him using a great old 150.

[GAHorn]

In my opinion the cessna 150/52 and the 206 are the two best airplanes ever produced by Cessna. Of course, now I am partial toward the 170 as well. But for a basic trainer I don't think you can beat the 150. I am certain it would be interesting to learn how many pilots received their basic training in the Cessna 150/52. When I was considering upgrading from my Champ I very nearly settled on the Texas tail dragger version of the 150. Before my son went off to Pensacola for Navy flight training I beat the basics into him using a great old 150.

Amen.

[cessna170bdriver]

...I am certain it would be interesting to learn how many pilots received their basic training in the Cessna 150/52. ...

Got my primary training (1977-78) and license (June, 1978) in a 1974 C-150M N3370V at the Patrick Air Force Base Aero Club. Checking the registration, I see it is in private hands now in the same area. I need to loose about 80 pounds and see if the current owner would allow me a little right seat time for old times' sake...

Miles

[N4281V]

Another one here for taken primary training in the Cessna 150/152. My school had a pair of 1978 C152s. My primary instructor towed banners with a 170B model (in FL) so he did emphasize crosswind work. We would do touch and go's on one main wheel, or (if the runway was long enough) do several touch and go's alternating between main gear.

The 150 was also the first airplane I gave instruction in after getting my CFI. Other than the lack of room (sore back) and lack of horsepower (especially in the South in the summer), it's a great trainer....or maybe it is because of those items...??

Great video - certianly does put a smile on yer face...

[Roesbery]

1976 Mariposa CA Instructor would only do spins in one of the two c150's, didn't want to tumble the gyros in the second plane.

[GAHorn]

A spin, properly performed, will not tumble modern gyros. The gimbal limits of most modern gyros are +- 55 pitch, +- 90 roll.

[flyguy]

LUV IT LUV IT. 7 TURNS AND ONLY GAVE UP 1800' ALTITUDE! Golly what a neat little spinnin wheel. My first spins were in the old T-Craft and I think it gave up almost the same as the 150. While we managed the airport here in Sabine Parish, our flight instructor claimed that her "inner ear" problems made her unable to do spins so when one of her students agreed to do some spin training she asked me to take her place. Sure thing lass! The only thing was that her 1975 Skyhawk wouldn't maintain a spin beyond 1 1/2 turns. It might have done so if we had put some weight in the back seat but all she wanted was for them to feel what it was like to have the plane just fall our from under you. I took a couple of the more adventurous ones up in the 170 and they were really impressed with the notable difference in the way the 170 would spin versus the Skyhawk. But Deana's little "65 C150, sittin out there in George's hangar, will "spin" with the best of them.

[170C]

There's no doubt that C-150's & 152's have trained a lot of present day pilots. Kind of neat airplane, much easier to land and take off (ie: drive) than most tail wheel planes. I have time in both models, but feel my training in a C-140 (until I had to do long X countries into controlled apts because the 2 -140's didn't have radios) was better and instilled in me the use of the rudder pedals. While learning to fly, I had a friend who came out to the apt each Sunday and we'd go flying in a 150. My instructor always told him that if he wanted to let me fly the 150 that it was OK, but not to let me take off or land it as it would ruin me That tail wheel training was what eventually got me out of my C-182 & back in my C-140A prior to purchasing Ole Pokey. Spins---I have never learned to like them, unfortunately, so I don't go practice doing them and recovering from them which is not a good thing. Only spins I enjoyed were in a Christian Eagle with an aerobatic instructor guiding me. Not sure why I liked them other than some mental comfort that she knew what she was doing, we had on chutes & spinning in a tandem seat plane seems a bit less dramatic to me than a side-by-side although spinning a Champ wasn't fun either

[GAHorn]

Don't get the wrong idea.... I'm not scared of spins or any other aerobatic manuever, in airplanes certificated to perform them. I've performed, and taught, hundreds of spins.

But there's something every pilot should know: Spins are dangerous. Even in airplanes that are "certificated" for them. Depsite what some say, they also stress the airplane beyond what is experienced in normal flight and normal stalls. I will not spin my 170 because I do not wish to stress it in such a manner. I expect to get a lot of criticism for posting this, but I don't care. I'm right about this. If you want to spin airplanes, then I think you should go do it in more modern aircraft that are purpose-built for it.

When was the last time you measured the actual elevator deflection angles of your airplane? When was the last time you measured your rudder deflection? When was the last time it was actually weighed and it's CG calculated? I have a 170 in as nearly-new condition as anyone's out there, and I know it's flight-control rigging, ... but I do not forget it is a 60-year old design like me, and I want it to be around another 60 years. Standard category aircraft spin-behavior is a MINIMUM certification requirement...that is obtained for "special test examples" of production aircraft. It is no guarantee that when all produced aircraft, when 60 years old, and under every condition attempted, will recover from a spin.

Anyone who thinks it's a good idea to take old production standard category airplanes and spin them, just because it's legal to do so.... should read W.D. Thompson's book, Cessna, Wings for the World. (Bill Thompson was a test pilot for Cessna. He has several instances where he nearly lost his life performing "legal" stalls and spins in production aircraft, when those airplanes did not recover like they were supposed to. Spinning down, while doing everything to recover like you are supposed to, ...and that airplane just continuing to spin.... is not the last thought you'd likely enjoy having.) Despite your well-intended confidence in your old Cessna, your old airplane, with it's decades of service work performed on it by countless dozens of mechanics, is no longer the young-thing it once was. Carefully reconsider before spinning it.

[170C]

Point well taken George. However, I have heard more than one flt instructor and aerospace engineer make the comment that spinning an airplane does not put anymore stress on the airframe than normal flight. I think the critical wording is, "provided proper spin recovery methods are utilized". Obviously one could overstress the airframe if one horsed the controls improperly as one could in any manuver. I have that book by Bill Thompson and had some correspondence with him prior to his passing. Its a good read and reference source. That's were Ole Pokey got it "C" designation

[GAHorn]

Would anyone who believes that please go out to their airplane and lift if off the ground by it's wings, ...then drop one side and then suddently grab it again by the falling-wing to abruptly stop it's descent... and tell me that doesn't stress it?

Oh, by the way, while you're at it, give the tail a couple of violent shakes while your at it, especially be certain to slam the vertical stabiizer hard one way...then suddenly back the other.