Group Poll: Best 2+kids or 4 place taildragger?

You don't need a taildragger to operate off grass - Especially 5000 feet! You
need a Bonanza. Great on on grass, great on short fields (not that yours will be
short), and fast. You have pretty much described the mission profile for an
older Bone. But tri-gear Cessnas are fine on grass. As are Piper Tri-Pacers.

Best regards,

Steve Robertson
N4732J 1967 Beechcraft Muskeer

Jim wrote:

Why a tail dragger? There is no good reason other than 'something to do'
in
this pilot's opinion.

Exactly my idea. Just something to have fun in but still use to haul the
wife and kids around when needed. I have the opportunity to put a 1/2 mile
grass strip right infront of my house and am currently getting a good
tailwheel checkout. I'm torn between two goals. I can either pursue a
partnership in a faster complex plane for some serious cross country flying
(which I do enough of to justify it), or I could go it on my own and pick up
a fairly nice Cessna 170 and eventually build a hanger and a strip at my
house. I'd still be able to rent a faster larger plane for the longer cross
country trips.
--
Jim Burns III

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Steve Robertson wrote:

You don't need a taildragger to operate off grass - Especially 5000 feet!

Since when is a half mile 5,000'?

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that can be learned
no other way.

Whoops! Well, it never was. Fortunately, 2600 feet plus or minus is still plenty
enough for all of the aircraft mentioned so far in this thread.

Best,

Steve Robertson
N4732J 1967 Beechcraft Musketeer

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote:

Steve Robertson wrote:

You don't need a taildragger to operate off grass - Especially 5000 feet!

Since when is a half mile 5,000'?

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that can be learned
no other way.

Maule is good!

Dashi

"Steve Robertson" wrote in message
...
You don't need a taildragger to operate off grass - Especially 5000 feet!
You
need a Bonanza. Great on on grass, great on short fields (not that yours
will be
short), and fast. You have pretty much described the mission profile for
an
older Bone. But tri-gear Cessnas are fine on grass. As are Piper
Tri-Pacers.

Best regards,

Steve Robertson
N4732J 1967 Beechcraft Muskeer

Dashi wrote:

Maule is good!

Not necessarily. You'd better be good friends with the person in the other seat
in your row, 'cause there ain't much room. If you bought the 160hp model, the
useful load with full fuel is going to be around 550 lbs. If you bought the 235,
it may be less than that (of course, full fuel is more gallons on that model).
And you won't get anyone into the plane unless they're in real good shape and
pretty flexible (or you have a *big* shoehorn). That big fin makes it a real
bear to handle in any crosswind over about 12 knots (want an audience for your
landing, just announce you're coming in in a Maule when the wind is over 15 and
gusting).

As I said in an earlier post, a 180hp Maule is something to consider, but the
Cessna 180 is a better plane (if you can afford one).

BTW, I own a Maule MX-7-160.

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that can be learned
no other way.

In article , Steve Robertson wrote:
You don't need a taildragger to operate off grass - Especially 5000 feet! You
need a Bonanza. Great on on grass, great on short fields (not that yours

I second that - good strong gear, lots of power, effective flaps. A
Bonanza can be landed shorter and taken off shorter than a C172, and
copes with rough fields well (tough gear, plenty of prop clearance). But
a Bonanza is a lot more expensive to run than a C170 or Stinson 108!
--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

Jim wrote:

What's your opinion about the best taildragger that has room for at least 2
adults plus kids? Reasons and experiences please.

I'd say a Cessna 180. Kids don't stay kids for long, and the 180 will carry
four adults. All metal, so it doesn't have to be hangared. Any A&P knows how
to work on one. They *are* getting old, though, and good ones don't come cheap.

The Maule MX-7-180B would be cheaper. They will also carry four, but they're
a bit more cramped inside. Fuselage is fabric, which may give periodic trouble
if kept outside. They're newer planes and parts are very easy to find. The 180B
has a 180hp Lycoming with a CS prop. Avoid the 160 and 235hp models. They won't
carry the load that the 180 carries. Check http://www.mauleairinc.com for
performance specs.

Stinsons are probably the best bang for the buck, but they're old and the
Franklin engines aren't made anymore. Parts are still available, since the
plant in Poland still has some engines they're parting out, but there could be
some real trouble ahead there. AOPA Pilot had a good article on them a few
months ago; should be on their web site somewhere.

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that can be learned
no other way.

Jim wrote:

What's your opinion about the best taildragger that has room for at least 2
adults plus kids? Reasons and experiences please.

My wife and I own a 150hp Piper Pacer we bought to get tailwheel
experience. Its a fun little airplane. We have gone airplane camping in
the Ut/Id/Mt mountains. I recommend the Pacer highly as a two-place plus
some gear airplane, but wouldn't put my kids (and gear) in the back, at
least not to the places we go...

For serious backcountry hauling, I use my stol-equipped Skylane. I have
recently been thinking about a 180/185, but cant justify spending double
what the 182 is worth to buy a 180/185 project which is going to take a
year or more to get it up to the same standards that my 182 is already at...

I'm looking for a large nosefork for the 182, and plan to put a 6.00
nose wheel and 8.00 mains on it, and call it good... I can already
operate out of 97% of the places where 185s go...

MikeM
Skylane '1MM see: http://home.utah.edu/~mgm17160/TwoMM.JPG
Pacer '00Z see: http://home.utah.edu/~mgm17160/miken007.jpg

"Jim" wrote in message
...
What's your opinion about the best taildragger that has room for at least
2
adults plus kids? Reasons and experiences please.
--
How MANY kids? How about a Beech B-18?

I was thinking DC 3

--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply
"Tom S." wrote in message
...

"Jim" wrote in message
...
What's your opinion about the best taildragger that has room for at
least
2
adults plus kids? Reasons and experiences please.
--
How MANY kids? How about a Beech B-18?