What to buy...what to buy?

ahh.. sorry CJ... it was so long.. my reader did not show all of it.. need
to check on why that happened..

BT

"Carl J. Hixon" wrote in message
news:GHEid.100810$hj.68780@fed1read07...
BT, my post must have been boring. Most of your questions are answered in
the original post.

I guess more basically:

Must haves:
2-seats
certified engine
descent range/endurance
electric, transponder

Nice to haves:
taildragger
stick
aerobatic
grass & dirt capabilities
150 - 180 hp

Could care less:
IFR


Husky? Would love one!
Super Cub? Would love one!
Fixed Gear Piper? Warrior, not really.
Bonanza? Nah, not my style.

Did you read my post or did you get bored?

"BTIZ"

No problem. I cut and pasted the message from Word...since it was getting
long. Only later did I notice all of the extra page breaks that got put in
from the Cut/Paste operation.

Carl

"Carl J. Hixon" wrote in message
news:vNUid.112907$hj.50407@fed1read07...
" 1946 Luscombe 8A (His)
1948 Luscombe 8E (Hers)
1954 Cessna 195B, restoring (Ours)

Now that is marital bliss! He is one lucky guy.


On some days he's lucky. He seldom gets to work on the C-195 because he's
working on my bird. Plus, he has to work hard to keep me in avgas/mogas.

On the other hand, he's my A&P. I trade home cooked meals and cuddling for
maintenance services. So I guess you can say it works out pretty well! Two
years ago, we had our 20th wedding anniversary and I turned 40. Most women
would get a diamond or two. He bought me a Don's Dream Machine C-85 with the
0-200 STC. I've been speechless ever since.

Deb
--
1946 Luscombe 8A (His)
1948 Luscombe 8E (Hers)
1954 Cessna 195B, restoring (Ours)
Jasper, Ga. (JZP)

Henry and Debbie McFarland wrote:

I've been speechless ever since.

Gotta get one of those for my wife! :-)

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

The more that I ask around and the more that I look into this...the more I
realize that I need to negotiate rides from people at the airport. I don't
want to bother a lot of sellers by kicking tires for a ride. I need to buy
a lot of lunches. I am all over the place with the types of planes I am
considering that one would deduce that I don't know what my mission is. [It
is kind of like my motorcycle theory, you can't have just one...a dirt bike,
a sport bike, a cruiser, etc.] I am stressed about going in the wrong
direction.

Any cyber buddies feel like a free lunch and some gas? I'm looking for
rides in:

Luscombe 8
Grumman Yankee
Grumman AA5
Swift
Pacer
Champ
Navion
Long-Eze
C-170
Etc...

Thanks,
Carl

You've got two from my short list, grumman yankee and aa5. I was very
close to getting an AA5. The seller changed his mind about selling so I
didn't even fly it. Then he called me to tell me he would sell it. I
didn't bother with it. Ultimately the realization that I will almost
never need four seats made me go back to the 7ECA. I've never actually
flown an AA5. I've got quite a few hours in tigers and yankees. The
little yankee is a nice flyer. Much more fun than a 150/152.

One other nice thing about the citabrias is the baggage area. Although
it's difficult to access, there plenty of room for soft luggage. I
haven't made any weekend trips but it can handle my golf clubs or my
folding bike with room to spare. The newer models have a baggage door
that can be added to an older model.

Dave
68 7ECA


Carl J. Hixon wrote:
The more that I ask around and the more that I look into this...the more I
realize that I need to negotiate rides from people at the airport. I don't
want to bother a lot of sellers by kicking tires for a ride. I need to buy
a lot of lunches. I am all over the place with the types of planes I am
considering that one would deduce that I don't know what my mission is. [It
is kind of like my motorcycle theory, you can't have just one...a dirt bike,
a sport bike, a cruiser, etc.] I am stressed about going in the wrong
direction.

Any cyber buddies feel like a free lunch and some gas? I'm looking for
rides in:

Luscombe 8
Grumman Yankee
Grumman AA5
Swift
Pacer
Champ
Navion
Long-Eze
C-170
Etc...

Thanks,
Carl

Dave,

The only reason that the Citabria wasn't listed on my "ride list" is that I
have plenty of time in them to know exactly how great they are. Of course,
if anybody is offering rides....I wouldn't decline.

"Carl J. Hixon" wrote in message news:shCid.100753$hj.51722@fed1read07...
Okay, I always love reading everyone's thoughts on these types of questions
so I'll post one for myself. Well, my wife finally gave me thumbs up to buy
a plane after taking a 6-year break from flying.

Carl,

I'm so damn impressed that I almost can't type! Taildragger and
sticks... son, you're makin' me proud. :-)

Three points for you:

1.) I sold the 7GCAA (short wing, 160 Hp O-320, no flaps) after 250
hours. It was the right thing to do, but I *LOVED* that airplane.

2.) The Stearman doesn't fit with your mission and needs at all, and
it's the least practical thing one can imagine as airplanes go. But
what the hell... if one turns up, buy it anyway. 8-

3.) Don't wait. Money is cheap right now, and prices are low. It
sounds like you have a pretty good idea about what you want, so I vote
you jump with both feet. NOW. You might possibly find a slightly
better deal if you wait 18 months, but you will absolutely lose 18
months that you could have been flying your own airplane. (I'm
serious about this one. I've always been sorry about the time it took
me to finally put the money on the table.)

Good luck, and we expect an update!

-Dave Russell
8KCAB / N2S-3

p.s. There's a ton of stuff out there, good, bad, and ugly, about the
Citabria factory wings. I think it was worth the extra money for me,
and I much preferred the climb rate available from bigger engine.
YMMV

1.) I sold the 7GCAA (short wing, 160 Hp O-320, no flaps) after 250
hours. It was the right thing to do, but I *LOVED* that airplane.

Flaps, I don't need no stinkin flaps! My flight instructor (former naval
aviator) gives all of his students call signs. My call sign is "slip'er"
for my love of slipping the plane.

2.) The Stearman doesn't fit with your mission and needs at all, and
it's the least practical thing one can imagine as airplanes go. But
what the hell... if one turns up, buy it anyway. 8-

If I had any chance of parking a plane in my hangar and a Stearman came
along...I'd buy it and change my mission!! The sadest plane that ever got
away was a PT-23. (N63818) I got to know the owner from hanging around and
we got to be friends. He eventually put the plane up for sale but said,
"Listen, if you'll promise to keep the plane in SoCal and take me flying
once in a while I'll sell it to you for $35,000. [He knew how much I loved
the plane and knew that I'd be a good parent.] Anyway, it was the wrong
time in my life, and probably still is due to the expense of proper care.
PT found a home in NC for probably more than twice that price. I sent the
owner a POH I had with a letter just to check up on the old gal. He in
formed me that he was selling her because he had bought a Texan (?). Wish I
could have bought her then. There is just something about a big radial
engine, smoke, oil, and wind in your face...

3.) Don't wait. Money is cheap right now, and prices are low. It
sounds like you have a pretty good idea about what you want, so I vote
you jump with both feet. NOW.

Money is cheap right now but, this will be strictly a cash deal. I don't
worry a lick about dieing in a motorcycle or airplane crash but, the idea of
losing my job and not being able to make ends meet so that my wife can stay
home and the kids stay out of public school kills me. I refuse to take on
debt for a hobby at least until my kids are off in college which is more
than 10 years out.

Right now I am thinking about upping my purchase limit and am leaning toward
a nice Citabria or Grumman AA1-. I know the Citabria would keep me happy
for years. Haven't flown a Grumman yet although I hear only good things
about them. The side by side seating is a bother when flying with friends
but, it will be better for spending time with my sons.

Carl.
"Slip'er"

On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 12:25:30 -0800, "Carl J. Hixon"
wrote:

Where are you at? I own a C-170B, and it's one of the best all-around
airplanes ever built (one could argue the C-172 might fit that bill,
but I have a weakness for taildraggers....). A & B model 170s are all
metal (you can tie them down outside), they're not a lot of $ to buy
(relatively speaking of course), they are dirt cheap to operate &
maintain + there are very few ADs. They have passable performance
(for a stock-engined bird), especially no problem if you're doing
pretty much flat-land flying. I like Luscombes, but the cabin is so
danged small (+ you can't see out of the thing). The Swift is really
cool as well, but won't be as cheap/easy to operate (parts
availability, plus that retractable gear will cost you). The Champ is
also a blast to own/fly as long as you're not in any great hurry to
get anywhere. Aside from the Pacer, the rest of the airplanes on
your list don't "float my boat". 8^)

Bela P. Havasreti

The more that I ask around and the more that I look into this...the more I
realize that I need to negotiate rides from people at the airport. I don't
want to bother a lot of sellers by kicking tires for a ride. I need to buy
a lot of lunches. I am all over the place with the types of planes I am
considering that one would deduce that I don't know what my mission is. [It
is kind of like my motorcycle theory, you can't have just one...a dirt bike,
a sport bike, a cruiser, etc.] I am stressed about going in the wrong
direction.

Any cyber buddies feel like a free lunch and some gas? I'm looking for
rides in:

Luscombe 8
Grumman Yankee
Grumman AA5
Swift
Pacer
Champ
Navion
Long-Eze
C-170
Etc...

Thanks,
Carl