Ok,

Is there any such thing as a Stick conversion for a 180 / 185?

Every plane I've owned has had a stick. J-3, Citrabria, Birddog. I just like having a stick. Is this a dumb question, or has anyone ever heard of this?

1. No.

2. No such thing as a dumb question....only dumb answers.

3. No.

MTV

Short and sweet answer from mtv.
However it seems that you could develop a conversion, pay for the STC and amass a small fortune.
This is assuming you already have a large fortune.

UTAV 66 has sticks and is very comparable to 185. Don't think Cessna ever completed Stick except to L-19.

Honestly, that's what I figured. Learning to use the yolk again might be fun anyhow.

Having had both, a 185 and an L-19. I understand the yearning to have a stick in the 185. The problem is you would need to design a completely different set of pulleys and cable routing. The L-19 had the floor and underfloor designed from the git go to accommodate this. You would literally need a stub of the fuselage to use as a sacrificial design mockup. Or you could go to fly-by-wire with servos and a side stick controller. Then you would have reduced your 185, from useful to experimental. If you want something of the experience and have a load of disposable cash, I believe the Helio Stallion had stick controls. Then your into the exotic.

Heck, yokes aren't all that bad and you can do anything with a yoke you can do with a stick. The P-38, fast, powerful and a super fighter by all standards, had a yoke. Even the A-3, a transonic medium low level bomber, had a yoke and landed on the carrier. The E2-C, I flew in the Navy had a yoke and I loved the leverage it provided on that aerodynamic abortion. Landed it on the carrier every day after a 300+ knot break. I did learn to fly on a stick, the T-28 and enjoyed the fine finesse it offered in acro. I don't do acro in the 185 and the Birddog was really sloppy in acro, so I would suppose the 185 would be too.

Don't stop dreaming, there is something good in very dream. Just don't go jump out of capsule at 122,000'.

There are a few great advantages of the yoke. 2 good ones are, Very easy cockpit entry without using some gymnastic maneuver to get leg over stick, all though it's probably good exercise. Floor space on the cp side to put stuff on when flying alone. All though I fly stick, I see little advantage over the yoke other than Nostalgics and perhaps some weight reduction.

exodus wrote:There are a few great advantages of the yoke. 2 good ones are, Very easy cockpit entry without using some gymnastic maneuver to get leg over stick, all though it's probably good exercise. Floor space on the cp side to put stuff on when flying alone. All though I fly stick, I see little advantage over the yoke other than Nostalgics and perhaps some weight reduction.

Actually, Cessna fixed those issues with the Skycatcher....a REALLY interesting stick that comes out from under the panel. Works really well also.

MTV

They essentially removed the wheel and put a stylish lever on the control yoke shaft. Somewhat innovative I suppose. Looks like that mod could easily be installed on most aircraft. Haaaah a million dollar idea !!!

Is the Skycatcher available now? Last I heard they were falling out of the sky and being renaming the groundpounder, or was it the cratermaker.

exodus wrote:

Taylorcraft had a "stick" like this about 60 years ago. It hasn't improved any.

The usual question is, "Is it hard to transition to a (stick, side stick)?" The usual answer is "it took maybe 15 seconds." I started with a yoke, and when I took aerobatic lessons in a Decathlon, that's about how long it took me. When I flew a friend's Lancair, it was less than that. It took longer to switch to the right seat from the left seat, maybe 15 minutes, when I started learning to instruct. So my answer has to be, no big deal, except to the wallet if you really want to do it.

Cary

I think a stick is more natural and more intuitive, no doubt, like a metaphoric phallic sword. Control wheels have their own advantages though too, like floor and lap clearance.

I'm of the theory that the brain flies the aircraft, not the hand. Brains are amazing and can quickly adjust to the feedback sensations and the muscle/motor inputs required. You'd be amazed at how quickly you can adjust to flying a control wheel from the right seat if you've never done it.

Something like a 185 though... It is what it is. Don't change a good thing. A major modification like that isn't worth the expense, and it likely lowers the resale value. If you need a stick fix buy a cheap Cub as a second aircraft.

I always thought a short stick mounted on the yoke shaft in a Cessna, but pointing down, would be sorta cool. The only problem left after that is that the throttle is on the right when flying in the left seat. I never hold a Cessna yoke the way it's designed to be held though, I always grasp it by the shaft with my left hand, where the "horn" might be if it were a vehicle. I'm not sure why, it just feels better to me. The downward mounted stick on the shaft shouldn't be a hard modification to make fly with the FAA, should it? It might work better mounted on a left 45 degree angle for hard left control inputs...Just my idea. Someday when my plane isn't being leased for 135 anymore I'm going to make it a testbed for all sorts of great and horrible ideas...and not one piece of paper will be wasted in the process!

exodus wrote:They essentially removed the wheel and put a stylish lever on the control yoke shaft. Somewhat innovative I suppose. Looks like that mod could easily be installed on most aircraft. Haaaah a million dollar idea !!!

Is the Skycatcher available now? Last I heard they were falling out of the sky and being renaming the groundpounder, or was it the cratermaker.

No, that's not how they work at all. The sticks move almost identical to the way a "real" stick does. The mounting under the panel moves side to side, as well as rotating. NOTHING like anything you've used before....except a real stick.

MTV

Zzz wrote: I think a stick is more natural and more intuitive, no doubt, like a metaphoric phallic sword. ......

I thought after you got married, you'd have given up that phallic swordplay....

mtv wrote:

exodus wrote:They essentially removed the wheel and put a stylish lever on the control yoke shaft. Somewhat innovative I suppose. Looks like that mod could easily be installed on most aircraft. Haaaah a million dollar idea !!!

Is the Skycatcher available now? Last I heard they were falling out of the sky and being renaming the groundpounder, or was it the cratermaker.

No, that's not how they work at all. The sticks move almost identical to the way a "real" stick does. The mounting under the panel moves side to side, as well as rotating. NOTHING like anything you've used before....except a real stick.

MTV

That is innovative. My apologies for jumping to conclusions.

hotrod150 wrote:

Zzz wrote: I think a stick is more natural and more intuitive, no doubt, like a metaphoric phallic sword. ......

I thought after you got married, you'd have given up that phallic swordplay....

One does not simply lay down their sword...

I've always thought it was a bummer that Maules and Skywagons are both yokes. I have a bunch of T34 and Citabria time and definitely thought the stick thing is cooler but could never decide if I think that because of some actual control thing or just 'cause I think it's cooler.
Go for the Skywagon stick STC and I'll buy!