JC wrote:I was just reading AOPA's Flight Training Magazine and saw an editorial or readers forum where someone was describing the great things about grass strips....The author was Rod Hatcher.

I read that today too when I was in Borders! Great letter, Rod.

I've got a lot of time in Citabrias and even though the ECA has only 100-115 hp it's still a real fun airplane. The problem with all Citabrias though is that they don't have a whole lot of useful load. In that regard the ECA is a bit better. But I fully understand JC's logic here because there are a lot of Citabrias around that can be had for $35-40k. I know because I've been looking myself. Supercubs are out of sight and PA-12's are close behind. The M4's are fairly rare so would be tough to find but I've noticed that PA-20's are going for bargain prices. I've never flown a Pacer but have flown a Tri-Pacer. There are a lot of Stinson 108's around for good prices but many people don't realize that they have a 62 mph stall. The fact of the matter is that anything with tandem seats and a stick is going to cost you a premium and in that regard the ECA does stand out as something that could work - especially financially. Just make sure the spars are good.

After having flown a '52 C170B for 10 years I bought a new High Country Explorer 7GCBC with a 180HP Vantage Engine. In a year and a half I have put 200 hrs on it and it is a pleasure to fly. Normal takeoff at 6800 ft DA is about 365 ft. Given a little headwind on a cool day with high pressure and it will scare you how fast it gets off and climbs. I have attained sustained climbs of 1800 ft/min with average climbs of around 1200 ft/min. The 170's useful load is the only thing I miss about the 170 and maybe the ability to land it really short because of of the flaps. I am getting better with the short landings with the 7GCBC. There are a few 180HP 7GCBC's out there and I would like to hear from some of them. I have flown 180HP 172's, 160HP PA18's, J3's and a few straight 172s along with a few low winged pipers. The 180HP 7GCBC burns about 8.9 gal/hr compared to the 145HP 170 that burned about 7.2 gal/hr. Insurance is about tripple for the 7GCBC that it was for the 170. 85% of my flying hours are in a tail dragger and I love the way they taske off and land....but you never let them get ahead of you or you will pay!

HC - If you haven't already done so, I would recommend putting on micro VG's and 8:50x6 or Goodyear 26's. A friend has a 160 hp Explorer that I fly occasionally and these two mods made a whole new airplane out of it. It took a few flights to get used to the changes but I really like it.

Brad

Thanks for the reply. The High Country Explorer is a 7GCBC with these options: VG's on the wing and under the horizontal stabilizer, 8.00X6 tires and a metal belly along with the Vantage engine that swings a 76" prop and can run on 91 Octane unleaded gas. This plane has only been certified since June of '05. Mine was built in August of '05. The 8.00X6 are the smallest of three tire sizes that can be used because of the long prop.
I will try to get a picture of it downsized to put on the site.

not that I'm trying to help you spend more money... But get the bigger tires eventually, it will bring the wing angle up a bit more and help you get off shorter than you already are. And they smooth out the landings. You'll get a kick out of it the first time you run 26 Goodyears or bigger on the Citabria. I was surprised how much better the Goodyear blimp tires were than even 8:50's with thi airplane (and I ran them 7 years on my old Cub)