Selling the 182 and thinking about one of these as a fun two seater, good mpg, and affordable to teach in. anyone ever owned one? Obviously not a stol machine. Heard they are fun though.

ington6 wrote:Selling the 182 and thinking about one of these as a fun two seater, good mpg, and affordable to teach in. anyone ever owned one? Obviously not a stol machine. Heard they are fun though.

I'd keep the 182 and forget "SLUG" American Yankee even with 150 hp. If you want 2 seats get a Citirba or scout -maybe a Supercub -or even a 172 .

Sorry ya gotta get rid of your 182 there, neighbor.

The Yankee is fun (roll rate, visibility), but not nearly as forgiving on flares as a C150 or something like that if you are looking at primary training. Certainly not a biggie, but something worth mentioning. It also apparently required avoiding anything resembling a spin...reportedly, if a spin was not immediately addressed, the elevator didn't stand a chance to get the nose down enough for a happy ending. Our 182's can't pass spin certification at full aft CG either, though.

It does have a higher wing loading than a lot of trainers, and can descend like a chrome crowbar on glide- which again, is generally fine. I remember it had a lot more authority on crosswind landings than a C150 did.

Having the canopy back several inches in flight is sorta nice too- I liked that part.

Good luck...

A guy I worked with had one and loved it. I think originally they came will smaller engines. Parts are still easy to get for them. There are two different airfoils. The earlier models had an aggressive airfoil that allowed a fast cruise, but an higher speed and more aggressive stall. The later models were a bit slower in cruise but the airfoil had a bit better handling and slower stall. I don't think these are dealbreakers by any means. Like any plane, get proper training and you should be fine. It is an affordable, well built, inexpensive plane.

It might not be the best plane to train in or for a new pilot with new hours. But considering you've had a higher performance plane and probably have some hours under your belt, it may be a great option for you. The construction of the plane is quite different than usual, but nothing wrong it, just different. And nothing you have to deal with while actually flying. Good luck!

I like 'responsive'......The Yankee is that. It is kind of a sports car to the 182 being a sedan.
I liked the airplane. Never cared for the name, though.

lc

PS Explanation: I moved to Texas from WA in Jr high. In HS I took a lot of crap for not being a 'southerner' (therefore Damn Yankee). I got defensive and looked into what was real and what was PC-common taught knowledge-relating to pre/during/post 'war between the states' (nothing "civil" about it!). The winners of wars write the history books, by the way. Since then I have had strong southern sympathies.......

182 STOL driver wrote:

ington6 wrote:Selling the 182 and thinking about one of these as a fun two seater, good mpg, and affordable to teach in. anyone ever owned one? Obviously not a stol machine. Heard they are fun though.

I'd keep the 182 and forget "SLUG" American Yankee even with 150 hp. If you want 2 seats get a Citirba or scout -maybe a Supercub -or even a 172 .

I don't mean to piss on the parade, too . But, if you don't have to sell the 182 (or don't really want to), I'd hold onto it for as long for as you can until the market get's better. I recently thought about switching over to a Champ, 172, or the like, but it didn't make economic sense for MY situation and missions.

Yeah I know. The 182 is a great plane. Only problem is that I bought it with a partner and he never got his medical. (dui's). So I have paid all the maintenance, annuals, ect. My last annual cost me 12k. After that, I really just don't have the money to keep paying for all the maintenance and even the gas the 182 burns. Great plane though. I also don't need all the seats and carrying capacity.

Plus it is a little tough to get primary students when you tell them the costs of the 182. At least a more simple airplane would have cheaper annuals, maintenance, and burn 6 to 7 mpg at the same cruise speed as my 182. If not Yankee, ( I hate the name too), maybe a cheetah...

182 STOL, I would love a citabria but I would have to keep this baby outside.. Would be worried about the fabric and wood spars too. Really fun planes though. I'm not good enough tailwheel flyer yet to trust myself with primary students in it.

I have two good friends who own 150hp Yankee taildraggers. They are awesome performers- fast & responsive. They take off short but need a fair amount of runway to land. I have not flown either one myself, but from what my buddy's tell me I don't think it would make a good platform for either primary flight training or t/w checkouts. They are not necesarily squirrelly, but things do happen real quick in them. They are also short of rudder area & if the tail comes up in the takeoff roll under full power, there just isn't enough rudder to keep it straight.
So if you're looking for a fun mini-fighter for yourself, go for it, but I'd suggest something else for a trainer. A Pacer is pretty responsive & is a good performer if you keep it light, and is a good but challenging trainer. C170 or Stinson works well in this role also. Plus ll three of these are more capable back country type mounts than a yankee,a nd have more room for gear..

Having instructed in one years ago out of the old Columbine Airport (just south of I-70, about 7nm east of Buckley AFB) this is what I remember. Quick, relatively fast, responsive, good visability. Bit of a ground hog at Colorado elevations, defiantly not a short field bird at 5000+ elevations (especially at high denalts), landing gear is more springy than a Cessna, nose wheel is free castering, operates okay off of maintained grass and dirt but not a off airport plane. Maintenance was realitively inexpensive, insurance is low, the interior WILL get wet when boarding in the rain. You can fly with the canopy back about 8 inches but not fully open, and the spin issue is to not let the spin fully develop, if a spin is entered and an immediate recovery is initiated the recovery will be successful but can be slower than a 150, but allowing the spin to reach 3 turns (certification standard) recovery becomes doubtful, thus the restriction.

If the cost is within your budget and the plane will fit your "mission" then go for it.

Sorry, double tap.

Oops, just realized you were talking about 150 hp nosewheel Yankees. You can ignore some of my comments aimed at t'w yankees, bu the nosewheel gear has issues of it's own. saw one twanged pretty good here due to a wheelbarrow landing and/or porposing. Gear leg folded up just above the nosewheel resulting in a prop strike. Pilot error all the way but not too uncommon a scenario-- too fast on final & forced it down nosewheel first. Not a problem for you but I could see how a student pilot might do that.