I am starting to narrow down the list of tailwheel aircraft I am considering, and the only one I don't have any flight time in is the Aviat Husky. I thought I'd reach out and see if there are any members here in TX that might be willing to take me up for a demo flight so that I can see what the Husky is all about. I'd be happy to buy lunch and put fuel in the plane, of course. I don't know of any schools or rental programs with a Husky in the fleet, but if any of you do, please drop a suggestion below.

Try posting your request on the Husky website: flyhusky.com

I often use the member search here for stuff like that:

https://backcountrypilot.org/me/my-netw ... y-list=0,1

IIRC a few months ago you were lamenting the high cost of 180's? I have seen a few for sale since then that I thought were pretty good deals. From what I have seen the airplane market is really, really soft right now. Decent 180's listed at $130k and sitting for sale for a month or two or longer. That being said, a Husky is going to be more money than a 180, or so it seems. I have time in both and will say that I think I can land my 180 in the same distance as a Husky, and take off very similar as well. But, have much more cargo room, 20 miles per hour faster cruise at only slightly more fuel burn, and much better climb performance up high. I like flying from the center, but I've never found a passenger that preferred sitting in the back to sitting next to me.

Just my 2 cents.

SmilinJack wrote:Try posting your request on the Husky website: flyhusky.com

It's been two weeks now, and I still haven't received a confirmation email to set up my account, so I can't post. I've also reached out to their admin, but I've received no reply.

StillLearning wrote:IIRC a few months ago you were lamenting the high cost of 180's? I have seen a few for sale since then that I thought were pretty good deals. From what I have seen the airplane market is really, really soft right now. Decent 180's listed at $130k and sitting for sale for a month or two or longer. That being said, a Husky is going to be more money than a 180, or so it seems. I have time in both and will say that I think I can land my 180 in the same distance as a Husky, and take off very similar as well. But, have much more cargo room, 20 miles per hour faster cruise at only slightly more fuel burn, and much better climb performance up high. I like flying from the center, but I've never found a passenger that preferred sitting in the back to sitting next to me.

Just my 2 cents.

Those are some good points. I haven't seen many 180's drop in that price range myself, short of one here in Texas that had significant hail damage. Send them my way if you do run across those cheaper listings. Most are still well north of $150-200K and with much older avionics than a 20-year-old Husky. At this point, I am doing my due diligence and cross-shopping for comparisons; there's no harm in that.

I've purchased a Mooney for travel, so the traditional backcountry plane, like a Cub or Husky, could work in the tail wheel department, as it would be a fun plane for weekend activities and the occasional hunting/fishing excursion. I agree that it's much nicer to fly a tailwheel from the middle, but I still love the idea of a 180 as well.

That hail damage plane was still a good plane, and he said he would be "grateful" for an offer. Another one was in Idaho, 200hr 520 with VAR crank, old panel, but maybe a solid plane, was listed at $140 for a while, but then dropped to $130 and sat for a while more, had some decent upgrades.

These planes just are not selling, I know of a guy with a quite nice H model. Fancy panel, good paint, GFC500, lower time engine and prop, listed at $280, hasn't had any interest at all.

There are deals out there, just have to look. Several months ago there were a few in that under $150 mark, on paper they looked pretty good. Make some offers, at some point people will realize that they aren't going to get $200 for a decent 180 with a higher time engine.

The 180 and Husky are very different airplanes, and comparing takeoff distances without comparing loads is a fool's errand. Load that 180 up to GW, and the Husky to it's GW, and compare performance.

I've worked Huskys, straight A-1, A-1A and A-1B, and flown a late B with the C wing. They are great airplanes, but they are not a Cessna 180

A "toy" 180, ie: one that you operate at Husky loads, one passenger and little load, is kind of a waste, frankly. That said, it has a lot more verstatility, load wise. But, a loaded 180 is not near as much fun to fly as a loaded Husky....again, very different aircraft.

StillLearning wrote:That hail damage plane was still a good plane, and he said he would be "grateful" for an offer. Another one was in Idaho, 200hr 520 with VAR crank, old panel, but maybe a solid plane, was listed at $140 for a while, but then dropped to $130 and sat for a while more, had some decent upgrades.

These planes just are not selling, I know of a guy with a quite nice H model. Fancy panel, good paint, GFC500, lower time engine and prop, listed at $280, hasn't had any interest at all.

There are deals out there, just have to look. Several months ago, there were a few that were under $150 mark, on paper, they looked pretty good. Make some offers; at some point, people will realize that they aren't going to get $200 for a decent 180 with a higher time engine.

Yea, it looked like a fair plane, and it appears it sold, so I imagine it went for less than asking. The inflated market from the past few years is starting to come back down slightly, but IMHO it has a ways to go, but at least it's headed in the right direction. I'd consider the 180/185 as a do-all plane; I wouldn't have much need for the Mooney with the 180 sitting next to it when it can do both travel and off-airport duty. I've had a lot of fun in a Super Cub recently, and it has piqued my interest in a true backcountry plane, hence the desire to discover a Husky for a direct comparison.

mtv wrote:The 180 and Husky are very different airplanes, and comparing takeoff distances without comparing loads is a fool's errand. Load that 180 up to GW, and the Husky to it's GW, and compare performance.

I've worked Huskys, straight A-1, A-1A and A-1B, and flown a late B with the C wing. They are great airplanes, but they are not a Cessna 180

A "toy" 180, ie: one that you operate at Husky loads, one passenger and little load, is kind of a waste, frankly. That said, it has a lot more verstatility, load wise. But, a loaded 180 is not near as much fun to fly as a loaded Husky....again, very different aircraft.

Agreed, not a good comparison for their particular strong suits.

mtv wrote:The 180 and Husky are very different airplanes, and comparing takeoff distances without comparing loads is a fool's errand. Load that 180 up to GW, and the Husky to it's GW, and compare performance.

I've worked Huskys, straight A-1, A-1A and A-1B, and flown a late B with the C wing. They are great airplanes, but they are not a Cessna 180

A "toy" 180, ie: one that you operate at Husky loads, one passenger and little load, is kind of a waste, frankly. That said, it has a lot more verstatility, load wise. But, a loaded 180 is not near as much fun to fly as a loaded Husky....again, very different aircraft.

I fly my 180 at or near gross often. I flew a husky many times at or near gross, more often lighter. I may not have the number of hours you do, but in my opinion the 180 at gross is still a better performer than a Husky at gross. Gross weight on the husky is 2250, right? Gross weight on an early 180 is 2500. Husky appears to have a couple sqft more wing area, 183 from what I can find, 180 with a sportsman is 178. But, I question whether the wing design in a Husky works as well as the Sportsman 180 wing. Power to weight ratio? Far better on a 180 with a PPonk, still better even with the 470. This Husky with 26" good years, basic VFR panel, Trailblazer prop weighs right about 1450.

I have about 800 hours on my 180 now, best purchase I ever made. I don't have anywhere near that amount of time in a Husky, I have enough to know that the 180 beats it everywhere I have flown it, just my opinion. From sea level to 12,000'

The owner of the Husky and I were out one day, late December in Colorado. We were flying up the Frying Pan river, he wanted to head up over Red Table mountain (11,000'), and go back to the ranch, 160 degree turn. He was in front of me, intermittently in sight. I just turned and pitched up and went over the top, I could not regain sight of him so I called on the radio to get his location. He had had to circle to gain altitude to make it over the top, I never increased power from 18", 2300rpm. We were both full fuel, no passengers, I had about 60 pounds of ballast in the back for CG.

CoaSTOL Cowboy wrote:..... I'd consider the 180/185 as a do-all plane; I wouldn't have much need for the Mooney with the 180 sitting next to it when it can do both travel and off-airport duty......

You actually make the case for a 180/185.
Sell the Mooney, that'll give you some more kick to pay for a nice skywagon.

Steve Johnson, the creator of supercub.org is selling his '53 with a low time P-Ponk for an absurdly low price of $170k AFAIR. Don't quote me on that - go to the classified section of supercub.org and check it out. He lives up in Bentonville, AR. I've flown that plane and it's fantastic.

I've flown a Husky for a couple hundred hours doing low level (50' AGL) wildlife survey pretty hard. It is not nearly as nice to fly as even a portly O360 supercub. Heavy on the controls and heavy on the nose. But you absolutely should get a ride in one before narrowing down your choice. There is a husky dealer in the Wisconsin area who deals in them and always has a couple for rides. Good guy as far as i know. You absolutly can get a good 180 for less than a husky and have a far more capable plane. Sell the mooney and give up some cruise speed for the ability to land in 500' at really reasonable gross weights in a true 4-place plane.

Go fly a husky - and then begin your search for a 180 - like most of us end up doing. It's the perfect do everything backcountry plane. All the right compromises in all the right places for landing slow but still cruising cross country with good speed. I hope to end up with both a 180 and a supercub some day, but as long as I can only afford one, it will be a 180. I'm an early wagon guy myself. Nice and light.

Good luck.

CoaSTOL Cowboy wrote:

StillLearning wrote:IIRC a few months ago you were lamenting the high cost of 180's? I have seen a few for sale since then that I thought were pretty good deals. From what I have seen the airplane market is really, really soft right now. Decent 180's listed at $130k and sitting for sale for a month or two or longer. That being said, a Husky is going to be more money than a 180, or so it seems. I have time in both and will say that I think I can land my 180 in the same distance as a Husky, and take off very similar as well. But, have much more cargo room, 20 miles per hour faster cruise at only slightly more fuel burn, and much better climb performance up high. I like flying from the center, but I've never found a passenger that preferred sitting in the back to sitting next to me.

Just my 2 cents.

Those are some good points. I haven't seen many 180's drop in that price range myself, short of one here in Texas that had significant hail damage. Send them my way if you do run across those cheaper listings. Most are still well north of $150-200K and with much older avionics than a 20-year-old Husky. At this point, I am doing my due diligence and cross-shopping for comparisons; there's no harm in that.

I've purchased a Mooney for travel, so the traditional backcountry plane, like a Cub or Husky, could work in the tail wheel department, as it would be a fun plane for weekend activities and the occasional hunting/fishing excursion. I agree that it's much nicer to fly a tailwheel from the middle, but I still love the idea of a 180 as well.

soyAnarchisto wrote:Steve Johnson, the creator of supercub.org is selling his '53 with a low time P-Ponk for an absurdly low price of $170k AFAIR. Don't quote me on that - go to the classified section of supercub.org and check it out. He lives up in Bentonville, AR. I've flown that plane and it's fantastic.

I've flown a Husky for a couple hundred hours doing low level (50' AGL) wildlife survey pretty hard. It is not nearly as nice to fly as even a portly O360 supercub. Heavy on the controls and heavy on the nose. But you absolutely should get a ride in one before narrowing down your choice. There is a husky dealer in the Wisconsin area who deals in them and always has a couple for rides. Good guy as far as i know. You absolutly can get a good 180 for less than a husky and have a far more capable plane. Sell the mooney and give up some cruise speed for the ability to land in 500' at really reasonable gross weights in a true 4-place plane.

Go fly a husky - and then begin your search for a 180 - like most of us end up doing. It's the perfect do everything backcountry plane. All the right compromises in all the right places for landing slow but still cruising cross country with good speed. I hope to end up with both a 180 and a supercub some day, but as long as I can only afford one, it will be a 180. I'm an early wagon guy myself. Nice and light.

Good luck.

CoaSTOL Cowboy wrote:

StillLearning wrote:IIRC a few months ago you were lamenting the high cost of 180's? I have seen a few for sale since then that I thought were pretty good deals. From what I have seen the airplane market is really, really soft right now. Decent 180's listed at $130k and sitting for sale for a month or two or longer. That being said, a Husky is going to be more money than a 180, or so it seems. I have time in both and will say that I think I can land my 180 in the same distance as a Husky, and take off very similar as well. But, have much more cargo room, 20 miles per hour faster cruise at only slightly more fuel burn, and much better climb performance up high. I like flying from the center, but I've never found a passenger that preferred sitting in the back to sitting next to me.

Just my 2 cents.

Those are some good points. I haven't seen many 180's drop in that price range myself, short of one here in Texas that had significant hail damage. Send them my way if you do run across those cheaper listings. Most are still well north of $150-200K and with much older avionics than a 20-year-old Husky. At this point, I am doing my due diligence and cross-shopping for comparisons; there's no harm in that.

I've purchased a Mooney for travel, so the traditional backcountry plane, like a Cub or Husky, could work in the tail wheel department, as it would be a fun plane for weekend activities and the occasional hunting/fishing excursion. I agree that it's much nicer to fly a tailwheel from the middle, but I still love the idea of a 180 as well.

I've been lusting over this one for months. The price hasn't moved one bit, but given what he has into it, I doubt he'd go much lower and likely nowhere near the $195-200K I think it should sell for. If I were going to that part of Florida anytime soon, I'd go out of my way to see it in person and see if I could convince myself to take a stab at it. I like the early models as well, with the lower weight and fewer windows; it just needs the baggage door, and she'd be perfect.


https://www.controller.com/listing/for- ... e-aircraft

Max gross on Huskys will range from 1800 to 2250 depending on the model. Empty weights range from 1200 ish to > 1400. I have a 99 A-1B, max gross 2000, IFR equipped, empty weight on 31” bushwheels is 1350. At 1800 lbs and DAs in the 3000’ range my landing and takeoff rolls are ~ 300’.

Can’t offer any commentary on how it compares to a 180 except performance of both on straight floats. The Husky I flew definitely got off the water quicker than the 180 I flew, but there’s much more to the mission than that. As MTV said, not the same airplane so tough to compare.

I know there is a dealer about 3.5 hours to the south of me, maybe I'll reach out to them and see if they offer demo flights. Doubtful!!!

Regarding "too high" prices.... I think airplanes are like hangars.
I've bought both for what I considered too much money,
but looking at prices a few years later I'm glad I bought when I did.
Even if you "pay too much", just look at it as paying tomorrow's price today.

Like Soy pointed out, SJ from the SC.org site is selling his 180 for a really good price.
That's one I'd be looking pretty closely at.

The aircraft market has softened considerably. The “ask” numbers are still high but most are not moving. If you are in the market, be aggressive with offers…

skyward II wrote:The aircraft market has softened considerably. The “ask” numbers are still high but most are not moving. If you are in the market, be aggressive with offers…

Agreed!

skyward II wrote:The aircraft market has softened considerably. The “ask” numbers are still high but most are not moving. If you are in the market, be aggressive with offers…

Depends on the seller's eagerness to sell. I made an offer that was 20% low this last week was declined. I wish there was an anonymous sale reporting system to track the trends.