New forum member ISO a 205/206. Mission is get me and family and camping gear in & out of mild backcountry ID strips. Or 1-2 buddies and hunting / fishing gear. Occasional short cross country.

I am looking hard at a 205, but the smaller tail section is a concern for me. For those that have flown both, is the smaller tail on 205 a serious limiting factor or just requires more attention and technique in light weight / forward CG landings?

Thanks for any advice.

Rich

Can’t comment on til performance difference between 205/206….but I had a 205 for about five years…wish I still had it…! Fantastic airplane….load hauler and simple systems …
.

We have a 205. Put on VGs. The kit includes the tail and makes the 205 much more solid in slow flight. Before the VGs you could feel it run out of tail in a flare. I carry about 7 gallons of water and a tool bin in the back and it flares fine with forward CG. I love the 205. Cheaper enough to save some money if you don’t need the gross or extra power of the 206, and bigger enough than a 182 to make it worth the difference. My wife can pack whatever she wants for her and my two daughters. The 205 holds more than her truck bed….

Dogg190707 wrote:New forum member ISO a 205/206. Mission is get me and family and camping gear in & out of mild backcountry ID strips. Or 1-2 buddies and hunting / fishing gear. Occasional short cross country.

I am looking hard at a 205, but the smaller tail section is a concern for me. For those that have flown both, is the smaller tail on 205 a serious limiting factor or just requires more attention and technique in light weight / forward CG landings?

Thanks for any advice.

Rich

You could have found me posting the same thing a couple years ago…

I’m not much help since I’ve never flown a 205, because as I was shopping, the 205 market seemed to rise to the point there was little price advantage over a 206. The tail must not be much of a dealbreaker, as the people that have a 205 all seem to love them.

VGs and a little extra power into the flare and the tail works fine. Carrying some weight in the aft is great as well, especially when just alone or 2 up front. I don't own a 205, but I maintain one and fly it a bit. I do have an early 206 with the narrower stab, albeit wider then the 205, but its technique. Nothing to be scared of, they are great airplanes.

I love my 205. It has the sportsman STOL kit, VG's and bigger tires. It's a great backcountry machine. And it has two front doors which is really nice for family hauling. The back left door is plenty big enough for even a 6ft person to get into and out. I wish I had a cargo pod! Then I could carry 6 people/(kids) and all my camping gear no problem. Where are you located?

I've flown a 206 and 182 with the early small tailfeathers in the ID back country. My experience is that they'll go anywhere the variants with larger elevators will go. I actually flew both those planes before flying either model with the larger elevators so I didn't have a frame of reference. A little bit of power in the flare is a big help, I would also recommend VGs.

That said, if you're the fussy type who tends to have buyer's remorse after compromising, I'd recommend waiting for a large elevator variant or making sure you realize a discount on the smaller elevator plane.

In comparison, and perhaps this has something to do with the Robertson on my current 206, I have to chop the power immediately in the flare or even before the flare or it'll float and wheely forever.