EARLY MODEL CESSNA 206!!!!
Hello, I'm a new member here. Wondering if anybody here has advice about the best STOL kits for my 1966 Cessna P206-A? Any advice to solve the "heavy nose" issue or "running out elevator" control? Love my airplane, but there is very little info out there about these early model 206's. I want to maximize my plane's capabilities as well as my own skills and capabilites. Thanks in advance!

~Eric

Sportsman is the best cuff. Wing X help as well, no GW increase for the 206 though, and you want to make sure it fits in the hangar before you add that. Keeping some weight in the extended baggage helps with the elevator, or adding the later model stab and elevators.

What's your empty weight out of curiosity? I'm just wrapping up a rebuild on my 65 P206 and hope to get it on the scales here soon.

Eric-

I fly a Cessna 205 that had the same lack of elevator authority you mention. I did the Micro VG kit linked below and have seen a ton of great improvements. It was really easy to install and the changes are noticeable right away. Not only is the elevator control much better on approach at all flap settings, slow flight is really fun and the performance is amazing. I highly recommend as a minimally invasive very positive change.

https://microaero.com/vgkit/206-series/

A1Skinner wrote:Sportsman is the best cuff. Wing X help as well, no GW increase for the 206 though, and you want to make sure it fits in the hangar before you add that. Keeping some weight in the extended baggage helps with the elevator, or adding the later model stab and elevators.

What's your empty weight out of curiosity? I'm just wrapping up a rebuild on my 65 P206 and hope to get it on the scales here soon.

One can swap the later style horizontal on?

EricFishe wrote:EARLY MODEL CESSNA 206!!!!
Hello, I'm a new member here. Wondering if anybody here has advice about the best STOL kits for my 1966 Cessna P206-A? Any advice to solve the "heavy nose" issue or "running out elevator" control? Love my airplane, but there is very little info out there about these early model 206's. I want to maximize my plane's capabilities as well as my own skills and capabilites. Thanks in advance!

~Eric

I have a friend with a 206A who has flown it into everything - including Mile Hi, with nothing more than VG's and some ballast!

CParker wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:Sportsman is the best cuff. Wing X help as well, no GW increase for the 206 though, and you want to make sure it fits in the hangar before you add that. Keeping some weight in the extended baggage helps with the elevator, or adding the later model stab and elevators.

What's your empty weight out of curiosity? I'm just wrapping up a rebuild on my 65 P206 and hope to get it on the scales here soon.

One can swap the later style horizontal on?

It's not STCd, but yes it has been done.

A sportsman kit or any other cuff will not help with the heavy elevator. Micro VG’s may if there are VG’s on the underside of the horizontal stab. My dad had a Sportsman kit on his 172 although it lowered the stall speed it did not fly as nice. Personally, I would not put any cuff kit on a Cessna unless you really needed to reduce the stall speed or needed the extra short field performance. If this needed then the Sportsman is the way to go. I never put any kits on my 180, 185’s or 182, I never had the need and did just fine flying all over Alaska. Stock wing Cessnas are very capable airplanes in the hands of a competent pilot.

Just my humble opinion.

Kurt

Thanks for the advice! My latest empty weight is 1937 lbs on paper, but I haven't actually weighed it. You got me curious, I will respond to you when i do a legit check!

That's what I've been thinking, I will most often have plenty of cargo whenever I fly anywhere, keeping my CG within an easy control range...I was thinking MAYBE VG's under the horizontal stabilizer... I will do a lot more back country flying before any mods.

The VG kit has the leading edge of the wing, the vertical stab and underside of the horizontal right in front of the elevator. My 205 lightly loaded will keep flying at 2,000rpm and 38mph indicated, no sink or stall. Its fun to get into slow flight contests and beat much smaller aircraft! The flare is noticeably easier on my left arm, even when loaded with a fairly forward CG. I think I've lost 2 kts or so in cruise but I didn't do a great test in advance. Next up I need the bigger nose fork and some better back country tires!

G44 wrote:Personally, I would not put any cuff kit on a Cessna unless you really needed to reduce the stall speed or needed the extra short field performance. I never put any kits on my 180, 185’s or 182, I never had the need and did just fine flying all over Alaska. Stock wing Cessnas are very capable airplanes in the hands of a competent pilot.

Just my humble opinion.

Kurt

^^^^^ +1

You might also read through this thread about dealing with the small elevator years of 182s. Same deal.
https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/182f-elevator-authority-22904?hilit=small%20elevator

2X on the VG's. I had them on a 205 for over 30 yrs. I think VG's are the most bang for the buck on the 205. You will end up with full aileron, rudder and elevator at very low speeds.

And the kit has everything you need. I think it took about 6 hrs to do the install.

Occasionally you will knock one off when fueling and I found using 3M VHB double sided tape works better than the epoxy method. This tape is unbelievably strong and if you need to remove it you just squirt it with WD40 and peel it off.

@205pilot...thanks for the great tips!

Roll the trim full forward on final when you’re empty. No more lack of elevator authority. Yes it will be harder to pull but it isn’t a big deal. With a load it’s not a concern.

I started that thread about 182 elevator authority, my 182 has a smaller elevator than the newer models, not sure how that compares to the relative difference between newer and later 206's. I've put a few hours on since then, and this is my new stance:

I tried rolling the trim forward on final, didn't like it, it just makes me busier at a time I'd rather not be.

I've fantasized about swapping later tail feathers on, but the reality is I'd buy a new plane (probably a 206) before making that sort of investment unless I had access to a local wrecked 182.

I don't recommend a cuff, I don't have any experience with them, but landing at a lower airspeed will exacerbate the elevator issue.

I might try VG's.

....but the reality is, the smaller elevator makes for a trickier flare, but at the end of the day ballast and skill are the biggest gains. Neither of which require an STC.

As has been said, VGs and Sportsman. What year is your 206? If it’s a really early one, it’s very similar to out 205s. We’ve had a lot of discussions on both of these topics recently on our 205 FB page if you’re interested.


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I fully agree with Grassstrip Pilot about VGs. I also fly a 205, and the difference was night and day, in both elevator and aileron.

How much flaps are you using to land? When I fly solo with full tanks I can’t hardly land with the nose off the ground with full flaps (40) and sure can’t hold it off, even with 80+ lbs in the baggage. Landing with 30 degrees decreases the pitching moment of the airfoil, which makes it much easier to flare. I float a bit more, but in most places it doesn’t matter, and I can hold the nose off much longer.

205 and early 206 wing are not the same, and may not respond the same to the a VG kit. Never tried them so no opinion. I owned the 11th 206 ever built. 206 has wider span flaps and longer chord ailerons while the 205 is like a 180 series wing. Early 206 has 11’-8” horizontal (13’ starting in ‘68) while the 205 is 10’-10”. Nothing wrong with either of them...well except that they are Cessna. [emoji1]