Congratulations on the purchase! I owned a 140 for seven years, and I miss flying it. There is a forum on the International 120/140 Association website with alot of valuable information. If you haven't been there I would highly recommend it. From what I understand, quite a few people feel the O-200 is a good combination with the 140 airframe.

The 140 I owned had a 125 HP O-290 and performed quite well. I have never flown any other 140 so I couldn't give you any sort of comparison.

I am sure everybody would love to see some pictures!
-Nate

Yes, pics

get the vgs not needed but if you screw up an we all do could save your butt great safety improvement

Thanks for the complements and comments.

I will try to post pics, but it doesn't look as if it is intuitive as to how to do so.

I can't figure out how to post the pictures from my MBDiagAlbum here.

The first time you taxi out to takeoff over the power lines they will look about 9000 feet tall. In the airplane world 175 from the end of the runway isn't very far. They will be very hard to see from the air too, see if the power company will put up one of those orange balls for you. I see numerous low passes before your first landing. Do not be afraid to go around if everything is not 100%. And most importantly take pictures!!

I called my power company and paid to have the powerline buried that was over the end of my runway. I felt it was $1K well spent!!!
WW

WWhunter wrote:I called my power company and paid to have the powerline buried that was over the end of my runway. I felt it was $1K well spent!!!
WW

Great idea. $1K seems cheap but I'm not a shareholder so good job.

I am on co op power and a 25 year member of the co op. Our co op is so out moded, if they came to bury the lines, they would probably bring shovels, picks and some prisoners from the jail. I don't think that they've heard about back hoes yet. When the time comes I will indeed check into the orange balls or burying the line.

I FINALLY got pictures posted in an album, but could not figure out how to imbed them in the post. The album is in my signature though. You will see a very nice panel with a six pack and center stack. The comms and nav coms are very old, but are recently overhauled and work very well. There's no DME, but I plan on trying to eventually get my IR in this plane.

Doc

Holy smokes! How'd they stuff all that into a C140 panel?







Gump

Thanks for attaching the pictures Gump!

The panel was hand fabricated from 1/16" aluminum.

Doc

Nice looking airplane. For IFR training you don't need a DME, when get serious about flying IFR a good late model GPS can also be legally used as a DME so that kills 2 birds with one stone. Find a used Garmin 430W and you can get rid of most of your existing radios and save some weight too.

After my divorce from Satan, and I could sit down without bleeding enough to need a transfusion, I bought a 1947 C120, just to have something to putt around in. I was living in Sonoma County at the time, working as a deputy.

We rebuilt that thing from the spinner back... Factory new prop, a wee bit pumped up O-200, 140A engine mount, new Scott 3200, and 8.50 mains. I flew the dog crap outta that little airplane. A couple dozen trips from Kalifornia to my British Columbia place near Bella Coola, most all the Idaho strips, and lots of places in between... Wasn't a Super Cub by any means, but early and light, it got me out of every place I went into. The biggest pain in the butt with that airplane was carb ice. It loved to make ice.

Two people and a small amount of gear will fit, or for one, it actually does an OK job.

Gump

Looking at that panel, now I know why it needs an O-200... horsepower for electrical power generation. What did the King Air owner say when he found it missing?

Instrument rating in a tailwheel airplane... isn't there some sort of FAR against that by now?

Just kidding, nice looking airplane and you are herewith ordered by the collective BCP membership to enjoy the crap out of the airplane at all times!

Well, I guess I am already violating EZ's orders. We haven't had flying weather since the day it officially became my airplane. Furthermore there is no flying weather in sight.

Thanks again for all the responses, information and comments from those of you on this great site.

Doc

Update.

Since buying the plane I've had numerous delays in training. First instructor had stents and lost his medical. Second instructor, a GREAT instructor, makes me adhere to when HE wants to fly WHEN there's good weather. Got sick for a few weeks, yadda-yadda.

I went through a period when I thought "what was I thinking buying a taildragger?" Then it finally sank in and I have confidence with the taildragger. I not only have confidence in my ability, but also in my little plane. I've flown her almost 30 tach hours now and she has really done well. I can trim her and she flies hands off. In spite of her extra weight she climbs out at about 600 FPM at max gross. She's reasonably stingy on fuel and we've really gotten to know each other.

In the mean time I'm waiting on the Keystone XL pipeline to go through my place. It was supposed to happen in May, but has been a political football. Since it comes from Canada, the State Department is involved and Hillary has been lobbied for it to go through and it looks like Obama will sign it. Both of these politicians call themselves environmentalists and the first segment of the pipeline has had 12 crude oil spills in twelve months, but of course, money trumps everything.

Once I get close to the pipeline going through, the wheel pants will come off and 8.50's will go on. If my annual in February doesn't get costly, I might put on some Alaskan Bushwheels for landing in the meadow.

Once it comes through I will start getting my strip in place at home and hopefully be competent for 1700 feet of grass by then. Right now I'm flying out of 4,000' X 75' after starting on 6,000' X 150'. I need to fly to a nearby airport where my avionics shop is located but their runway is down for maintenance. They are landing on a taxiway that is 3,000' X 35'. The 3,000 is PLENTY, but the 35' looks like a sidewalk to me. I'm flying as much as possible, concentrating on perfect center stripe landing. I've told myself that when I can shoot ten in a row with the mains straddling the center stripe, I will go land on the taxiway.

I've landed on a grass strip once and it was a piece of cake after a paved runway. I'm very proud to now call myself a tailwheel guy.
Doc

Congrats... Taildraggin' is the best!! On grass is even better.

Congrats on the purchase of that nice looking plane!


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=27.541599,-82.692063

Doc,

It sounds like you're going about this just about right....one step at a time, and building your confidence/abilities step-wise. Good on you.

Unfortunately, your experience with flight instructors pretty much mirrors what most folks run into. One of the big problems with flight training today, unfortunately. Don't let it get you down, though. Keep plugging away at it.

A thought on Bushwheels: IF you do decide to go with tires bigger than the 8.50 X 6.00 tires, and you do decide to go with Bushwheels, get the Airstreak models, probably the 26 inch. Those tires are a LOT lighter than the "regular" bushwheels, and just as squishy. Frankly, though, unless your strip is pretty rough, 8.50's should work just fine.

MTV

I was following this thread with interest. What about a C85/90 Luscombe? Seems to be under 20k like the poster requested. How do you all feel about a Luscombe? May be looking into it myself.

Since I'm the OP that was seeking advice, I'm certainly not the best for answering your Luscombe question. That said, in my research, here and elsewhere, before buying my plane a Luscombe was an attractive choice for my short field. What moved me away from it was some mentions by some regarding parts availability and the like.

I went with my Cessna 140 after finding the Cessna120-140 club and website. The 120-140 and parts are plentiful and there is a lot of support through the club and elsewhere.

That said, if you have a field much shorter than 1,500 feet, a 140 probably wouldn't cut it, while from what I've read, a Luscombe would.

Doc