I am narrowing my search for a new plane. Thinking very hard on a 108. Think that the -3 would be the best cus of the 50 gal fuel and larger usefull load. And naturally the tail that Maul coppied.

What info do you guys have as to performance in the Idaho strips. I am cind of assuming that it is better than a stock 170 but not as good as a stock 180. Should I probably limit myself to 2000 feet or better.

Am I right in asuming that it will land shorter than it will take off. Coming down from a 182B may take some adjusting.

Tim

Performance wise, if you were to fly them at gross, the -2 would outperform the -3. But that's only because they are identically equipped with the 165. Same power but the -3 grosses out at 170lbs more. That said I have a decent amount of time flying my -2 alongside a -3 and never noticed any material difference in capabilities. Depending on conditions 2k' is more than enough, but load and DA will decide that requirement.

Given the choice the -3 would be my preference. The extra 10gals and 170lbs of useful would come in quite handy, especially if you end up installing a peppier motor. I personally prefer the aesthetic of the smaller tail of the -2, but honestly I think the -3 does benefit in longitudinal stability in flight from the larger tail.

And despite the generally low cost of entry for the Stinsons, don't let that lead you to believe that you can upgrade the engine and be ahead of the game. The 470 conversion on my plane is going to end up costing $45k+ - add that to the initial cost of $30k and I will have ~$75k in it. At the $75k price point you have a lot of options.

Hi,
I have a -3. I love it. It is a very capable performer. I fly my Stinson out of a 2200 grass strip. W/ 60 ft obstacle. I have taken 3 people and 30gal over the trees (summer time light wind). Still a good margin, I don't know if I would push full gross. By myself and tandem with good breeze it is about a 400- 600ft ground roll. Climbs about 800-1100 fpm. With four and full gas I have done as little as 1000ft off pavement with a good wind. Really nice planes fly straight and very light on the controlls. Also good ski/float versatility. I like the franklin motor, it is very smooth. If you want one with more power buy it that way it's cheaper. I have about 50hrs since i got mine 3 months ago. First taildragger and I love it, very forgiving. I paid 22 for mine w/ 300hrs and have put about 5k into instruments and a cylinder. Mine was not flown a lot prior to my ownership so now that I fly it every week it put some strain on stuff. But I think i am getting there..... Anyways I think they are great planes.


Mike

I already have figured that before I bought one and stuck an o-470 in it, I would just buy a 180 and be done with it.

Tim

I went round and around debating the merits of installing the bigger engine vs buying something else. I wanted to buy a 180 and be done with it as well, but in the end the costs always came out higher to get the 180 I wanted. I don't expect to ever get out of my plane what I've put into it, but I expect that I'll have a plane that will outperform any stock 180. At sealevel the stock 165 was more than adequate, but in the Sierras I felt it would be woefully inadequate. The tradeoff is that, practically speaking, I now only have enough useful load for two people, gear, & 40 gals fuel (~2.5 hrs) - not the plane for everyone but it will suit my purposes well.