by Pete Schoeninger
Email your questions to Pete@Flymilwaukee.com
Q: Pete, I think you are full of hot air. In the last issue of Midwest Flyer Magazine, you said an older four-seat airplane could be operated almost as cheaply as a Cessna 152. That’s baloney, because my Cessna 172 burns 8.5 gallons per hour and a friend’s 152 only burns 6 gph. That’s a difference of $15 an hour, to say nothing of more expensive engine overhauls, insurance, etc.
A: I have never denied being full of hot air. Slow down your 172, lean by the book if appropriate to cruise side by side with the 152, and your fuel burn will drop to about 7 gph. For that one gallon per hour more at the same speed, you get 350 lbs more useful load, much more room inside, two more seats, and much longer range. Look at engine overhaul ads and you will see the cost of the 0-235 (C-152 engine) is about the same or even a little more than the 0-320 (in Cherokee 140s and many Cessna 172s.) Right now old Cherokee 140s – if anything – are a little cheaper to buy than 152s, and old 172s about the same price.
Q: How do manufacturers plan production numbers for next year’s airplanes?
A: They might deny it, but manufacturers watch sale activity of used one, two and three-year-old models closely. If a two-year-old airplane has dropped quite a bit in value, there will not be as strong a demand for new ones. If the two-year-old airplane is bringing say 90% of a new one, a new airplane with warranty, etc. will be more attractive to buyers and that should mean good sales for new aircraft.
Q: Everybody knows Dacron fabric (Ceconite, etc.) will last almost indefinitely. Now, my mechanic is suggesting I recover my 25-year-old Citabria, even though the fabric tests okay. Is he nuts, or greedy, or both?
A: He’s cautious. When Champs (the Citabria’s father), Cubs, etc. were in large production in the late 1940s, they were all covered with grade A cotton. That had a useful life of 5 to 7 years. That meant a mechanic got a very detailed look at the bare frame of the airplane after that 5 to 7-year-old fabric was removed. Now, the fabric is so good it will last a very long time, but it is still a good idea to get a really good look at the airframe every once in a while. I have personally heard the owners of two well-known fabric airplane companies recommend no more than 20-25 years between cover. Mechanics who do recover work will tell you that in virtually every recover they do, there are issues to repair that could not be seen with the fabric on.
