Here is some gen for you from a long time OZ Stinson owner-pilot-rebuilder.
All he has to say is based on many years hands on experience
Having done over 800 hours in Stinsons. His comments
are these , referring to what previous posters here have said.
1 You have about 1100 useful load. Four
pax 100 lb baggage and full fuel.
2 Agree about rudder effectiveness on take-off Rudder could have been a bit bigger, (Same area of rudder for
-3 . . big tail . . . and -1 and -2 .)
3 Incorrect about brake input at full rudder deflection.
The rudder pedal/rudder cables could not have been adjusted c correctly. This is a common problem for the uninitiated.
4 Bleed speed off in climb? Don't know what he can be talking about. There
is such a thing as elevator trim.
5 There are brakes on the right side of the -3, and you can get a kit,
which I have fitted, for brakes in the right seat for -1 & -2.
6 Is this chap a yank? . Anything less than a 10 000 foot sealed runway
looks short to them. It is placarded for one notch of flaps for
take-off. Many people ignore that. In Africa I operated for years out of a field 5327 feet elevation. Many hot days with density altitude way up.
I had seen a very short strip in the middle of the veldt, so practised at home
field. I got someone to pace the other strip out for me.Available was less than 800 feet.
I flew up to this strip, (It turned out to be a resort with hot springs,
about 3500' altitude.) When I left it was HOT . 1 pax and 1/2 fuel. The dirt strip was very rough. I walked along kicking the tufts of grass out. It was up hill
but a slight wind favoured an uphill take-off. On climb out it was so
hot the oil temp went to red line. I had to lower the nose to get speed
up to cool it.
7 Never let anyone who has only worked on Lycomings and
Continentals touch a Franklin. They will wreck it!
8 Cabin size. Small inside, again , sounds like a Yank. Their dimensions nowadays don't compare with the norm. I'm 6 foot and no problems. Pprobably not too much knee room in the back. I've never sat there.
9 1 had 150 and early -2. Early 165 had the "light case". There is an
AD to look for cracks every 100 hours, there are still a few flying,
Later 165 had the "heavy case" look for the casting numbers if in doubt.
There are only twelve 108s in Australia. Also two pre-war (HW 75/model 10/
105) One is being rebuilt in Queensland. The other will rot away before the owner (who doesn't fly) will sell. Pity.
Bear in mind that for the 190 hp Lycoming it is more difficult to get parts than for the Franklin.
I know of only two Reliants in Australia.