Cessna 150 Model D

[Sturmvogel]

An elderly friend who lives near me in Herts. has a complete, original, but dismantled Cessna 150 D type-it has an upright tailfin.( I gather that the fin was slanted for the post 1959 models.)
He used to fly this Cessna a lot but dismantled it about 15 years ago. (Due to an argument with his maintenance engineer I think) It has been stored outside, but under cover. All bolts, fastenings, etc. are complete, the prop has been stored indoors, the engine inhibited with Redex( Don't know how effective this would be?) and it has all logbooks. Airframe/engine quite low hours i think.

I am persuading him to try and sell it as it's a pity to see a classic Cessna not being used, but have no idea what sort of money early, upright fin 150's fetch. Has anybody any idea? I assume that even if the airframe is corrosion free and just needs inspection and minor work, that the engine will require overhaul/replacement. If the aircraft is not worth a lot he will keep it for old times sake, but it would be nice if it could be sold and put back in the air. Any suggestions please?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Just a rough but educated guess.

Assuming it's well lubricated, and the engine inhibited. I'd start at about £15k, subtract a LAME's best estimate for the cost of recommissioning the engine, re-assembling and doing a star-annual, incorporating all SBs and ADs for the last fifteen years and the CAA's fees for a new CofA.

Offhand, I'd guess that'll probably come out somewhere in the region £6-£9k.

G

[Sunfish]

Try looking at or talking to the C150/152 Club on the web.

[unmanned transport]

Check with these folk, but you'll have to convert.

YAHOO

cessna_150_152_group

Discussion of anything related to the Cessna 150 and 152 aircraft, the greatest little planes in the world.
Open to anyone, at no cost. Welcome!


Have questions, just ask

[LowNSlow]

Check if it was corrosion proofed from new or at least before it was dismantled. If it hasn't been done then the chances are high that there will be a LOT of metal to replace. The lower fuselage and the lowest point of the wings (leading edges if they have been stood on them) are the most likely where 15 years worth of condensation has been gently turning the aluminium to expensive dust.

If the engine hasn't been properly inhibited then the chances are again high that corrosion will have set in The crankshaft and camshaft may be suffering expensive terminal corrosion which may also affect the internal surfaces of the crankcase.

I sympathise with your desire to see a straight tail C150 take to the air again (there used to be a lovely one in Haverfordwest) but I'd start negotiating at around £2-£3,000 and be prepared to end up selling the remaining good bits on eBay.

Spending some time and cash on an experienced engineer with a borescope, mirrors and torches should allow you to identify the majority of the corrosion and seized bearings etc which will help you assess the potential damage and repair cost.

Where were you thinking of doing the rebuild? I know of a decent hangar relatively near you where rebuilding work has been done before and there is a friendly engineer available.

[Sturmvogel]

Thanks , especially LownSlow for the advice. I will get an engineer I know locally to look at the Cessna, assuming he can get at all the bits-it's at the back of a garden under a lean-to! No I won't get involved with the rebuild probably, although it is tempting as a project. Is the local hangar at Fowlmere you mentioned? I suppose a rebuilt Continental engine to suit the 150 would set one back about £7-10K?
I have already mailed the US Cessna 150 Club but no answer yet.

[LowNSlow]

Sturmvogel it was the hangar at Rush Green I was thinking of. At the back there is an elevated section above the offices and stores which is big enough to rebuild a fuselage and wings. There is a chain hoist to lift things up and down. A Miles messenger wing (one piece 35' span was built up there a while ago. It is usually possible to create enough space to assemble an aircraft the size of a C150 at the back of the hangar with a bit of jiggery pockery with the resident aircraft.

Regarding the engine you might be better off buying a part lifed engine from the classified in the PFA magazine, Pilot. Alternatively check the aircraft breakers who specialise in buying aircraft wrecks / corroded hulks and breaking them for spares. You could probably get a 1,200 - 1,500 hour engine for around £4,000.

[Sturmvogel]

Lown Slow: Ah yes Rush Green know it well. It was Terry Pankhurst who built that Messenger; took him about three years or more virtually from scratch, he is a genius with wood. I hope hes around to help construct a flyable Mosquito before its too late. A Mossie looks simpler in many ways than the Messenger, which looked an absolute nightmare of complexity. Have just spoken to the son of the 150 owner who tells me that the wings are stored upright off the ground on jigs. The engine was overhauled not too long before the plane was dismantled-but as you say if the inhibiting was insufficient anything could have happened inside it.

[LowNSlow]

Slipping slightly(!) off topic, these particular Messenger wings were made even more complex than standard by the fact that they were Gemini wings with the engine and undercarriage bays converted to Messenger standard. The net result was a heavier than standard wing which has reduced the useful load of the beautiful restoration significantly. I shudder to think what the owner paid in total for what is effectively a two seat Messenger. Beautiful, but still horribly expensive!

Unfortunately I haven't seen Terry the maestro of the plane and chisel since the wing went to Skysports for assembling to the fuselage

If the wings have been stored vertically the condensation will have gathered on the ribs and may have rotted them out instead! I used to be optimistic but old aeroplanes knocked that out of me years ago! Still sounds tempting though at the right price.