Aircraft you love and hate to fly ...
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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Aircraft you love and hate to fly ...
What aircraft have you flown regularly that puts a smile on your face and others you would be happy never to sit in again ?
LOVE
C310R - nice all round aircraft , solid , looks great with that long nose
Pilatus Porter - turbine, great build quality and could dive like a Stuka
C210 - single engine 310
Pitts S2A - open cockpit and pilot skill builder
HATE
C152 - underpowered, with 2 fat asses on a 45 deg C day it would be lucky to get airborne
Robin R-2160 - a flying Renault with the same build quality , some loved it I hated it , the only nice thing about it was being able to taxi with the canopy open on a hot day. What's with that tail ? Lots of tacked on surface area to fix up a crap design.
LOVE
C310R - nice all round aircraft , solid , looks great with that long nose
Pilatus Porter - turbine, great build quality and could dive like a Stuka
C210 - single engine 310
Pitts S2A - open cockpit and pilot skill builder
HATE
C152 - underpowered, with 2 fat asses on a 45 deg C day it would be lucky to get airborne
Robin R-2160 - a flying Renault with the same build quality , some loved it I hated it , the only nice thing about it was being able to taxi with the canopy open on a hot day. What's with that tail ? Lots of tacked on surface area to fix up a crap design.
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Love = Beechcraft Baron 58... What can i say that anyone who has flown a Baron doesnt already know... Superb flying machine! 
Hate, Hate, HATE = Cessna 172... Omfg how i never ever want to fly one of these aircraft ever again!!!
Hate, Hate, HATE = Cessna 172... Omfg how i never ever want to fly one of these aircraft ever again!!!
Join Date: Sep 2007
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LOVE:
C210 - I fly it for work, but it's a great machine. Lots of power and nice and stable.
Citabria - 0-1000' in 3.3 seconds. Plenty of power, aerobatic and a joy to fly with lots of windows to look out of at funny angles. Simple, too.
HATE
C172 - Underpowered, mushy controls, almost all examples old and tired. Too many hours spent doing CPL navs in 'em.
C152 - Anaemic performance, hot and high = burning and death. Cramped as hell when your instructor was 6'2" and 120kg.
C210 - I fly it for work, but it's a great machine. Lots of power and nice and stable.
Citabria - 0-1000' in 3.3 seconds. Plenty of power, aerobatic and a joy to fly with lots of windows to look out of at funny angles. Simple, too.
HATE
C172 - Underpowered, mushy controls, almost all examples old and tired. Too many hours spent doing CPL navs in 'em.
C152 - Anaemic performance, hot and high = burning and death. Cramped as hell when your instructor was 6'2" and 120kg.
Love: DHC6: Does exactly what it was designed to do brilliantly. BE20 and BE90, Super as it does everything well and comfortably, 90 for the aileron responsivesness and challenge in the flare. B206 as doors off is just great!!!
Average: B737 due to the amount of aileron work required in a strong crosswind, to achieve an average of wings level, and a completely useless speedbrake! B777: Does everything well, especially with GE power, but still just a truck.DHC8: Always a challenge for a smooth landing with those oleos.
Hate: Nothing really, although the C150 series doesn't do well in power or comfort 2 up, it was fine single pilot. Same with the Traumahawk!
Average: B737 due to the amount of aileron work required in a strong crosswind, to achieve an average of wings level, and a completely useless speedbrake! B777: Does everything well, especially with GE power, but still just a truck.DHC8: Always a challenge for a smooth landing with those oleos.
Hate: Nothing really, although the C150 series doesn't do well in power or comfort 2 up, it was fine single pilot. Same with the Traumahawk!
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Love:
BAe 146 - the last pilot's airliner before automation killed all the fun;
FK27: well harmonised and a challenge when stuff went wrong - you have to love the pneumatics;
BAe J32: when empty, like a little sports car (particularly with water meth);
Siai Marchetti SF260: You'd swear you were in a jet fighter (and could be if you had the TP);
Tolerate:
Various Boeings and Airbii: efficient, but soul-less
Shorts 360: Only the Irish could design the systems on that one - the fuel tanks live directly above the cabin;
Grumman AA5B: much better design than equivalent spam-cans;
Piper Arrow and Seneca III: just feel solid, if unexciting
No thanks:
Any C152/172/182: utlilarian to say the least
BAe 146 - the last pilot's airliner before automation killed all the fun;
FK27: well harmonised and a challenge when stuff went wrong - you have to love the pneumatics;
BAe J32: when empty, like a little sports car (particularly with water meth);
Siai Marchetti SF260: You'd swear you were in a jet fighter (and could be if you had the TP);
Tolerate:
Various Boeings and Airbii: efficient, but soul-less
Shorts 360: Only the Irish could design the systems on that one - the fuel tanks live directly above the cabin;
Grumman AA5B: much better design than equivalent spam-cans;
Piper Arrow and Seneca III: just feel solid, if unexciting
No thanks:
Any C152/172/182: utlilarian to say the least
Gotta agree with you on the Shorts 360 remoak! Previous job was flying the delightful (if ergonomically challenged) D/E 55 Baron. What a sweet fun ride they were.
Jumped into the Shorts and was completely horrified. About the only aircraft I had flown previously with that much adverse yaw was probably my mate's Citabria, or perhaps the old beat up glider I flew once as a teenager!
Also, no seat rake adjustment may be fine for your average 6 footer, but for those of us with slightly shorter arms, just reaching the power levers from the right hand side was entertaining. But the thing did have headroom. 7'3" in the main cabin if memory serves!
Jumped into the Shorts and was completely horrified. About the only aircraft I had flown previously with that much adverse yaw was probably my mate's Citabria, or perhaps the old beat up glider I flew once as a teenager!
Also, no seat rake adjustment may be fine for your average 6 footer, but for those of us with slightly shorter arms, just reaching the power levers from the right hand side was entertaining. But the thing did have headroom. 7'3" in the main cabin if memory serves!
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Love the Yak 52, Tiger Moth and Pitts Specials S2A/B S1S
HATE the P68 and Cherokee 140.
Here is a wee addition to the thread, what about machines you are (looking forward to flying) planning on or close to having a crack in?
For me it is definately the DH Rapide and Pitts Model 12.
HATE the P68 and Cherokee 140.
Here is a wee addition to the thread, what about machines you are (looking forward to flying) planning on or close to having a crack in?
For me it is definately the DH Rapide and Pitts Model 12.
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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Ten posts and no-one has yet bagged the GAF Nomad?
As for me...
Love; Chieftains. Pawnees with a 250hp engine
Hate; Seneca 1.
Cherokee 140.Somewhat indifferent re 'Bongo vans' despite having the characteristic hearing loss caused by all the time I logged in those things.
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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Love: C208B, C310, C402c, C404, C421, C185, C188, C210, DHC6, PC6, PC12, PA18. R22, B47G, EC130.
Hate: C152\150, R2160, P68, PA30\34, PA28-140/160/180.
I'm sure there are others in both lists. I will add them as I remember them.
Hate: C152\150, R2160, P68, PA30\34, PA28-140/160/180.
I'm sure there are others in both lists. I will add them as I remember them.
Last edited by the wizard of auz; 3rd Oct 2009 at 14:36.
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Love ANYTHING with wings....even the boxes they came in!! All aircraft are like women. Must be handled gently, looked after and well maintained!
Last edited by PA39; 3rd Oct 2009 at 08:55. Reason: correction
Love: Nomad, ATR. The Nomad was just delightful and in a crosswind isn't too dissimilar to the ATR, both love to heel over in a crosswind!
Hate: GA8 Airvan, those things aren't designed to fly straight, run out of rudder in any crosswind over 15 knots, are extremely uncomfortable and are a prick of a thing in turbulence!
Hate: GA8 Airvan, those things aren't designed to fly straight, run out of rudder in any crosswind over 15 knots, are extremely uncomfortable and are a prick of a thing in turbulence!
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Loved every experience:-
Baron
Good solid and reliable Beach.
BE200
Big baron but burns kero absolutely loved its flexibility.
PA31
350 was nice but you needed a good ginger beer, the under carriage rigging could generate some concerning moments.
FK27
Loved the fact that it was all pilot driven. It was really air driven, manual fuel trimmers, and you gotta love the prop system. High aspect wing and cable controls taught you a lot about anticipating the delay to an input.
FK50
Nice, A bit of glass and a modified wing.
B767
Out of anything I have flown this rates highest. Awesome power, roll rates approaching fighter rates and when you got the wheels on the ground could stop in about 600m. 330kts to 10nm? No worries and still would be stable at 1000’ Up and down the East coast or 12 hours to SHA. Loved flying it into / out of Hamilton Is. (1700m Water at each end!)
Auster / Tiger moth
Nothing like still flying at 30kts and trying to land !
PA38 / C150/2
Preferred the Axe. When it stalled it stalled! Not just mushed, taught me and the student a bit of respect for aerodynamics !
Baron
Good solid and reliable Beach.
BE200
Big baron but burns kero absolutely loved its flexibility.
PA31
350 was nice but you needed a good ginger beer, the under carriage rigging could generate some concerning moments.
FK27
Loved the fact that it was all pilot driven. It was really air driven, manual fuel trimmers, and you gotta love the prop system. High aspect wing and cable controls taught you a lot about anticipating the delay to an input.
FK50
Nice, A bit of glass and a modified wing.
B767
Out of anything I have flown this rates highest. Awesome power, roll rates approaching fighter rates and when you got the wheels on the ground could stop in about 600m. 330kts to 10nm? No worries and still would be stable at 1000’ Up and down the East coast or 12 hours to SHA. Loved flying it into / out of Hamilton Is. (1700m Water at each end!)
Auster / Tiger moth
Nothing like still flying at 30kts and trying to land !
PA38 / C150/2
Preferred the Axe. When it stalled it stalled! Not just mushed, taught me and the student a bit of respect for aerodynamics !