CFI scared of 152s.

[jaxpilot]

I've got 3 students in our 1964 C-150D. It's starting to get fun now that I've got around 50 hours in it, real satisfying to do a good landing. It looks like crap inside and out, and sometimes during these hot, bumpy Florida days I could think of other airplanes I'd rather be in. And its real loud inside because the gap seals in the doors and windows are worn out and theres lots of engine and wind noise. But I can't deny that its a great trainer, never had any engine problems.

 

[Waldom]

No airplane is perfect, amigo. That includes a new 747-400 that just completed its acceptance flight at Renton or a 28 year-old 152. Part of being a professional pilot is taking the equipment provided and making it work while minimizing the risk involved.

And there most certainly is life-threatening risk involved anytime we operate ANY aircraft, be it an ultra-light or that Boeing I mentioned. If you can't come to terms with this fact in the Cessna, you will never be comfortable in an aircraft of any size.

This is not meant as a disparaging remark, but this profession is not for everyone. If you truly feel this way, I'm not sure you will be happy pursuing it.

 

[threegreen]

Well for starters the thing (152) only has one engine. A piston engine - there are actually EXPLOSIONS in the engine that are NEEDED to keep it running.

The wings are not solidly attached. They need 'struts' to hold them on. How ridiculous is that?

And don't even think of flying them in the clouds. Then again, maybe you should - at least then you can't see how far the fall will be.

Have fun.

 

[9GClub]

Aw don't bust the little guys

I love the '66 -150 that I fly, man! Kinda underpowered, but SWEET otherwise. It's one of the best trainers out there. You're certainly entitled to your likes and dislikes, but I'm a big fan of 'em. They're cheap too!

 

[Ill Mitch]

I don't know what kind of 152 you fly, hotshot. I sure as hell don't get those kind of numbers. And it sure hasn't been hot here, lately.

I do some side work teaching at a flight school. With two people, and a bunch-O-gas, we get what Kream quoted or better.

 

[jumppilot]

I'm a little anxious about flying 152s, and let's not b.s. each other, pretty much every 152 out there is a pile of sh*t. They're old, they're often not well maintained, and you're not going to make it out alive if you bounce too hard.

As a CFI, I've never been afraid of flying anything that's well maintained. I just have trouble getting into the 152s. I feel unsafe. There is nothing I can do about that. I know the risks of flying, and I know what me and the airplane are capable of. But when I close the cardboard door of that thing, I feel unprotected and exposed. The lawnmower engine doesn't help, either.

Anyways, any way to quell these fears or am I the only one on here that feels this way.

ummm, how about you stop being such a vag? The 152 is nothing more than a powered glider.

If you ever get hired by an airline, keep this fear to yourself.

 

[Huggyu2]

You could look into instructing in some of the new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) on the market. There are schools popping up using them. I don't know much about it being a CFI, but the LSA's I've flown are a blast. Plus, you can put a BRS parachute on some of them.

 

[Airway]

Wow you guys are really something else. For a group of RJ FOs that spend their days pissing on each other for doing the same crappy job and "bringing the industry down," I think it's funny you'd pass judgments on me. Last thing I need is a bunch of disgruntles telling me what profession I should pursue. I'm pretty sure that out of the past 6 years of flying, me being a little uneasy flying our piles of crap 152s our flight school owns isn't going to deter me. Do you guys even do a preflight? Or is that for sissies, too?

I don't know what I have to say to make this clearer. I've flown all types of old metal. I've flown planes that looked and, well, flew like garbage, but I was never worried because we didn't have squawks like "engine quits at idle" or had daily mishaps with equipment or planes that wouldn't start more than once a day, or loose rivets and missing bolts. This is my experience with Cessna 152s (not only at our FBO, but several places), and when the last time I flew I couldn't get full RPM on takeoff or the time I had to grab the flap handle so the plane wouldn't automatically retract the flaps to zero on a go around...that scared me. If it wouldn't scare you, you've got a lot more problems than me.

Make no mistake, I genuinely feel that Cessna made a great product, but I don't think they should all be flying because they are "bulletproof." The older the plane gets, the more work and maintenance you have to put into it, and a lot of places just don't spend the time or money because it's not worth putting a coupla grand into an airplane that's barely worth 10K as it is.

When I teach, I'm responsible for creating a safe environment for my student, and, yes, me. Or else, I'd be doing both of us a disservice.

I can get over any claustrophobia that I might have. Personally, I don't think that's quite the whole story. I just don't like 'em. I'll fly 'em if I deem 'em airworthy before every flight I take, but they certainly aren't my plane of choice.

You know, my brother's a surgeon. He doesn't like to see people in pain. He should find another profession.

Some of y'all need to grow up or need a reality check.

 

[lowtimedriver]

Funny thing, I would like to fly freight, granted the airplanes don't fly like ours. I'm starting to wonder if it's maybe just our FBO's 152s that never work. Starting problems, radios always fail, creaky everything. I don't know.

If your 152's look like the 152's at the flight school at KAJO, I feel for you. The 152 looks like a sardine can with wings. My CFI was just hired by Skywest and he was the best CFI at the flight school at CRQ. He hated 152's. He thought they were little piles of chit.

 

[bubbers44]

C150/152 is probably one of the most forgiving easy to fly airplanes you will ever fly. After hundreds of hours instructing in it I never had a problem. A little tight but very forgiving. I could let my students get totally in a mess landing and one rudder kick and a nudge on the wheel fixed it.