OK gang, what's a forums site without a good "Vs." thread? I met with Joe this morning to discuss our flying club plans. All was going well, we put some rough numbers together, talked about some basic ground rules, and even agreed that if it looked like we were overspending on a Champ we'd consider good 7ECA's.
Then I got to the airport to ask about hangars. More good news, both open t-hangars and enclosed newer hangars were available. So I asked if there were any good Champs on the field that were for sale and the airport owner said no Champs but there's a PA-12. O-235 with about 760 hrs since new, 3300 total time, fabric from the mid 90's and mostly hangared since, updated struts, Cleveland brakes, radio/transponder/intercom.
7ECA vs. PA-12 looks something like this
O-235 vs. O-235
39 to 51 yrs old vs 72 yrs old
seats 2 vs. seats 3 (not a big three but it could be you and two kids or two small adults)
both are day/night VFR
certified acro vs. not at all acro
both have starters w/electrical systems
wood spars vs. aluminum spars
7ECA is chromemoly tubes, PA-12 is mild steel (I think)
PA-12 tanks can be taken out without doing fabric work
26 gallons total vs. 38 in the "Cub"
It's not a Cub vs. it's kinda-sorta a "Cub"
My 7ECA seems more substantial than the PA-12 but maybe that would be better for a club plane to dissuade people from wanting to try acro without training or chutes?
What am I missing? I hadn't even thought of a Piper product for our first club plane but the PA-12 seems reasonably suited for the job and it's under 30 grand!
Your thoughts? Have I besmirched the reputation of our beloved website and the airplanes we love by even suggesting it?
This is a good thread for Mr. @Bob Turner
Then I got to the airport to ask about hangars. More good news, both open t-hangars and enclosed newer hangars were available. So I asked if there were any good Champs on the field that were for sale and the airport owner said no Champs but there's a PA-12. O-235 with about 760 hrs since new, 3300 total time, fabric from the mid 90's and mostly hangared since, updated struts, Cleveland brakes, radio/transponder/intercom.
7ECA vs. PA-12 looks something like this
O-235 vs. O-235
39 to 51 yrs old vs 72 yrs old
seats 2 vs. seats 3 (not a big three but it could be you and two kids or two small adults)
both are day/night VFR
certified acro vs. not at all acro
both have starters w/electrical systems
wood spars vs. aluminum spars
7ECA is chromemoly tubes, PA-12 is mild steel (I think)
PA-12 tanks can be taken out without doing fabric work
26 gallons total vs. 38 in the "Cub"
It's not a Cub vs. it's kinda-sorta a "Cub"
My 7ECA seems more substantial than the PA-12 but maybe that would be better for a club plane to dissuade people from wanting to try acro without training or chutes?
What am I missing? I hadn't even thought of a Piper product for our first club plane but the PA-12 seems reasonably suited for the job and it's under 30 grand!
Your thoughts? Have I besmirched the reputation of our beloved website and the airplanes we love by even suggesting it?
This is a good thread for Mr. @Bob Turner
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