Today I took a Cessna 150 out for a solo spin! Now, I’ve got some experience under my belt with a Cessna 172, around 15 hours or so, and I’ve dipped my toes into the world of the 150 for about 2 hours. One of those hours was basically just to show that I’ve got the hang of things and can handle the Cessna 150. Having passed the handling assessment, the kind folks at The Light Aircraft Company (TLAC) over at Little Snoring airfield are allowing me to rent their 150.
You might be wondering why I’m renting the 150. Well, our trusty Europa is temporarily out of commission, waiting for some TLC. And while I love flying around and teaching in the C42, every now and then, it’s nice to fly something different.
TLAC’s 150 is affordable and conveniently located for me. So, it’s a win-win.
Now, let’s talk about the flying experience. Flying the 150 is a different ball game compared to the C42 or our speedy Europa. The 150 takes its time getting off the ground and climbing, kind of like driving a minibus, whereas the C42 feels more like a sports car. And then there’s our Europa XS Tri-gear, which falls somewhere in between during the climb. The Europa might take a bit more time to climb than the C42, but once it’s cruising, it leaves both the C42 and the 150 for dust cruising at 120-130kt.
But honestly, flying is flying, no matter how you slice it. Whether it’s a Microlight, a GA plane, or something else.
Occasionally we do get some Cessna pilots dropping in for training on a C42, and they sometimes find it a bit tricky to master the landing in the lighter C42. Well, I guess I now understand why, Landing the Cessna 150 almost feels like it’s doing the job itself!
So, my adventure today lasted about an hour. I headed out to explore the breathtaking coastline of North Norfolk before returning to Little Snoring.
After a smooth landing and a bit of taxiing, I ended up having a chat with David, who works at TLAC. He was busy with an Ikarus C42, setting up a transponder and testing it with a laptop. And here’s a cool twist—I found out they were using software that I’d actually created and shared on this very website! It’s pretty humbling, I won’t lie, as are those emails that pop up every now and then, saying thanks for the software. They really make the time and effort that I put into writing and testing the transponder report program worthwhile.
