David Megginson wrote:
: engines, two fuel tanks, etc. etc. Maintenance should be about the
: same, and while fuel will be a little more if you fly the four-seater
: at its best speed, you can always fly a 172 or Cherokee at 150 speeds
: and save gas -- my Warrior II burns only 6.6 gph at 55% power (90
: kias).

Absolutely. I get a kick out of people convincing themselves that
they don't want to get a higher HP version of a plane because they don't
like the extra fuel burn. I used to be one, when I was looking for a
Cherokee 140. After finding/buying/flying my Cherokee 180, however, I'm a
big believer that you can't have too much power in a plane. Since I'm
frugal by nature, I cruise the Cherokee 180 at 65%, 8.5 gal/hour... just
like a 150hp 140 at 75%. Kinder to the engine, can lean a bit more, but
you can get to altitude more comfortably and you got more when you need
it. Remember, airframe gets you speed, power gets you load/climb.

Best example is a guy I know who doesn't want a 150 hp version of
a Cessna 150 aerobat because of the fuel burn. Silly... plane silly...

-Cory


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* The prime directive of Linux: *
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