The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

A few may remember I’m looking for a traveling airplane, and like many I suppose I’m not as small as I used to be.
I was going to buy a Meyers 200D, but the deal got “weird” so it fell through.

So I thought why not a V35? Fast, well thought of, sort of the “Cadillac” of GA airplanes, right?
Well I rode in a neighbors in the left seat, and right away I was cramped, really felt like I was shoved against the window, a lot like in the 140 with the window closed, so Wx permitting I always fly with the window open, except in a Bo, you don’t have a window to open, so it’s cramped if your 5’10” and 245.

So I did some looking around, supposedly the cabin width on a C-140 is 42”.
Well guess what it is in a V35? would you believe 42”?
How about a C-182? Yep, 42”
You have to get up to a C-210, to get another 2”, it’s 44.

Now I got my Commercial and Instrument ratings in a Mooney 201 and have a soft spot for it, I mean what else can you cruise 160 kts on 10 GPH?
But as everyone will tell you they have a tiny cockpit, you don’t ride in a Mooney, you put one on, right? So I’d never fit now?

A M20J’s cockpit is 43.5” wide, how is that possible. it’s 1.5” wider than a Bo. I just did a pre-buy in one and a test flight. I can’t confirm it’s wider than the Bo, but I can confirm it’s at least as wide, the difference is you sit on the floor sort of like a Corvette and not up in a chair like an SUV. The Bo sits like an SUV, but seat height isn’t adjustable in a Bo, but is in a 210.

I won’t get into useful load as that’s an eye opener in itself.

But I went out and measured the cockpit in my 140, I don’t know where the 42” is coming from, maybe I have the narrow model, but I can confirm that crazy as it sounds, but if you open the window, you have more shoulder room than you do in a Bonanza, and likely more than a Mooney too, oh and my old M6/235 Maule? you guessed it,42” cabin width, but it’s windows opened too

Point is that surprisingly, the little C-140 isn’t as cramped as we think it is, not when compared to other GA aircraft, which is something I never suspected.

Very interesting observations. ...first time I rode in a BO it took a couple of minutes to figure out the "buzzing" noise...it was my headset vibrating on the cabin. In my own 140 and after a "few" years I'd noticed that the cabin width seems "tighter", but I haven't measured the difference in pilot width -- as you indicate, that seems to change a bit with time, at least for me. I also used to get a bit miffed with seeing folks shoes hitting the front door posts when entering/exiting &, now, with knees that don't seem as flexible as they once did I'm finding that my own shoes hit the posts! ...best I recall, the Navion seems to have more room "all around"...maybe similar to the Meyers? As this staying at home plague tends to keep a lot of us in and often snacking too much, I expect cabins to get even "smaller". . Good and interesting info., Jody. It'll be fun to see where your quest for a traveling plane takes you -- thanks for sharing!
Mac

Apparently a Comanche is 45"

114 Commander is I believe 47” wide, and you can tell it too, but it’s not very fast for a retract.

2066 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 20, 2021 1:33 pm Good and interesting info., Jody. It'll be fun to see where your quest for a traveling plane takes you -- thanks for sharing!
Mac

I’m pretty sure it will be a 201. On paper the Bo will carry 1270 useful, the Mooney 1100. But the Bo can very easily be loaded out of aft CG, and it’s fuel is in the leading edge, so as it burns off, the CG goes aft, further complicating CG management. Real difficult to load a Mooney out of CG and fuel burn doesn’t change CG much.

To cruise about 155 kts the Bo will burn about 13 GPH, the Mooney at the same speed about 10 GPH, so to go on a trip you need to carry 1/3 more fuel in the Bo, and that eats into useful load of course, so depending on where you put the weight the Bo’s actual useful load is less than 100 lbs more than the Mooney.
Bo’s back seats are large and comfortable, the Mooney seats are for kids, not adults, but I don’t need a back seat, there are just two of us

Bo holds 12 quarts of oil. Mooney 8, and I believe Mooney will be cheaper to maintain.
Bo Continental IO-520 or 550, Mooney Lycoming IO-360, Conti’s top end almost never makes TBO, Lycomings almost always are good well past TBO

Fuel mileage wise, a C-140 if you use 100 MPH and 5 GPH will return 20 MPG.
a Mooney at 155 kts is making almost 180 Statue MPH, so with a fuel burn of 10 GPH, it’s getting almost 18 MPG, which ain’t bad.

My Maule would cruise with its IO-540 about 130 kts and burn about 13 GPH, so 10 NM per gl.
The C-210 would cruise at 155 KTS, burning 15.5 GPH so still 10 MPG, but the 210 could carry lots more and of course was 25 kts faster than the Maule, but trip wise, fuel burn was identical, you just got there with more and faster in the 210.

Hmmm....Never heard the 42' width figure on our birds. The book says the Cessna 150 is 38", and in 1967 they bowed out the doors to get that. So I'd bet ours are in the general neighborhood of 37", without upholstery. gonna have to get out the measuring tape. Not many side by side birds around tighter.

I think my 120 is 40”.
‘62 and later 182 are 44” the early ones are 42.
I find the later 182’s very comfortable even with two big people up front.

I don’t believe the 42” for a 140 either, I don’t even think mine is. 42” measured outside to outside, but you see that number a lot in spec sheets
Google C-140 cabin width, I tried to attach a photo, but for some reason it won’t reduce in size so I can’t attach

Measured today. 37 inches, at the shoulder, windows closed.

Went for an evening flight in my 140....still makes me smile with window open on a cool Texas evening....

If I’m going to fly on a trip fast and efficient, it’s my Cessna 195....no touching shoulders in that! 14 gph at 160mph true

Jon