The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

Good Morning,

I am a new member and have been considering buying a 120/140 to get my TW endorsement and keep current while I build a kitplane. I am selling a Cessna 182 for a variety of reasons also. I thought I could go without an airplane for the time it takes to build my kitplane but I fear missing out on adventures and getting rusty. The 120/140 fits my desired mission perfectly. But I'm preaching to the choir.

I have ordered the reference manual from this site. What "gotcha's" should I look for and issues I should stay away from? I will tell you I am not a small person, so I would like to get a 140 with an O-200, not sure about the O-235's. I am familiar with Cessna aircraft since I do have a 182, but never experienced fabric covering.

Average asking price seems to be $20-$25k and that is about what I have to spend. I would like to sell the 182 before acquiring the 120/140.

Thanks,
Branden

Brandon:

Welcome!

Get in touch with Randy Thompson (6298). He's in the Reading area. He can point you in the right direction, help you evaluate potential choices, and answer any questions you may have.

I'm 6 ft 200lb. Fit is ok. C85 give good performance. The upgrade engines do give better take off. Have flown the 0290 and that was fun. Flying alone is great, with 140 lbs is good. My check pilot at 325 lbs is a trial. DA in the back country of Oregon and idaho will take some real thought. I love flying the 140. Building a RV4. The 140 should keep me in the skill set needed to change over.
Most have been ground loop and wings ends repaired (why I got this one). Parts are available. Interesting to work on. Teaches what a rudder is for. Look for bent gearbox, corrosion in battery areas, 60 years of auto wire, and lots of holes that have nothing attached. Remember this is a 70 year old aircraft.
IMHO. extenders or not, metal or fabric wings, hard or soft tail wheel make no difference in the flying/landing/taxiing. Learn how to use a rudder and wheel land. I do like the 5 gal/hr and 1 qt oil every 5 hours. Dislike 500ft/min climbs at the best time,not having a cup holder and minimum room.
BJM

Thanks all.. I’m 6’ and 230 but could loose a few lbs. Once I sell the 182 I will start the search. I’ll definately get Randy’s help when it’s time.

Branden

I just got mine in November, have only put 16 hours on it, Wx has not been cooperative. I love it! Learning TW was awesome, make sure you find an instructor thats actually a TW pilot, not just technically able to give TW instruction. Remember those lycomings are heavier so Technical useful load suffers, all depends on your mission. Mine has c85 with 0-200 crank, and corresponding parts, i beleive cyclinders, pistons and rods. Which what Im told puts it just shy of an actual 0-200 hp wise, but tons out there w plain c85s no problem as long as you respect the fact you arent in a Super Cub. Mine does just fine for a 5 gal/hr 2 person plane, but yes i can tell one must be careful of DA as 2 ppl full fuel on 30 degree day 500 fpm is about all I get... A real cold day a week ago solo I climbed out at 1100 fpm at 85-90 mph, i know i wont see that often. They are a joy to fly and both my instructors, who have tons of TW time were impressed with her. You will love TW once used to it.

You are already an owner so this may not need to be said but at the price of our planes, and you building another dont get a project plane, shop engine, engine, engine, with a decent plane around it. Cost of an OH will cost what an in annual flying plane will... if its your beloved forever plane thats one thing, if its not then its another.

You will see it said a 140s flaps are bearly effective so no need to parse between a 120 or 140... Im still getting used to that and have to polish my slipping skills as i like to be a scoch high till i know i have the field made. Flying a 172 before never an issue with the big ol flaps, as it seemed you could almost nose dive em in and not pick up much extra speed... Do that in the 140, even just a bit high with full flaps and you will easily blow past the white arc, quickly! Dont ask me how I know

The folks on here are great and have helped me a ton

Best of luck! You are making a good choice in make and model...

Ray

Hi Branden,

120/140’s are great planes. I’ve owned mine for 9 years and have flown coast to coast in it...twice. I’ve put just shy of 1,000 hours on 35N and my little guy has never let me down. We had some stuck vale issues about a year after I got the plane, but I toook the oppportunity to do a complete engine overhaul including new ECI cylinders, new cam, and a new O-200 crank as part of the O-200 STC for C-85’s. With that mod, the C85 performs similarly to a C90.

One of the sweet things about these airplanes is the useful load. I can carry 400 lbs of people and 100 lbs of fuel for over 3 hours range. Loaded up, the 140 with a good engine will climb as well as most 172’s loaded up. Granted, there are two less soles onboard a 140, but the point is the performance is still reasonable. The cockpits are a bit tight, but better than a lot of other light singles. No, it is not a 182 .

Fabric is a great thing to have. Modern poly’s and paint systems have really improved the durability of fabric over the old Irish linin and dope days. It’s lighter than metal wings and as long as it is kept indoors, will hold up indefinitely.

If your looking for a solid tailwheel trainer, the 120/140 is it. It will require you to learn good tailwheel technique and you will be a better pilot for it. Spring steel gear, low wing loading, small flaps (if any) and a slick fuselage will force you to stay on the numbers.

If you start looking, aside from all the usual stuff I would encourage you to watch for things like popped rivets (often underlying corrosion), splayed gear or gear box issues from hard landings and less than “ideal” engine overhauls. On the subject of engines, make sure the “hangons” (carb, generator, starter, and of course the mags) have been properly maintained. Just because an engine is overhauled does not mean this stuff gets done. That was a painful lesson for me.

Condition of the engine baffles and seals are very important. Oil, after a few hours should be brown, not black. I change my oil every 25 hours (even with the filter). The oil when I pour it out is light brown. My plane burns one quart every 22 hours. Exhaust stacks should have a medium gray powder like coating at the tips. Not black and oily. The exhaust system should have been overhauled sometime since the plane came out of the factory too . Control pulleys as well.

There’s tons of stuff to look for....those are just a few of my hot buttons. If you can find an actual small plane mechanic that knows our planes (like Randy as someone else mentions). to perform your pre-purchase inspection, all the better.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck to you!

Mike