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Propeller shock protocol

Hi Everyone,

I have a great opportunitie in France to buy a crashed Cessna c150 and I search the propeller shock protocol examination for this aircraft, I have to check the engine and the rest.

The entire propeller is dead, the engine frame too, the engine i don’t know but don’t have compression, i didn’t see any over damage for the rest of this aircraft but my visit was fast.

The rest of this aircraft seem in good condition, soon i will check the entire aircraft more profundly and for this i want to know your experience and recommendations.

If the project is good, i want to convert the 150 in taildragger perhaps with a 150hp engine. (now it’s a continental O-200 100hp)

Thanks all of you

I am available to answer you.

Friendly


Last Edited by bsamba at 25 Oct 16:01
Benzouille
LFTF, LFOW, LFAG, LFAT, LFKA, EGJB, France

I bought a 172 with an O-300 a few years back to convert it to a taildragger. I knew when I bought it that it had had a prop strike, and the prop had been zero’d. It was clearly documented in the engine logs that the owner had declined an engine teardown inspection. I did start and run it, but it did not run well enough to fly home, so I took the plane apart, and trailered it home. Once home, I tore down the engine, which looked okay. I sent the crankshaft to my friendly MPI shop for a proper inspection. The crankshaft was cracked half way ’round, and was obviously scrap. The previous owner had taken a horrible risk.

So, make your purchase offer factoring in buying a replacement crankshaft. The conversion to a 150HP taildragger is a nice change, but very expensive, make sure you think it’s worth it. If you want to use the plane on skis, certainly the conversion is worthwhile. But if you’re paying shop rates for the work, plan out all your costs before committing, as you will have lots more into the plane that it could be sold for. That’s fine, if you plan to keep and fly it lots, but resale will not be profitable.

Otherwise, 150’s are very inspectable, so what you see is what you get. If you want to be very familiar with the condition of the plane, review the SID’s for the 150 before you go to look at it, so you know what you should be looking for. The engine can certainly be overhauled (perhaps with a new crank, that prop might be repairable, ask a prop shop before you write it off. Exhaust and engine mount can be bought new, Acorn Welding in Edmonton, Canada is one source.

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

I did once purchase a PA46 with similar damage. All I can say is beware! Additional costs will pile up fast. On a high value plane like a PA46 additional hangar rent, travel costs, transportation and eventually time and grey hair can be ok if the final product is then worth a lot of money. But many costs will be the same for a low value airframe making the project not economical at all.
The only real way you can get a good deal is if you can somehow shortcut things overlooked first. Like there are used parts available nobody did consider or some big parts can actually be repaired properly while the insurance assumed they had to be replaced like a full wing etc.
Look for the firewall. Such damage can distort it and then you will have to replace that also.

www.ing-golze.de
EDAZ

Omni-Vision 150s look a bit goofy as a tail dragger and reputedly lack enough rudder authority for the job, or at least some people say so. I’ve never flown one that’s been converted, but have not heard good things. Also this one has late type main gear and I’m not sure how that works. Check it out. I think if I were looking for a tail wheel 150, I’d find a fastback early plane and start with that. It’s going to be relatively expensive no matter how you do it and the mini C180 look is appreciated by the market.

The chance of the O-200 crankshaft being damaged by a prop strike is relatively small IMHO so my approach to a plane like this would be a disassembly and IRAN of the engine and get it flying again in standard form. The extent of that work depends on the SMOH of the engine. As noted above, check the firewall very carefully.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 25 Oct 23:19

I have never flown the C150 taildragger but recently did my UK SEP revalidation on a C152 taildragger…….. I found it very pleasant to fly.

I think the idea of rebuilding this C150 as a taildragger an interesting project as long as the aircraft comes with the right price tag.

Lycoming has the SB 533 for shock load inspections, but I can’t find the Conti equivalent either.

How would you legally make it a taildragger ? Is the plane N-reg ?

LFOU, France

I would discount the price by an engine overhaul assuming the crankshaft is buggered or walk away.

A shock load inspection is all that’s legally needed and you can probably get that done for not much more than 5-8k but any rectification will be extra, and a reputable shop won’t reassemble the engine if they find anything which renders it unairworthy e.g. corrosion, any parts outside service limits, etc. And if the plane has been sitting around then corrosion is highly likely. Hence I say “overhaul” above.

The other problem is that if the crankshaft needs replacing, a ~20k overhaul becomes a ~30k overhaul and as many IO540 owners found out when their shop “forgot” to tell them about SB569 the cheapest way out of the debacle was a “45k Lycoming remanufactured engine”.

Engine frames and cowlings are also not cheap (thousands).

So buying a relatively low value plane with this possible liability is a risky thing. A 45k liability on a 200k plane is a different thing. However, the probability of a cracked or bent crankshaft is less than ~1% so …

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Parts and labour for a low value airplane are the same price. Rivets, sheet metal, an hour of labour it doesn’t matter if it’s for a P210 or an early 150. Unless it’s something you really want to own, fly and keep, you won’t get any real value out of a project unless it’s something that is worth north of 120k when it’s finished. Generally things like this are done by shop owners to gather up a little lump sum as a working man’s pension pot.

There used to be lots of cheap 150’s, we sold maybe ten of them, for the 10k mark but that supply seems to have dried up.

Last Edited by WilliamF at 26 Oct 12:24
Buying, Selling, Flying
EISG, Ireland

As you’re replacing the engine with a 150hp, you’ll be selling the O200. You could find someone interested in it to put up his value of the engine, and you put up your value of the rest of the plane. And walk away if combined offer not accepted.

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

Hello Everyone and thanks for your respond

Pilot_DAR wrote:

review the SID’s for the 150 before you go to look at it

Yess definitly i have to see al of SID, I can find all of them in the FAA site ? (sorry it’s different to france i’m not yet familiar with american registration :) )

Sebastian_G wrote:

Like there are used parts available nobody did consider or some big parts can actually be repaired properly

Yes i want to do all by myself, i’m helicopter mecanic and i will use an association to help me with the restauration it’s called RSA (constructeur amateur).Silvaire wrote:

I’d find a fastback early plane and start with that.

Sorry it’s a 1976 commuter II with glasswindow =X. I’m sure that a 150 taildragger with a 150hp engine is a great airplane :)

Jujupilote wrote:

Lycoming has the SB 533 for shock load inspections, but I can’t find the Conti equivalent either.

How would you legally make it a taildragger ? Is the plane N-reg ?

It’s bad i can’t find it too :(
Peter wrote:

So buying a relatively low value plane with this possible liability is a risky thing. A 45k liability on a 200k plane is a different thing. However, the probability of a cracked or bent crankshaft is less than ~1% so …

Yes It’s why i want to modify it, to use it in montain, short runway, at low price to fly and i want to do this myself WilliamF wrote:

There used to be lots of cheap 150’s, we sold maybe ten of them, for the 10k mark but that supply seems to have dried up.

In france I see most 150/152 more expensive than a 172 and, i can buy it now and do the inspection myself and modify progressivelyMaoraigh wrote:

As you’re replacing the engine with a 150hp, you’ll be selling the O200. You could find someone interested in it to put up his value of the engine, and you put up your value of the rest of the plane. And walk away if combined offer not accepted.

Yes and for it i have to see if the engine is fine !! But i just know that the owner dosn’t have the engine book …

Benzouille
LFTF, LFOW, LFAG, LFAT, LFKA, EGJB, France
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