Flying a Chief

[Richard Warner]

hey may have Continental confused with Lycoming. my advice to anyone considering a Lycoming powered Chief is to run away.

I agree. The Lycoming is 65 h.p. in name only......probably actually about 55 h.p. By the way, whoever told you that the Continental A65 is unreliable doesn't know what he's talking about. They will even run good when very sick. I have flown Cubs, Champs, Chiefs, T-Crafts off and on for 59 years. I never had one quit. I have had carb ice, but you just watch for it when the conditions are right for the formation. I think the 0-200 is the worse for carb ice. The Stromberg carb is really nothing but an old tractor carb. Their have been, to my knowledge, no AD's ever issued on it. When the delrin needle is installed, a weight has to be soldered on the float to make it seat because it is so light. The steel needle tended to leak. The rubber tipped one worked real well until they started putting junk in the gasoline. Some of the additives in auto fyel(not just alcohol) would make that rubber tip swell up like a pregnant cow and shut the gas off. The Chiefs and Champs are both good little planes.

[gyrojohn]

I had an 85 hp Chief and don't recall that I had problems with ice. The electric start is a big safety plus to my thinking.

[BES]

Based on 500 hours+ of flying my Champ, I would advise against believing horror stories from someone who probably never flew a Chief or a Champ. The A65 is a very reliable little engine, provided it is properly maintained. Any carburated engine may, under the right set of circumstances, ice up. However, it will tell you what's going on and it is your job to act on it.
The Chief wing flies very well and the plane is a joy to work on. You could do very much worse than to buy one. You might do better, as well: Buy a Champ. They are much more roomy and the view out is way better.

[thetractordoc]

I fly a Chief with an A75. Although I have never had a dead engine while flying, I suspect I will have to be near Vne to get it to windmill. The compression is pretty good.
I haven't had any carb ice issues by simply using the common carb heat practice as I would with any other plane. My experience has always been SEL and mostly smaller aircraft (Cherokee 140, Cessna 150, Skipper, ETC) so the carb heat application is near the same.
Jim said,"Another thing, you should be flying your patterns close enough (in any plane) that if you lose an engine you can still make the runway. In something as slow as a Chief or Champ you don't fly big jet plane type of patterns. If you have to fly a long extended downwind, then stay at near cruise power and pattern altitude and then reduce power when you get closer to the runway. These planes will slow down and come down out of the sky very easily in the pattern, it's what they do best", which is very good advice. When I wish to attempt to impress someone with a really smooth landing, I hold around 1500 RPMs until the tires begin to roll.
Remember, a little power during landing still keeps landing distance shorter than your take-off distance. You can always get the Chief into places you can't get out of with the A65.

Good Flying!

[Greg Wilson]

Nothing wrong with the A-65 or stromburg carb, remember the stromburg does not have an accelerator pump so move the thottle slowly or it will cough. When the temp. is lower or humidity high use carb. heat at speeds below cruise, about 2000 rpm. Cold weather use the aeronca restrictor plate to keep the engine temp. up. The proper aeronca method is a restrictor at the cowl outlet not the air inlets. This bathes the engie in warm high pressure air as the air can get in but not out, this will also help keep the cabin warmer as the firwall and engine compartment stays warm, and helps prevent carb ice for the same resons. Fly the pattern with the runway under the jury strut spreader and clear the engin every 30 sec. or so once throttled back. I fly a champ in northern MI all year round including skis durring winter. Greg Wilson

[Joe LaMantia]

I don't have any experience with the A-65, but I've flown about 165hrs in a C-150 with a Continental 0-200. As previously stated using carb heat as part of the pre-landing ck list is the preventive measure for the Continental equipped planes. I was taught to keep power at 1500RPM abeam the landing zone on downwind, works great in the C-150. I currently fly a 1958 TriPacer with a Lyc 160HP engine, still follow the same pattern procedure. Keeping some power on in the TriPacer is really helpful since the elevator is very weak (low air-flow) w/o power. I also agree that a tight pattern for these old and light aircraft is a good practice. If I remember correctly my first flight instructor said the air induction system on the continental engines was more prone to icing than the Lycoming engines, can't say I've experienced a loss of power due to carb ice in my 20 year of flying. I did have the engine quit on final in a C-150 right after we switched from 80 octane to 100LL...too much lead fouls the plugs. That problem was solved by adjusting the carb. FYI, my C-150 experience was in Wisconsin, same weather as Michigan except we get it 30 minutes sooner.


Joe

[Mark Peterson]

I've owned 3286E since 1989, flying it since 1995. Nothing too serious, a few things with fuel caps not venting, a carb that likes to flood. . . but absolutely nothing wrong with either the engine or the airframe. It's an easy plane to land and get confidence in, after the first 15 hours in it or so.

Aeroncas are easy to work on, easy to restore, still have parts being made for them.

Check out the NAA website, join the email list at aeronca@westmont.edu and you'll find more about them.

Go for it, you will not be disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maCVg...KNSv3c4gZZp2Qw

Here are some videos of it flying, one in HD even...with a $37 cam on the wingtip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7FQQ...=ULB7FQQtAIB4E