BeechTalk - BT - Help Me Think Through This Supercub Thing

Username Protected · **Posted:** 27 Mar 2018, 20:54

Very cool. I hear you about the merits of use versus disuse versus abuse. Somewhere in there is a sweet spot.

Hope this works out for you. You’re pretty committed to this project and its been fun following it.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 28 Mar 2018, 08:08

Username Protected wrote:

on a simple airplane, it's a 1-day affair. Take your checkbook and a few tools with you, inspect, haggle, write check, fly home.

I've been trying to tell him that. I think he finally figured it out.

Congratulations Stuart, it is a worth adventure. :cheers:

John Grady

Username Protected · **Posted:** 28 Mar 2018, 08:10

Username Protected wrote:

Nice! What can you tell us about it? Breed? Age? Unusual appendages?

PA-18 built at a time of tail-finned cars. Very few price-hiking STCs. The most important thing that sets it apart is usage. Many Super Cubs these days are flying 10 hours a year or less; one with 10 years on an overhaul might have fewer than 100 hours on it. I saw one advertised as "low time!" When I finally dug deep enough, I found that the <400 SMOH engine was overhauled in 1969! My Bonanza taught me the about the connection between low time and high corrosion. But this SC was overhauled about 15 years ago and has 1000 SMOH. Not bad, IHMO.

I'll stop now, before I get accused of teasing. :thumbdown:

Username Protected · **Posted:** 28 Mar 2018, 08:11

Double Post Ooops

Username Protected · **Posted:** 28 Mar 2018, 11:29

Super Cub, very good decision v the J3.

AG

Username Protected · **Posted:** 28 Mar 2018, 11:43

Now you need to start hanging out at supercub.org as well as beechtalk.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 31 Mar 2018, 22:30

looks like he has infiltrated already. Nice looking yellow machine.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 01 Apr 2018, 09:11

Username Protected wrote:

looks like he has infiltrated already. Nice looking yellow machine.

He get it done? Link to a post at SC?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 01 Apr 2018, 11:44

Username Protected wrote:

I have a WTB ad here for a Supercub, which illustrates that I'm serious about buying one. No one has responded to the ad here or its twin that I posted on Supercub.org, which says something about the state of the Supercub market. Not sure what, but something.

Flying Supercubs can be had for as low as $50k. Special ones might fetch $150k or more. Here are my jumbled thoughts, presented in the hope that BT will have some advice on how to solidify my thinking. FWIW, I'm 55 and healthy, 5'10", 185#, and I don't like cats.

There are a couple of ways to think about this:
1) Buy ratty, fly a couple of years, and sell ratty.

2) Buy ratty, fix up, fly until I'm too inflexible to enter a Cub.

3) Buy nice, figure I can sell nice whenever the need arises.

4) Buy nice, make it nicer, win an Oshkosh award!

Max Grogan (RIP) always said you should buy at the top of your desired market. That way, you'll have something worth buying when you need to sell.

#1 is the thing to do if a) I think this bug will wear off or b) I think I might get seriously into taildragging, etc. Then I could sell the Cub and the Bo to buy a 180.

I THINK what I want is to buy something I can keep for 10 years without buying fabric or an engine. Looks like that can be done for somewhat less than 100 if the airplane can be found. What happens, though, is people pull the airplane apart to cover it and start doing "while you're in there" stuff and the next thing you know, they're looking at a Supercub with autopilot, G500, and ADS-B. Yet, interestingly, they don't do the rear spar mod that gives a 250# GW increase.

Keep in cheap.

Limit your exposure.