Airplane of the Month • April  2005

Year: 1975 Model: A150M Serial#: A1500558
35 of 86, 1975 A150M's manufactured
558 of 734, 150 Aerobat's manufactured in the USA
Reg: VH-UGG

Chris Quinn's Aerobat 'Downunder'

It's interesting going back through an airplane's historical registration records,  this Aerobat has a complete set of  maintenance releases and logbooks from when it was built. It was imported to Australia straight from the Cessna factory in 1975 and has lived at Jandakot in Western Australia, Parafield in South Australia, Moorabbin in Victoria, Caboolture in Queensland, Canberra in the ACT. (Australian Capital Territory) and also based in New South Wales. The entire time the airplane has been registered  in the Airwork Category (commercial).

Now for the first time, VH-UGG is registered in the private Day VFR category under Chris Quinn's ownership. Chris bought the airplane in August 2004 and it was flown from Queensland by previous owners Bill and Margaret Haynes, over two days and 10.5 flying hours to reach Lethbridge in Victoria, Quinn's home base.

Chris comments:
The instrument panel was a mess when I took delivery of it. I had the original Cessna Radio and Nav 1 removed plus the VOR which was u/s. I replaced them with an ICOM A200 and there was already a Bendix/King Flip Flop radio. I also had a Bendix/King ICOM Panel fitted. The clock was unserviceable so I had a digital clock and timer installed. Some of the fuse holders were in really bad condition and a lot of work was done there to eliminate intermittent electrical problems. I now have the loudest Audio believable with even the external speaker clear with headphones on in flight.

My next upgrade in the next year will be a built in GPS like a Garmin GNS430 and close proximity warning system to bring the panel into the 21st century. The Airframe and paint are in excellent condition and the engine and prop are almost new. The aircraft is very easy to handle and only pulls 2Gs on a coordinated loop. I have replaced the Centre Console between the rudder pedals which had crumbled to bits. A friend rebuilt the original and made a fiberglass mould which produced a perfectly fitting 2 layered fiberglass console which will last as long as the aircraft and can withstand any amount of kicking. I have a Mogas STC which was the first thing I did after purchasing the aircraft and I run the aircraft on both Premium Petrol and Avgas 100LL.

The aircraft has a longer ground roll compared to my previous 150L Commuter (VH-JWU) but in the air the Aerobat is much more responsive at the controls. There are a lot of bush strips that I used to visit but will not go into anymore with the Aerobat but I suppose different models have their own characteristics. I believe the Cessna 150/152 aircraft will be around as long as humans and even though there are new designs coming out every day there still hasn't been one aircraft universally that has taken over in GA flying schools like the 150/152s did. I have thought long and hard about what my next purchase would be and I have found it in this very diverse aircraft. It does all I need and is very forgiving. Maybe I'm not adventurous enough but just like Ford Cars I prefer to stick to what I know and trust.
  [Posted March 31, 2005]