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I’m looking (again) at a Hatz CB-1 to replace my Starduster, which clearly isn’t going to be flying any time soon. I realize a Hatz will be much tamer than the Starduster, which could be both good and bad, I certainly learned last year about the downside of off-airport landings in the faster plane. And it would be nice to be able to take a passenger occasionally. 'Course I'll have to sell the Starduster project...
The particular one I’m looking at was built in 1990 with ~250TT and has a 1400 hour O-300 from a C-172 and wood prop. This plane was mentioned here some time ago, it’s the one that originally had motorcycle wheels and still has a short landing gear. The engine has exposed cylinders with Cub style eyebrows, I don’t know how cooling is in that configuration? It has a wind generator so no worries about needing ADSB or mode C.
The current owner says it climbs at 3-600 fpm, cruises at 80mph, and lands at 60. The cruise sounds about right for a Hatz, the climb sounds low for that engine (the Hatz was designed for considerably less HP, though at 950# empty it is about 100# over the design weight, gross is 1500). The landing speed seems high, though he says doesn’t know the actual stall speed since he never stalls it after a bad experience the first time he stalled it when the plane was grossly out of rig (since fixed) after reassembling it. How you can regularly fly a plane without being familiar with its stall behavior is beyond me, but that’s what he said. With the short gear I can see that it might touch down 3 point rather above stall, though I don’t know if he normally does 3 point or wheel landings.
Any thoughts or advice, things to look for/at?
The particular one I’m looking at was built in 1990 with ~250TT and has a 1400 hour O-300 from a C-172 and wood prop. This plane was mentioned here some time ago, it’s the one that originally had motorcycle wheels and still has a short landing gear. The engine has exposed cylinders with Cub style eyebrows, I don’t know how cooling is in that configuration? It has a wind generator so no worries about needing ADSB or mode C.
The current owner says it climbs at 3-600 fpm, cruises at 80mph, and lands at 60. The cruise sounds about right for a Hatz, the climb sounds low for that engine (the Hatz was designed for considerably less HP, though at 950# empty it is about 100# over the design weight, gross is 1500). The landing speed seems high, though he says doesn’t know the actual stall speed since he never stalls it after a bad experience the first time he stalled it when the plane was grossly out of rig (since fixed) after reassembling it. How you can regularly fly a plane without being familiar with its stall behavior is beyond me, but that’s what he said. With the short gear I can see that it might touch down 3 point rather above stall, though I don’t know if he normally does 3 point or wheel landings.
Any thoughts or advice, things to look for/at?
