I have a pickle of a decision to make and would like to hear some advice. I have a really nice 170A all metal that needs nothing! I am looking at a 52 170B that is also a beautiful airplane and has some nice mods, it has sportsman Stol, VG's, 180 gear 8:50 X 10 tires along with a float kit. It does have a fresh 0-300A as well as new paint My question is, is there enough difference in the way the A and B fly and handle to make the swap and start with another airplane going through and learning all the in's and out's? I know I really would like to have a B model because it seems like they are a hot item with 170 owners and a great looking bird.
And again mine is a great looking plane with a mid-time C-145, I don't have any mods as far as Stol, or VG's. I did buy some 180 gears that I have not put on yet because I was thinking of selling it.
Any thoughts and ideas would be greatly appreciated from your experiences.
Never owned an "A" but as a Canadian maybe I should be flying one. I've got the B and the improvements are the ones you're not likely to see right away. Everyone wants the big flaps but after flying it for sometime, now all I ever use is 20 Deg, the float kit would be making my eyes widen but that's just me.
IMO going from a stock engine 'A' to a stock engine 'B' will not gain much. If the flying you do, and places you go, are not pushing the limits of your plane, you are most likely good as is. That said, I use the 180 hp engine because I do go places and do things that a stock engine 170 will not quite do. If you want to see what a 180 hp engine will do for a 170B contact me pvt e-mail in Cordova.
The '52 B-model has the same sorry cabin "heater" the A-model has. I personally have little use for the rest of the mods listed on the B-model you describe, but that's just me. I never use strips shorter than 2,000' and usually only haul the wife and myself on 3-hour flights or less into flat-land country. If I needed shorter-field performance, I'd still not want the STOL kits...I'd rather have horsepower, like a Lyc. 180 or ...even better,... a 210 hp Cont IO-360. But that's just me also.
If you want a B-model, I suggest you get a '53 SN-25612 or later (better heater, better/easier-to-maintain cowling, better lady-leg gearlegs, better instrument panel layout.)
But if all you do is fly a couple hours with two people out of easy airports....keep the A you've got and know so well. IMO.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
After many hours of research and talking to a few pilots and hearing the responses on here I have decided to keep my A model. It is going in next week to have the gears installed and I got some double pucks for it also, Thanks for the reply's I think I am money ahead keeping what I have until its time to move into a 180 with floats.
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My question is, is there enough difference in the way the A and B fly and handle to make the swap and start with another airplane going through and learning all the in's and out's? I know I really would like to have a B model because it seems like they are a hot item with 170 owners and a great looking bird.
