Around the Baltimore/ Washington DC area it's not unusual to hear “Commuter Six Four Zero Zero Tango” calling in at various controlled and uncontrolled airports. I've been using my 1960, Cessna 150 for my primary means of out of town business and personal travel for over 7 years. This allows me the luxury of living in a beautiful small town and working in metropolitan areas without the grueling grind of driving 3 and 4 hours a day.

My C150 was originally licensed in late 1959 with basic VFR equipment. It has since been upgraded to full IFR including an IFR certified GPS, dual Nav-Coms, marker beacons, glide slope, King audio panel, built-in Sigtronics intercom, and stand-by vacuum system. The accessories are upgraded with a 50-amp alternator and electric starter by B&C Specialty Products (no more pull-handle and breaking cables, and spins real fast). The outside of the aircraft has wing and tail strobes by Whelen (those four-flash ones) and looks like a comet coming through the sky at night. This is real important in congested areas where everyone else flies faster than you.

The paint scheme is the original 1960 design, except the original was unpainted where it is now white. The Horton STOL system rounds out the handling characteristics resulting in a plane that is extremely control-responsive. Flap Gap Seals were also added and give an extra 150 to 300 fpm climb rate. The best benefit of the STOL and Flap Gap Seals is in the IFR climb to altitude. I can achieve close to a 500- fpm climb all the way up to 6 or 7 thousand feet at 80 mph. The higher climb speed (formerly about 70-mph best rate) allows better over-the-nose visibility and engine cooling, allowing significantly higher RPMs in the climb.

David Wills
Hagerstown, MD