When it sits too long in Louisiana

A closer look at one of the derelict planes sitting at the airport. This one needs a lot of work, but there isn’t a ton of corrosion as I expected.

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This poor little Cessna 150 has been sitting for a very long time.

Illustration for article titled When it sits too long in Louisiana
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It’s growing the standard black mildew on all of the upper surfaces.

Illustration for article titled When it sits too long in Louisiana
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Any wasp that ventures inside is doomed.

Illustration for article titled When it sits too long in Louisiana
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I don’t know anything about the history of the plane. It could have been bought as a project or it may have been run into the ground so far that the owner couldn’t resurrect it. Cessna 150s aren’t worth much and there’s a ton of work to do here. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next stop for this poor little plane is the scrap heap.

The useful load for a 150 is about 500 lbs, including fuel. Fill it up with fuel (about 40 gallons) and there’s enough useful load for one big guy and a suitcase. That will get about 5.5 hours of flight time, good for about 600 miles without stopping.

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Even a limited machine like this would be great for a young pilot to build time. It’s too bad that this one is in such bad shape.