Can older airplanes be instrument rated?

[Floorian]

Can the older Taylorcrafts or Luscombe 8E/F models have modern avionics put in them? Has anyone ever seen or heard of an old Taylorcraft with a GPS or an autopilot?

[crispy critter]

Re: Can older airplanes be instrument rated?

GPS's are becoming pretty commen in about anything that flies,drives,or floats regaurdless of it's age.However,I've yet to see an autopilot in a Luscombe or t-craft of any kind.As for IFR....I have seen a couple IFR t-crafts but they were very basic older systems.With todays new compact size radios,IFR in a t-craft(perferably a model 19 or newer...something with a complete electric system)would be pretty simple if you want to spend the cash.I will add that for what it would cost you to buy a model 19 or newer t-craft or Luscombe 8E and then pay to have it certified for IFR you could probably buy a perfect IFR C-152 or a nice IFR C-172 for the same or less money.IMHO.

[Jim Herpst]

Re: Can older airplanes be instrument rated?

I will add that a IFR Taylorcraft or Luscombe is not a very stable Instrument platform. These plane are simpley too light (key word here because they fly best also when left light)

Get a Cessna anyday for all that. A "good F-19 IFR "aint the way to go... all of course in my opinion...

Now you wanna talk Blue skies grass strips and calm evenings. OOH boy do we have the plane for you !

[crispy critter]

Re: Can older airplanes be instrument rated?

Jim must agree with jim's ad on to this......he makes a good point.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Can older airplanes be instrument rated?

It is difficult enough to maintain altitude and heading on a nice choppy summer day in a T-craft when you can see out the front.

Doing precision flying on instruments on a bumpy night in clouds would seem to me to be pretty difficult. Adding the IFR radio chatter, navigation, and dealing with approach procedures to the mix would make it awfully tough in my opinion.

However, it is only my humble opinion since I am not instrument rated.

Jim and Crispy are both correct IMHO, buy or rent a C-152 or 172 for instrument work and leave the T-craft for fun. The T-craft is not even a good traveling point to point airplane in VFR weather over about 200 miles.

[flyguy]

Re: Can older airplanes be instrument rated?

Yep,
It is hard enough to keep everything straight when it is nice outside. The old Stinsons are really stable airplanes as I remember. Wagon and Gullwing.
If I was going to manufacture a Taylorcraft today I would forget trying to make it into a "modern" airplane and make it an aerobatic clipwing and TRY to keep it in the Sport catagory. I would buy one in a hearatbeat if the price was anywhere near reasonable. Think of that, a certified lightweight clipwind with say an O200, wow, heaven on earth.
Darryl