New Member

[Alicia 0]

Hi all, my name is Alicia and I live in NC.  I am interested in buying an Avid Catalina and will be looking at one next weekend.  Do y'all have any advice in what to look for?  The seller will take me up, land on water, take off from water, and land on the ground.  I have an A & P mechanic coming to look at the Rotax 912 and the rest of the plane.

Thanks and happy flying,

Alicia

[flywise 169]

Hey Alicia,

I have a Catalina with a 912 engine. I would look at the weight of the aircraft (My cat was initially nearly 800Lbs empty before I restored it...). On the Cat weight is bad. Also have a good look at the empty aircraft C of G : it has a tendency to be tail heavy with a 912 making it mandatory to add weight in front for solo flights...weight is the enemy. I can fly without added weight ( I weigh 130Lbs)

below you have a few pointers to my 912 cat specs...

Empty weight 752Lbs

Rate of climb: 1200Ft/min + at gross weight (1200Lbs)

Vx : 52Mph  Vy : 60  ( these numbers are approximative ...what I am comfortable with)

cruise speed: 92 Mph

Stall speed: 38Mph

Take off from water @ gross : 7-8 seconds

Take off asphalt @ gross no wind : +- 650ft

 

Now regarding the flying part / items I found stand out: the ground handling is not easy in windy conditions (+15Kts) as the wing has a large wingspan, has a high lift profile and the landing gear is narrow. Visibility is EXCELLENT like a heli. Cabin space is cozy / on the narrow side with 2 people up front ( I am quite small, 5ft4 - 130Lbs. Works great for me and have taken some 185 Lb pax no problem). This bird has very good handling characteristics on water. 

On asphalt It is best NOT to have too strong brakes...being a pusher it can nose over. For example doing a high power run with brakes set it will most likely nose over above 4700Rpm even with elevator full nose up. Also for landing I hardly use any brakes...after touch down it slows very quickly with the bigger tires (already slow on landing)

 

It climbs very well, easy flying, like a cub. The aerodynamics will not let you go beyond 95-100Mph. In the air it handles wind and gusts well as the wings are quite flexible absorbing turbulence. Elevator and rudder are very effective but flaperons are on the slower roll rate side (big wing). Regarding the 'high' mounted pusher configuration, I have hardly any pitch change when applying/cutting power. Also the Cat is perfectly controllable with engine off/ gliding.

 

Landing on asphalt is the only time you have to pay attention..fly the thing until it's stopped (narrow gear). Dance with your feet to keep it straight . Also too much crosswind is problematic as the wing sponson on the lee side will easily hit/scrape the ground when using the low wing into the wind technique. Also the gear has no shock absorber and will bend/brake if subjected to a hard landing. The power is plenty and the cat has a tendency to correct any potential runway excursions with engine power application...and quickly, it will straighten and leap back into the air and that's a great feature. Rudder authority at low speed is good.

 

Stalls are a non event, easy to feel and slow to turn/drop. 

 

That is in a nutshell what I have experienced. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[flywise 169]

Obviously do not forget to inspect for corrosion especially in the bottom of the hull...

[nlappos 413]

A couple of important things:

1) Make sure it has a current, valid Airworthiness Certificate. Some sellers panic and (under the advice of a poor lawyer) cancel this in an inept attempt to avoid liability, a foolish thing that turns it from an airplane into a pile of parts. If you have no valid certificate, then you have to work with the FAA to prove the origins of virtually every part and every build process. Good luck. The Certificate should also have a few pages of signed Operating Limitations, which define the limits of the plane.

2) Expect to sign an EAA Liability release document that releases the seller of any liability. (https://www.eaa.org/eaa/aircraft-building/builderresources/next-steps-after-your-airplane-is-built/selling-and-buying-articles/part-3-waiver-and-releases-buying-and-selling-a-homebuilt)

2) Maintenance records going back to the beginning, or at least the last 5 years of so, including signed off Condition Inspections. If the last condition inspection (sometimes called an "annual inspection") is out of date, no big problem, and A&P mechanic can help you get it back with a half day's inspection. 

3) solid weight and balance information, last weighing, and an equipment list as part of the weighing.

Good Luck!

Edited 10 Jul 2022 by nlappos

[Allen Sutphin 705]

Just as he just stated, make sure the paperwork is in order. 50% of what you are buying is the paperwork. I have checked on 11 aircraft recently that was supposed to be Pt 103. All 11 were overweight, unregistered E-AB aircraft. Basically lawn ornaments, without a lot of work to possibly get them legal. A few were 2 seaters with 10-15 gal fuel tanks that the seller swore was Pt 103. Try to think with your head instead of the heart. A nice aircraft can sway the best of us.

[Seaplane Paul 3]

Hey Alicia,

I have a Catalina with a 912 engine. I would look at the weight of the aircraft (My cat was initially nearly 800Lbs empty before I restored it...). On the Cat weight is bad. Also have a good look at the empty aircraft C of G : it has a tendency to be tail heavy with a 912 making it mandatory to add weight in front for solo flights...weight is the enemy. I can fly without added weight ( I weigh 130Lbs)

below you have a few pointers to my 912 cat specs...

Empty weight 752Lbs

Rate of climb: 1200Ft/min + at gross weight (1200Lbs)

Vx : 52Mph  Vy : 60  ( these numbers are approximative ...what I am comfortable with)

cruise speed: 92 Mph

Stall speed: 38Mph

Take off from water @ gross : 7-8 seconds

Take off asphalt @ gross no wind : +- 650ft

 

Now regarding the flying part / items I found stand out: the ground handling is not easy in windy conditions (+15Kts) as the wing has a large wingspan, has a high lift profile and the landing gear is narrow. Visibility is EXCELLENT like a heli. Cabin space is cozy / on the narrow side with 2 people up front ( I am quite small, 5ft4 - 130Lbs. Works great for me and have taken some 185 Lb pax no problem). This bird has very good handling characteristics on water. 

On asphalt It is best NOT to have too strong brakes...being a pusher it can nose over. For example doing a high power run with brakes set it will most likely nose over above 4700Rpm even with elevator full nose up. Also for landing I hardly use any brakes...after touch down it slows very quickly with the bigger tires (already slow on landing)

 

It climbs very well, easy flying, like a cub. The aerodynamics will not let you go beyond 95-100Mph. In the air it handles wind and gusts well as the wings are quite flexible absorbing turbulence. Elevator and rudder are very effective but flaperons are on the slower roll rate side (big wing). Regarding the 'high' mounted pusher configuration, I have hardly any pitch change when applying/cutting power. Also the Cat is perfectly controllable with engine off/ gliding.

 

Landing on asphalt is the only time you have to pay attention..fly the thing until it's stopped (narrow gear). Dance with your feet to keep it straight . Also too much crosswind is problematic as the wing sponson on the lee side will easily hit/scrape the ground when using the low wing into the wind technique. Also the gear has no shock absorber and will bend/brake if subjected to a hard landing. The power is plenty and the cat has a tendency to correct any potential runway excursions with engine power application...and quickly, it will straighten and leap back into the air and that's a great feature. Rudder authority at low speed is good.

 

Stalls are a non event, easy to feel and slow to turn/drop. 

 

That is in a nutshell what I have experienced. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Really good advice thank you