Varga Kachina 2150A

First Impressions: The Varga Kachina looks like a poor man’s T-34 and has a name that sounds like a medical diagnosis!  In truth, it’s an excellent tandem seat trainer with healthy climb performance! 

Background:  Like many of us, Bill Morrisey, designer of the original Morrisey 1000C, 2100, and 2150, was bitten by the aviation bug at a young age. He earned his pilot’s license in 1928, when he was 17 years old, and began working for the Civil Aeronautics Board (precursor to the FAA) as a test pilot not long thereafter.  Taking a step seemingly backward, he went to work for the Douglas Aircraft Company as a riveter in 1937, but eventually worked his way to chief test pilot for their Long Beach plant.  During and after WWII, he conducted test flights on most of the Douglas produced fighters, bombers and transports, including President Truman’s VC-118 (a converted DC-6) named “Independence” for the President’s hometown of Independence, Missouri.  Concurrently, Morrisey worked as a pilot for Howard Hughes and was a firsthand witness of the one and only flight of the Hughes H-4 Hercules, more commonly known as “the Spruce Goose.”

In addition to his successful career as a pilot, Morrisey decided to try his hand at aircraft design. His design, the Morrisey 1000C Nifty, was a fabric-covered, welded steel frame tandem two-seater. He began with a C-65, but quickly settled on a C-90 engine.  He later upgraded his Nifty with a 150-horsepower Lycoming O-320 and an all-metal fuselage and wings, which now included flaps.  He named it the Morrisey 2150 (Model #2, 150-horsepower).  Although his airplane was a good design and a great trainer, the market was so flooded, he opted to sell his design to Shinn Engineering in Santa Ana, California.  Until production ceased in 1962, 35 copies of the Shinn 2150A were built.  Five years later, the design was sold to George Varga, who renamed it “Kachina”, after the Pueblo Indian spirit gods.  The Varga Aircraft Corporation of Chandler, Arizona, produced Kachina 2150s and 2180s (powered by 180-horsepower O-360s) from 1974 to 1982.  There was also a tailwheel variant available (2150TG).  In all, less than 200 Morrisey, Shinn, and Varga aircraft were built.  Trent Hendricks of Bow, Washington, knew a good airplane when he saw it.  He purchased a 1978 Varga 2150A Kachina four  years ago when he was only 18-years old and has since added an IFR Garmin suite and is working on his instrument rating. 

Design Features: This two-seat, fixed tricycle-gear plane is sturdily built and features thick cambered wings with significant dihedral. The fixed landing gear is a basic, sturdy oleo strut design that really looks like it should retract. During my initial walk around the Varga, I looked under the wings to find the wheel-wells, but, alas, there are none!  However, this is probably a good design feature for an aircraft purpose-built to be a primary trainer.  The cowling has easy access with upward swinging doors that allow for full engine compartment access and inspection.  The powerplant is a trusty O-320-A2C coupled to a fixed-pitch Sensenich climb prop.  The canopy, which looks like it’s from a T-6 Texan, does not slide forward and aft.  Instead, the left side panels slide up on a track and then fold in.  If the overhead vents don’t provide enough cooling air on a hot summer day, you can actually open the canopy in flight below 80 mph!

Ergonomics:  It takes slightly more work to slide into the front seat than into the back, but once inside, there is enough head room even for someone a bit over six feet.  The rudder pedals and seat height are not adjustable.  The stick feels a bit short, but still has plenty of throw.  The elevator trim utilizes spring tension action and simply moves the entire stick to zero-out required stick pressure.  The trim lever handle is located on the left fuselage wall below the throttle and looks like a window crank handle from a 1978 Chevelle! Because it is positioned just below the throttle, more than once I grabbed it to adjust power because, in my opinion, it’s located where the throttle should be!

The flap handle is a two-position Johnson bar on the left side floor and is only accessible to the front seat pilot.  The larger back seat has depressed foot wells for the passenger or instructor.  Not only is there is a good-sized hat rack behind the seat and hidden behind the plywood back seat support there is a zippered canvas curtain, which, when opened, reveals a generous baggage compartment.  There are a stick, throttle, rudder pedals and brakes in the back seat, but everything else is out of reach.  Thanks to the greenhouse canopy, visibility is great from both the front and back seats.

Taxi/Take-off: Nosewheel steering is direct linkage and effective enough to make tight turns with the assistance of differential braking.  Runups are standard for any O-320.  Close the canopy, ensure the locking pins are seated, turn on the electric fuel pump . . . and away you go!  Due to the direct linkage nosewheel steering, it is possible to over-control while at high speed on the runway, so be smooth with rudder pedal corrections.  Rotate at 60 mph and climb out at 80 mph.  The take-off and climb-out are two of the best features of the Varga.  As the sole occupant, I noted a 1400 fpm climb rate at 80 mph on a slightly warmer than standard day.   Even with two occupants, just under 1000 fpm was noted. Incredibly, a Shinn 2150A advertisement from 1961 touts a 22,000-foot usable ceiling! Not bad for a 150 hp trainer! 

Cruise/Maneuverability:  The Kachina responds very kindly to all stick and rudder inputs.  It performs like a trainer should.  As the nose gear strut extends after the weight is off the nose gear, it disengages from the rudder pedals, which results in light rudder forces when airborne.  In level flight at 3,000 feet, 117 indicated mph was observed while at 2400 rpm.  With a fixed-pitch climb prop, the top cruise speed is limited. It is difficult to overspeed the rpm, even in a moderate dive. A power off stall with full flaps occurs at 55 mph indicated, resulting in a slight drop with no wing fall-off.  A power on stall requires almost full right rudder to keep the nose tracking straight.  It buffets at 52 mph, but still will not result in wing drop off. These benign, yet responsive characteristics, are what make this aircraft a great choice for a primary trainer. 

Landing:  Landing this plane will make you look like a pro! It has a noticeably small elevator, which means the critical angle of attack is limited when compared to other trainers. Use a 75 to 80 mph approach speed on final to make sure there is enough energy for the small elevator to effect a round-out.  Dragging the airplane in slightly slower with power is an acceptable short field technique, but the pilot needs to recognize that when the power is reduced, the elevator’s authority is also reduced and the Varga will land, whether you’re ready for it or not! With a passenger aboard, there is a noticeable difference in when the plane stops flying and touches down.  Keep the nose off the deck and allow the mains to kiss the ground.  As a technique, keep the nose off the deck to prevent PIO (Pilot Induced Oscillation) that can occur from overcontrol of the direct-linkage nosewheel steering. Thanks to tandem seating, it is not difficult for even a beginning student to land on centerline.   The great visibility provided by the “greenhouse” canopy ensures that height over the runway and sink rate are effortless to perceive. All in all, making an excellent landing in the Kachina is straightforward and simple.

Wrap-up:  The Varga Kachina 2150A will certainly draw some curious looks, but it is also an inexpensive way to enjoy a fun, two-seat plane with a bit of the fighter feel!