Advice on buying multi.

[j41]

I have a friend that interested in buy either a piston/turbine. He trips are SC to TX. What would you guys suggest the best buy interm priceing, safety.insurance,speed. Thanks in advance.

 

[TheBigH]

A piper Aztek might suit him well, you can get a decent one under 100K for a 170kt cruise airplane. Just tell him to buy lots of hydraulic fluid...

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

I have a friend that interested in buy either a piston/turbine. He trips are SC to TX. What would you guys suggest the best buy interm priceing, safety.insurance,speed. Thanks in advance.

Depends on a lot of factors.

What is his experience level?

Financial means?

Number of passengers?

King Air is very nice but un-insureable for low timers, Barons are also nice but pricey for a piston twin.

Turbo props in general need 2500 hour TT with good turbine time before it is even remotely close to being affordable for insurance. And then it is still in the 20k to 30K a year range.

Piston insurance is all over the place depending on time, I have seen anywhere from 2k for a high timer in a Duchess or Seminole to 13k to 15k for a low timer in a 310. The 310 guy is owner flown and around 1300 TT with only 300 or so multi. The same with a Baron, Too many get stuffed in the ground for stupid reasons to make the ins. companies all warm and fuzzy for low timers.

The safety factor is highly subjective, All twins are safe if flown correctly. However if flown stupidly they will all kill you quick. (This could be said for any airplane though)

As far as the speed issue, The faster you want to go the Bigger the pile of money needed! King Air 200 - 250 to 270 kts Baron - 180 to 200 kts depending on model, 310 - 165 to 185 or so depending on model. Most of the Light Light twins run around the 160 kt range (Duchess, Seminole)

Fuel burn - Of course turbines are much more thirsty than pistons per hour but you get there faster, however a 300 horse Cont, or Lycoming can clean out your wallet at a brisk pace also. The Duchess or Seminole are a bargain at about 16 to 22 Gal an hour.

 

[seethru]

Not sure what kind of budget or experience level you're looking at, but you did say turbine.


He might consider a Conquest I with the BlackHawk mod (nearly 290 KIAS) or if money really is no object, a TBM 700 which gives about the same speed with a single engine.

 

[j41]

He would like to stay with in the 300,000ks range. Pistion airplane, he was looking at Baron, Navajo, chieftain, aeroster. Turbine airplane, he was looking at conquest,MU-2. He TT. 2000, Multi, 370, He has 145hrs Sic turbine.
The questions are can he be insurance, If so how much! Thanks

 

[FN FAL]

I have a friend that interested in buy either a piston/turbine. He trips are SC to TX. What would you guys suggest the best buy interm priceing, safety.insurance,speed. Thanks in advance.

I would tell your friend to buy a used Caravan for around a million. Then, when FedEx dumps a butt load of them puppies on the used market in the not to far distant future, your friend will be able to take a huge tax write-off on his purchase.

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

He would like to stay with in the 300,000ks range. Pistion airplane, he was looking at Baron, Navajo, chieftain, aeroster. Turbine airplane, he was looking at conquest,MU-2. He TT. 2000, Multi, 370, He has 145hrs Sic turbine.
The questions are can he be insurance, If so how much! Thanks

I would think he can get insurance with those times no problem, Price is a different question best taken up with a couple of different agents. They could give a ball park figure without having specific airplane info.

The MU-2 has a reputation of being tricky to fly. I have never flown one but I do have a buddy that flew one in a freight outfit and said it was not a problem as long as you were mindful of your speed. He did say that it was not a low timers airplane on one engine.

At 300k though he is in the good used piston range. late 70's early 80's for a baron or most any of the 310 varients. A 90's model seneca can be had for that also. Seneca II and III is a pretty nice bird, not as fast as some of the others but better on fuel. 200 to 220 horse engines as opposed to 285's or 300's.

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

Aerostar. J41 PM me if you want more info.

 

[belchfire]

Aerostar

I can vouch for that.
flyfastliveslow was/is one of the few
insurance qualified instructors in the
Aerostar, and having come out of
various other freight-type twins, the
Aerostar, should you live long enough,
is probably the most demanding piston
twin out there...it will fly on one engine,
but like the MU-2 and some others, you
d@mn well better have your $hit
together.

Azetc is a piece of cake. 336/337 are
centerline thrust and much maligned, but
like the MU-2 and Aerostar will fly on one.
The Turbo version is pretty quick up
high, but the P-versions are so much
heavier that they didn't get much
over the non-turbo in actual practice.

Lots of choices and not enough info
to help...but I would lean toward the
high end if I had the money...like a
Conquest or King Air...or maybe even
one of the single pilot Citations.

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

I can vouch for that. ChrisJ32...I mean
flyfastliveslow was/is one of the few
insurance qualified instructors in the
Aerostar, and having come out of
various other freight-type twins, the
Aerostar, should you live long enough,
is probably the most demanding piston
twin out there...it will fly on one engine,
but like the MU-2 and some others, you
d@mn well better have your $hit together.

thanks for the nice words.

 

[Pilot124]

Piper Seneca!!!!

 

[j41]

Hi, guys thanks for all your advice and input..My friend tell me today that he just obtain a new account in CAL. Now he's trip takes from SC to TX than CA. He told me that he would be more comfortable with a Piston due to lack of Tubine experience and properly not insureance able or way to high in a turbine. If you guys could suggest a Multi airplane that would fit he needs and budget, Please feel free to do so!! THANKS

 

[TheBigH]

I think he'll definetly want something over 200kts ... If he can get insured on an Aerostar that would be the ticket but getting a nice one for under 300K will be tricky, plus he needs to be prepared for the operating expense of the beast.


I would go with a Baron if I was him, again not sure if 300K is gonna get him a 58 in decent shape but the only way is to look.

Something else he needs to consider with trips to California will be supercharging and maybe even pressurization, or at least factory oxygen.

Does he HAVE to have a twin ? for 300K he may be able to get himself a 200+ kt turbo Mooney with oxygen.

Just a couple of other things to consider.