Cessna 421 vs. 425

[Citationkid]

Can any compare and contrast the Conquest I and C421 for me please. And for the 425 pilots out there, why did your company buy it over the 421.

Thanks.

 

[2000flyer]

C421 - geared turbo-charged piston. Engines were prone to upchuck at the worst time (like there is a good time to lose an engine). One company I worked for nearly 20 years ago literally left a hole in the top of the cowling where the rod departed.

C425 - PT6 turbo prop. Much better (DUH!) performer than the 421. Never flew one but always heard good reviews from those who had.

Identical cabins on both.

2000Flyer

 

[Flywrite]

Never flown either, but Private Pilot magazine had a pretty good article on the 425 about 6 months ago if you can find a copy.

 

[msw]

421 vs 425

I am not sure that compare and contrast is fair between these two aircraft. They are really not in the same "class". Primarily, there is big price difference and a big performance difference. Typically, 421's get compared to things like 414's, Dukes, P-Navajo's, etc. 425's usualy get compared to King Airs and other lower end, smaller cabin turbo-props.

Bottom line: 421 vs 425?? No real comparison there; if you got the bucks, get the Conquest! (But if you got the bucks for a Conquest, you should probably also look at King Airs, 90's or even 200's; slower than 425's, but bigger cabins, probably better parts and maintenance support. There's a reason why Beech has sold 6000 king airs over the years, and Cessna has sold 600 Conquests.)

 

[340drvr]

Hey, slightly off-topic, but does anyone know first-hand if the Conquests are going to come under the big wing spar AD?
That would be a big factor if considering a purchase.

 

[Citationkid]

http://www.cessnatwinssparcorp.org/

At present, only certain 400-series models are affected by the proposed AD. However, we have been assured by Cessna and FAA personnel (speaking off-the-record) that ALL twin Cessna models will soon be affected by similar AD's.

 

[skylane58]

The c425 is a heck of an airplane. They preform so much better than the c421, That's obvious. However, the 421 is a good airplane. It really depends on how much you want to spend. The Conquest is a much better airplane but costs are a lot higher. Insurance, fuel, maintnence, etc. are more because of the turbines. The airplane is so much easier to fly than the 421, which also is an easy airplane. The main reason being the turbines. You HAVE to baby the geared engines, or they will fail quick, fast and in a hurry.

A couple of quick points: if you go with the 421, be sure to get the C model. They don't have the tip tanks and they do have the trailing link landing gear. Not nessesities, but make it much nicer of a ride. Also, be sure to get one that has the spoilers installed. They make it much easier on the engines when it is time to come down.

If you go with the Conquest, look at getting one that has had the Blackhawk engine mod done. They make a good airplane even better.

Aside from the engines, the 421 and the 425 are essentially the same airplane. There are little diferences like the nose and the horizontal stabilizer. A 421 will run you about $500,000 for a good C model. The B model will go for 250-300,000. A Conquest will go for 1-1.2 million, depending on equiptment. The Blackhawk 425 will go for not much more.

For the price of the 425, you can get a Kingair. Maybe even a 200. They have a ton of room and are good airplanes. However, they are going cost more to operate.

This is my two cents, hope it helps.

 

[j41driver]

...A couple of quick points: if you go with the 421, be sure to get the C model. They don't have the tip tanks and they do have the trailing link landing gear....

Only the latest 421C's have the trailing link gear. The earlier ones have the "regular" gear.

 

[Headwind]

I flew a 421 for about 3 years. Nice with 2 passengers and half load of fuel. On a hot day (95) with 7 on board we could only get about 600 fpm with both engines doing all they would do.
Also, we never made more than 3 trips without maintenance. I don't know of any 421 pilots who go 3 trips without maintenance.
The turbine is safer and more reliable, but cost 2 1/2 to 3 times more. A Cheyenne II cost less than a Conquest.

Headwind

 

[aroundtheblock]

I've flown them both and though they are both geat airplanes in their class, the 425 is by far the better plane. The 425 I flew had the Blackhawk conversion... awesome. For those who don't know about it, they take the f-90 pt6 and stick it on the 425. It makes it a 285 knot airplane. Also flies much higher.

 

[Dustin H]

I've been flying the 421 for the past year and no exp in the 425.

I strongly agree with all the comments above. One thing that shocked me was if you are at full gross in the 421, forget about getting into the flight levels. After about 20,000 your climb rate is around 100-200 fpm. They are very doggy when loaded heavy.