entry level light twin

[Vik]

I own a Twin Co. Great plane, can't beat the operating costs. PM me for more info or questions.

 

[Vector4fun]

One more possibility, if you can find a decent one, is a Geronimo. Note, I mean a full Geronimo conversion with the 180hp engines. Lots of folks bought the long nose or "square" tail for their Apaches, but never upgraded the engines. A 150 hp Apache with a Geronimo nose and tail is still an Apache. The extra 30 hp per side made a whale of a difference in the airplane. The problem is finding one that has been properly maintained over the years.


And never flip off the boost pumps too soon. Old Apache/Aztec drivers know why...


btw, does anyone else remember a PT-6 powered Apache based in New Mexico?

 

[darien]

great responses

I actually have about a couple hundred hrs in the Duchesses but it's too slow therefore the aze truck would also be out of the question. I currently have a Lance and Bonanza and also use the truck and sports car analogy. Like most GA guys fly 90% of the time by myself and mostly in Fla. I know some are saying why multi? Evolution.



V clean : great info on the A55 generators. These are tid bits from others experience that I luv learning here.



I talked to a mechanic a while back and I think he told me about some kind of weight in the B 58 which made landing a little trickier than the B 55. Anyone know about this?



The turbo Twin Comanche with tip tanks looks pretty attractive to me. Good performance and range and cost. Bad utility What are some other good and bads?

 

[HMR]

I actually have about a couple hundred hrs in the Duchesses but it's too slow therefore the aze truck would also be out of the question. I currently have a Lance and Bonanza and also use the truck and sports car analogy. Like most GA guys fly 90% of the time by myself and mostly in Fla. I know some are saying why multi? Evolution.

Whoa! You're in a different tax bracket than I thought. Forget the Duchess. Sell the Lance and Bonanza and get a CJ. It's easier to fly than the Duchess.

 

[FN FAL]

Get yourself into a thuroughbred like the Cessna 320 with the TSIO-470's...nothing like owning a twin that costs you 12,000 bucks a year in annuals and sports engines with no factory support.

Ask your plane mech if he/she ever heard of TSIO-470's?

Don't get caught with your pants down...go look up "aviaiton consumer" on google and buy their used aircraft reports for the aircraft you thinking about buying. You won't regret the 8 or 12 bucks you spend, believe me.

 

[peter185]

I have flown the C-310, PA-30-200 (the Seneca 1, not sure that is the right model # though), the B55, and the B58. With most of my multi time in the 58 Baron. The 58 is easy to land and I am not familiar with the weight that you speak of. I would personally go for a Baron either a 55 or 58, they are both pretty good, compared to everything else that has been mentioned. I don't think insurance will be to big of a deal. I got insured on the 58 that I fly with only 50 hours multi and 5 in type and 850 total. My only requirement before taking pax was 5 hours with a flight instructor. The hull is insured for $310,000 with pretty standard liability limits (can't think of them right off hand) and the premium was $7994. PM if you want contact info on my insurance agent.

Performance for the 58 is as follows (IO-550 engines)

190 kts all day long at 24" and 2400 RPM burning about 30-32 gph at 6000 feet.

If you have time and want to save gas you can run it LOP on like 22-24 gph and indicate 160-165 kts.

 

[Vik]

PA-30 = twin comache
PA-34 = Seneca
PA-44 = Seminole

I have flown the C-310, PA-30-200 (the Seneca 1, not sure that is the right model # though), the B55, and the B58. With most of my multi time in the 58 Baron. The 58 is easy to land and I am not familiar with the weight that you speak of. I would personally go for a Baron either a 55 or 58, they are both pretty good, compared to everything else that has been mentioned. I don't think insurance will be to big of a deal. I got insured on the 58 that I fly with only 50 hours multi and 5 in type and 850 total. My only requirement before taking pax was 5 hours with a flight instructor. The hull is insured for $310,000 with pretty standard liability limits (can't think of them right off hand) and the premium was $7994. PM if you want contact info on my insurance agent.

Performance for the 58 is as follows (IO-550 engines)

190 kts all day long at 24" and 2400 RPM burning about 30-32 gph at 6000 feet.

If you have time and want to save gas you can run it LOP on like 22-24 gph and indicate 160-165 kts.

 

[Vik]

The Twin Comanche is the sports car of light twins, thats for sure.

Its responsive like an aerobatics plane, fast, economical. Beats the Seminole and Seneca in the numbers game for sure.

I'll reply to your PM with more details when I get a few minutes to spare.

Whats your mission for the plane? time building? cross countries for pleasure and/or business?

I actually have about a couple hundred hrs in the Duchesses but it's too slow therefore the aze truck would also be out of the question. I currently have a Lance and Bonanza and also use the truck and sports car analogy. Like most GA guys fly 90% of the time by myself and mostly in Fla. I know some are saying why multi? Evolution.



V clean : great info on the A55 generators. These are tid bits from others experience that I luv learning here.



I talked to a mechanic a while back and I think he told me about some kind of weight in the B 58 which made landing a little trickier than the B 55. Anyone know about this?



The turbo Twin Comanche with tip tanks looks pretty attractive to me. Good performance and range and cost. Bad utility What are some other good and bads?

 

[BD King]

I vote for a JATO assisted Champion Lancer

 

[Vector4fun]

Get yourself into a thuroughbred like the Cessna 320 with the TSIO-470's...nothing like owning a twin that costs you 12,000 bucks a year in annuals and sports engines with no factory support.

Ask your plane mech if he/she ever heard of TSIO-470's?

Don't get caught with your pants down...go look up "aviaiton consumer" on google and buy their used aircraft reports for the aircraft you thinking about buying. You won't regret the 8 or 12 bucks you spend, believe me.

FN,

I saw this post today on the CPA web site, and remembered your "suggestion" of a C-320...


This morning I spoke by phone to a CPA member who purchased a Cessna 320 last year for about $70K. Five months ago, he put it in the shop for annual inspection. The flat rate was about $2,160 (relatively modest for an aircraft of this complexity).

After the inspection, the shop told the owner to expect the bill to be about $4,000. Subsequently, they found that both turbochargers needed to be overhauled and upped the estimate to $8,000. Over a period of a month, they repeatedly upped their estimate, first to $12,000 and ultimately to $18,000. According to the owner, $18,000 was the last estimate the shop gave him. He was obviously upset, but felt he had no choice but to authorize the shop to proceed with the work. (He didn't take my seminar!)

After five months, the shop informed him that the airplane was ready and approved for return to service, and presented the owner with an invoice for (are you sitting down?) $46,000! Predictably, the owner went ballistic. The shop magnanimously offered to reduce the amount to $40,000 but said that was their best and final offer.

The owner has hired a lawyer. The shop has the airplane locked up, and has filed for a mechanic's lien. Everyone is going to lose big-time on this one.

The owner sent me a copy of the $46,000 invoice, and kindly gave me permission to use it as an exhibit in my seminars. It was four single-speced typed pages in length. $21K in labor, $16K in parts, $2,160 for the flat-rate annual, and a few odds and ends.

Now I really hate to second-guess any shop without having heard their side of the story (and there are always two sides). But I must say that I found some of the items on the invoice breathtaking. One item is for 80.0 hours of labor ($4,800.00) for "fuel and turbo adjustments." Another one is 14.0 hours ($840.00) for "linkage adjustments." One of my personal favorites is a $1,016.49 charge for 327.90 gallons of fuel. (The airplane only holds 140 gallons with all tanks full. I guess 80 hours of fuel system and turbo adjustments must use a lot of gas.)

Now THAT'S what I called getting shafted ... or perhaps raped.