spiderweb
Final Approach
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- Feb 22, 2005
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Ben
I have come to realize that at some point, I will probably want to own a plane. For now, I am doing little more than playing with ideas, but these are my ideal birds. They are good birds for a lot of pilots, in fact, because they are so good at what they do. So, what I thought I'd do here is reveal my thoughts on these airplanes, and then see what you think:
1) C206. This is probably the easiest of the four to fly. It is also probably the slowest. Of course, a turbo 206 might be faster than a NA C182RG. I guess the strong suit is good comfort, the best for useful load and passengers, all at a reasonable speed.
2) C182RG. This would get me more speed than the 206 (especially if turboed), and still has pretty good room. This plane is also not really difficult to fly, as long as you remember to lower the gear, and reduce MP slowly! The real downside is the gear system, but I believe (but do not have evidence) that this problem is overrated.
3) Saratoga. This is a good, solid flyer with nice speed, better with turbos. I have about thirty hours in a beautifully equipped Saratoga, so I know how pilot friendly the bird is. Minor nits are how low one sits, and how fast you fly final (faster than Cessnas, for sure). Useful load is not as good as Cessnas, especially with later models. Then again, the range is quite long, so one can easily trade some of that for more butts (or cellos) in the seats.
4) Seneca. This is the only twin I should really consider. From what I understand, maintainance and insurance requirements aren't as onerous as for the C310 or Baron. At the same time, the Seneca is a better performer than the Seminole (duh) and others like the Twinco. From my experience, the Seneca give you about 10-15 extra knots above the Saratoga, plus that extra engine. A turboed, KI Seneca will have almost all the capability I could want for my level. (We'll talk again after I reach 1,000 total time, with 200 in HP and complex.) I could get up to the flight levels for those easterly trips, and take advantage of some tailwinds.
1) C206. This is probably the easiest of the four to fly. It is also probably the slowest. Of course, a turbo 206 might be faster than a NA C182RG. I guess the strong suit is good comfort, the best for useful load and passengers, all at a reasonable speed.
2) C182RG. This would get me more speed than the 206 (especially if turboed), and still has pretty good room. This plane is also not really difficult to fly, as long as you remember to lower the gear, and reduce MP slowly! The real downside is the gear system, but I believe (but do not have evidence) that this problem is overrated.
3) Saratoga. This is a good, solid flyer with nice speed, better with turbos. I have about thirty hours in a beautifully equipped Saratoga, so I know how pilot friendly the bird is. Minor nits are how low one sits, and how fast you fly final (faster than Cessnas, for sure). Useful load is not as good as Cessnas, especially with later models. Then again, the range is quite long, so one can easily trade some of that for more butts (or cellos) in the seats.
4) Seneca. This is the only twin I should really consider. From what I understand, maintainance and insurance requirements aren't as onerous as for the C310 or Baron. At the same time, the Seneca is a better performer than the Seminole (duh) and others like the Twinco. From my experience, the Seneca give you about 10-15 extra knots above the Saratoga, plus that extra engine. A turboed, KI Seneca will have almost all the capability I could want for my level. (We'll talk again after I reach 1,000 total time, with 200 in HP and complex.) I could get up to the flight levels for those easterly trips, and take advantage of some tailwinds.