In mid October 2016 a 50/50 partner and I closed on a 1974 Cessna 414. For the previous 12 years this same partner and I had shared ownership of a 1984 Mooney M20J. (That partner bought out my share of the Mooney, and I still have total access to it.)
After 12 years flying arguably the most efficient cross country plane out there, one could ask why in the world would I go to an older plane burning 3X the fuel? Well, first I wanted a twin; second I now have two granddaughters and a wanted a plane I could take them and their parents with Sue and me to interesting places; third I wanted to make some longer trips and pressurization and A/C would simply make those trips more pleasant; and fourth I wanted a twin.
The requirement for pressurization and A/C pretty much meant a cabin class plane. Initially I considered P-Barons and C340As. The 414 has a bigger cabin than both those at only a nominal loss of airspeed. Plus the tail height of the 340 was too much for our hangar door open clearance.
The plane ultimately selected has very good paint and interior and a super panel. A reasonably good prebuy/annual caught a number of things, but overall the plane was well cared for. The engines were both at 1200 hours on 1600 TBO.
I went to Recurrent Training Center in Illinois to meet insurance requirements for initial training and picked up the plane in Crestview, FL. I only had about 72 hours of piston twin time (and 450 hours jet time which almost doesn't count). Its 670HP and a bunch of systems are a big step from a 200HP 4 place Mooney. But I really enjoyed flying it, learning to fly the G600 glass and using the GWX68 on board radar. We made a few small trips including one to Eleuthra, Bahamas right away.
Then the left engine ate a couple of $tarter adapter$ and showed some metal in the oil filter. Oil pressure was well in the green but had been decreasing. My partner and I decided immediately the right thing to do was overhaul the engine. This ended taking almost 6 months and cost a bunch, but now we have a great engine. No question it was the right thing to do.
In the meantime I ended up with a contract pilot gig for a beautiful C414A, so kept totally current in type while waiting for this engine work.
Finally after this I was able to do a trip to Virginia with the granddaughters to a family wedding. And Sue and I took it to the grass at Gastons. Both fun trips.
We took it to a highly regarded twin Cessna shop in the Atlanta area for annual and that is just wrapping up. A new AD on the gas heater caught us, and two pieces of the exhaust on the non-overhauled right engine had to be replaced. And there was a lot of little stuff that adds up too. A lot more than the owner assisted Mooney annuals I was used to.
Sue and I are going to St. Augustine for New Years with friends for the next trip, and I'm sure 2018 will bring many more.
In spite of the time and money lost by the engine overhaul, I'm glad I have this plane. Between my plane and the contract flying I have 166 hours in type now. With this amount time in just a little over a year I feel fairly comfortable understanding all its systems and flying it in most any weather. This move does not make sense on a spread sheet, but I ain't getting any younger. There is a great Twin Cessna Flyers Forum that like this one has led to both great information on the airplane and new friends.
Anyone considering this step I would be glad to talk to.
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