150 knots for $150k

NealRomeoGolf said:
I wish I could get over the baggage door on the Mooney. I just can’t.
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What in the name of Odin is wrong with the baggage door on Mooneys! It's a door! It opens, and then closes and latches shut. Good news is if you forget to close it you're i for an expensive repair, but it won't affect the flight at all, except maybe a slightly decreased speed and a little more wind in the cabin. In some of the aircraft mentioned here an unsecured baggage door can become an in flight emergency.
 
Lowflynjack said:
Is it for sale? It's not a plane I could use, but if someone was looking for a nice V-Tail, this one is gorgeous. Shawn's rainy day photo doesn't do it justice!
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I had it listed a couple of months ago and thought it was sold. The guy didn’t get approved for a loan.
Then I was going to trade it for a really high end Harmon Rocket and I decided not to. It isn’t on the market right now but I will sell it. It is a pretty pristine Bonanza.
 
RussR said:
??? Your airspeed changes depending on the wind?
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I flew it to lunch a couple of weeks ago. Real GPS speed there was 228 mph and back 195 mph
It goes for a Bonanza. It is quite a bit faster and definitely nicer flying than the V35B I have in the hangar.
 
Oh look, another thread where everyone suggests what they own, and takes offense when the OP says that's not what he's looking for.

Here's the deal, you're married right? It's gonna be your wife's decision. Find something she finds comfortable. Chances are that rules out a few of the planes mentioned.

As far as comfort goes and of the planes I've ridden in, and mentioned here from most comfy to least:

Commander
Comanche (if you get fully adjustable seats)
Bonanza
Mooney
Viking

Unless you're a midget I would shy away from the bottom two.
 
S35 Bonanza - 69K - https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=175932

Turbo F33 Bonanza with an IO-550 (straight tail, not a "V") This one is listed at 189K, but you can get that down a bit and the speed is WAY more than 150 Knots - https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=168407

V35 Bonanza - 139K - https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=168332

This sold, but it was an A36 listed for 159K. I'm betting was bought for around your 150K target. https://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=175180
 
Salty said:
150k Rv-10 = unicorn

if you find one, it’s probably a donkey with a horn duck taped to it’s head.
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Friend sold his RV-10 last year for sub $150K. It was pretty much per the plans, steam gauges with a carborated engine... however it went well above 150 knots. I think wrapped out I got it to 178... I can only get mine to 174 :(
 
For $150 K you could buy 2 Mooney 201s which will cruise at 150knots, you would have to rename them however if you don't like the name.
 
195 isn’t realistically a 150kt airplane. 182 performance and 195 performance are very similar. The space in the back of a 195 is a huge plus...it’s hard to beat for 4 people. The downside is the maintenance and operating costs vs something like a 182, and the ground handling characteristics. I would bet almost all of the planes in the fleet have been ground looped at some point. Type specific training is a must...but they are impossible to beat as far as looks and the following that they have. The 195 community is awesome.
 
Another suggestion. you don't like Mooneys or Bonanzas or tailwheel planes. Maybe this flying thing is not for you. For $150K you can get a heck of a Porsche which will satisfy your speed goal easily.
 
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Honestly, if I had the choice (currently in a partnership with a 182P and the plane is what it is), I'd probably look for a built RV-10, get a good prebuy, and go experimental. Yeah, you'll pay more on the front end, but you'll get it all back in maintenance down the road. Parts are only going to get more expensive for the legacy fleet. And if you want to upgrade avionics (and eventually, everything gets outclassed), it's going to be much cheaper.

Heck, for sub 200K, that new Sling TSI is pretty freaking tempting if you are willing to pay for the assisted build and put the time in.

I find that I'm more and more craving a plane that isn't 50 years old with all the quirks that come with that. Maybe one day my budget will allow it.
 
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pigpenracing said:
I flew it to lunch a couple of weeks ago. Real GPS speed there was 228 mph and back 195 mph
It goes for a Bonanza. It is quite a bit faster and definitely nicer flying than the V35B I have in the hangar.
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I never found quoting ground speed as a useful indication of an airplane's performance. I mean, I flew a Cherokee 140 at 165 knots one time, but that doesn't mean anything about how fast the airplane is. Better to quote TAS.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
After I did the math in another thread about flying to football games, it got me to thinking that my airplane (Piper Archer) is really slow. So what 150 knot airplanes could I get for around $150k? And which ones would not be named Mooney or Bo? Also required, 4 seats. This is what I have so far:

Socata TB20/21
RV-10
Piper Saratoga / Lance
Cessna 210
Pponk 182?
Commander 114B

What others am I missing? Diamond came to mind but I don't think it meets the $150k requirement. I did see a gen 1 Cirrus for $150k, but no thanks. And the Saratogas in the $150k range all have run out engines, so maybe does not belong on the list.
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Go experimental and go 165knots for $45k
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
After I did the math in another thread about flying to football games, it got me to thinking that my airplane (Piper Archer) is really slow. So what 150 knot airplanes could I get for around $150k? And which ones would not be named Mooney or Bo? Also required, 4 seats. This is what I have so far:

Socata TB20/21
RV-10
Piper Saratoga / Lance
Cessna 210
Pponk 182?
Commander 114B

What others am I missing? Diamond came to mind but I don't think it meets the $150k requirement. I did see a gen 1 Cirrus for $150k, but no thanks. And the Saratogas in the $150k range all have run out engines, so maybe does not belong on the list.
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What do you want? I used to have an Archer as well and I bought a mid-time Lance with a nice GNS530W panel for well under $150k this year. It's a faster airplane than an Archer for sure, 150kts is probably on the optimistic side for a Lance, I generally call it a 145kt plane. I can tell you all about transition between the types, I did it in about 3 hours and it doesn't take too much to adapt.

The reason I ask what you want is simple- all these airplane designs are compromises. A Lance is giving you lots of comfort and cabin space as well as a high useful load, the compromise is that for the price and fuel burn it's on the slower side of things and the plane has a heavy truck-like feel on the controls rather than being sporty. I bought the plane I did because we'd just had a baby and needed more cabin space than the Archer could provide, the extra speed was a secondary consideration. If I had all the cabin I needed and just wanted speed I'd probably look elsewhere, maybe a commanche.

I'm happy with the Lance, it does exactly what I expected. It's the best cross country family hauler for the money IMO but it's not a sports car it's an SUV.
 
Check out the Cessna 177 RG Cardinals, esp. the ones with Turbo Normalizing. Lots of cabin room, and because of the wing placement, hard to load it out of CG range. If you're tall, might have an issue with the spar carry-through. Even the 1978 models (last year produced) are south of $150K
 
  1. steingar said:
    In what exactly? The only aircraft I can think of that does that is barely a two seater, the the two seats are in tandem.
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    Pipistrel Virus SW is 142.5 knots at 75% power on 100hp at 4.75 gph. With a payload of 680 pounds and service ceiling of 19,000 at Max Gross. And side by side seating.
 
Is this a "10% mission" once the football season mission is over? Or do you really see yourself doing this pilgrimage year after year? If so, don't get a six seater. That's a lot of hours flying solo at *15gph+ (*amortized for 1st hour climb fuel flows). Is there a family in this profile at all? This mission can be done for a lot less than 150K capex. I've done this mission on 30K (on the 160hp version of your airplane) in the past, again provided this thing is solo. slow, but doable.

If you're trying to keep the family in the loop, then perhaps some of the 4 seaters might split the difference. Go for as much horsepower as you can, in any of the three variants (2, 4, 6 seats).

Good luck.
 
How much did the White Lightning model sell for? 265 mph cruise.
 
steingar said:
In what exactly? The only aircraft I can think of that does that is barely a two seater, the the two seats are in tandem.
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Some of the smaller engine Lancair and Glasairs can do it.
 
ktup-flyer said:
Yea, I think they're closer to 3 times that
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And also this thing is very, very light at 1320 lbs ( which is part of the secret of the plane being able to go so fast with 100hp) but it also means that if anything, it is a limited utility fun machine for 2 people max and not a cross country plane.
 
zaitcev said:
RV-10 is the only answer for your budget, considering that you don't like Mooneys.
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I dont like Mooneys and fly a non-RV10 150+ kt plane that was/is nowhere near $150k in price. So it's definitely not the only answer.
 
steingar said:
What in the name of Odin is wrong with the baggage door on Mooneys! It's a door! It opens, and then closes and latches shut. Good news is if you forget to close it you're i for an expensive repair, but it won't affect the flight at all, except maybe a slightly decreased speed and a little more wind in the cabin. In some of the aircraft mentioned here an unsecured baggage door can become an in flight emergency.
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The baggage door is at window level. So you end up loading cargo up and in. I like flying doggies. I want to load crates without having to lift them over my head.
 
EdFred said:
Here's the deal, you're married right? It's gonna be your wife's decision. Find something she finds comfortable. Chances are that rules out a few of the planes mentioned.
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Yep, married. But she does not fly. So the decision is mine.
 
Bill Greenwood said:
Another suggestion. you don't like Mooneys or Bonanzas or tailwheel planes. Maybe this flying thing is not for you. For $150K you can get a heck of a Porsche which will satisfy your speed goal easily.
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I never said I do not like Bonanzas. Some day I want a nice A36. Now is not that day. I left the Bos off the list because I know all about their capabilities. I needed help with what else is out there, not the already known. Flying fits me just fine, thanks.
 
cowman said:
What do you want? I used to have an Archer as well and I bought a mid-time Lance with a nice GNS530W panel for well under $150k this year. It's a faster airplane than an Archer for sure, 150kts is probably on the optimistic side for a Lance, I generally call it a 145kt plane. I can tell you all about transition between the types, I did it in about 3 hours and it doesn't take too much to adapt.

The reason I ask what you want is simple- all these airplane designs are compromises. A Lance is giving you lots of comfort and cabin space as well as a high useful load, the compromise is that for the price and fuel burn it's on the slower side of things and the plane has a heavy truck-like feel on the controls rather than being sporty. I bought the plane I did because we'd just had a baby and needed more cabin space than the Archer could provide, the extra speed was a secondary consideration. If I had all the cabin I needed and just wanted speed I'd probably look elsewhere, maybe a commanche.

I'm happy with the Lance, it does exactly what I expected. It's the best cross country family hauler for the money IMO but it's not a sports car it's an SUV.
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The Lance is a real tempting path to go. The layouts are usually very similar to the Archers and I always assumed, like you experienced, the transition would be easy. I like flying places....and usually farther than most go in theirs. As an example, my first pilots n paws flight was 430nm one way. I think most people limit themselves to 250nm. I took an 8 hour round trip flight this summer for fun. So what do I want? Something comfortable to go far in, with at least 4 seats, can breach 150 knots and that I can keep hauling dogs in. I would love an A36, but I am not touching them in this overheated market.

Comanches just scare me due to the age. I don't see any current offerings younger than 1960. If a late 60's one pops up, I would probably look at it harder.

Does your Lance have a turbo or no?
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
The Lance is a real tempting path to go. The layouts are usually very similar to the Archers and I always assumed, like you experienced, the transition would be easy. I like flying places....and usually farther than most go in theirs. As an example, my first pilots n paws flight was 430nm one way. I think most people limit themselves to 250nm. I took an 8 hour round trip flight this summer for fun. So what do I want? Something comfortable to go far in, with at least 4 seats, can breach 150 knots and that I can keep hauling dogs in. I would love an A36, but I am not touching them in this overheated market.

Comanches just scare me due to the age. I don't see any current offerings younger than 1960. If a late 60's one pops up, I would probably look at it harder.

Does your Lance have a turbo or no?
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Non-turbo. Sounds like a Lance might work for you, figure 145kts and 16-17gph fuel burn, on some days you can get up to 7-8,000 and do a little better than that. You can pull that back to 120kts and about 12GPH burn. For comfort and loading things like dogs they can't be beat though. Here's mine loaded up with two big dog crates, a baby, baby supplies, and bags. My wife sits behind the baby, IIRC I still had enough useful load left to throw another person in up front.

122985d92d58696928.jpeg
 
steingar said:
Friend of a friend just bought a Viking. We think he bought an albatross. He hasn't a hangar or a plan to get one. No one knows how to fix the thing,
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He has broken some of the commonly accepted, but very simple rules for buying a Viking.
Because of his actions he could well experience financial pain.
Silliness. The information is readily available.
It is a great type but idiots give it a bad name (he will be blaming the airplane for deterioration, all because he did not have it inspected or give it reasonable protection from the elements)
 
lol, opening with "no bonanzas or mooneys plz" and gets two pages of bonanza and mooney recommendations. :D

Is there a particular OpEx target?

If you don't mind going 'only 150kt' on 26gph and seem to value ease/comfort/loading, and while it pains me to say it -- you might add Twin Bonanzas to the list. I imagine EVERY non-trainer light/medium twin meets both your price and speed target. Heck if you covet an A36, a decent B58 would probably be attainable at that price.

Otherwise, for singles, I think you have the mainstream well covered. It sounds like you plan to move up afterward, so there is a strong argument for "easy to dispose of when it's time", which has Cessna 182 written alllllll over it.

$0.02
 
the wife doesn't fly, why a 4/6 seater then?
 
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