555 nm each way, what to buy or do?

If you are thinking of a Comanche consider the 260 over the others. They are slightly faster than a 250 and have fuel injection. Most if not all have 90 gallons of fuel. The longest single leg trip we have done in ours is from fmy-pah (720 nm) in 4.5 hours and used 60 gallons of gas. I always plan for 160 knots and 13 gph fuel burn. Ours is a 1965 model.
 
Well I've now flown KFYM to Wichita back to Fayetteville, TN. And back to Wichita again. All in the Tampico. It has been as expected, fun but slow. I simply cannot do it without stopping for fuel.
The trip with the strongest headwinds took 6 hours on the Hobbs.
The west to east trip was 4.5 on the Hobbs with a nice tailwind up high.
The last trip back to Wichita was 5 hours down low and bumpy with a slight tailwind.

I still want to sell the Tampico & buy a Comanche. But I am enjoying making due with my Slowmobile and you just cannot beat the comfort! It would be nice to go faster and not to have to stop for fuel.

Jim
 
Jim, there's nothing wrong with going slow if you don't mind it and the time constraints don't cause you an issue. I have a friend who owns the prettiest Cherokee you ever saw. She's flown it VFR only, all over the country, and loves the thing. It doesn't cause problems for her to be slow, so it works fine for her. Ownership costs are low for it.

Now, if your personal, family, or business needs dictate more speed, then go ahead and upgrade. For me, going slow simply wouldn't work. My days are too long as they are.
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
Well I've now flown KFYM to Wichita back to Fayetteville, TN. And back to Wichita again. All in the Tampico. It has been as expected, fun but slow. I simply cannot do it without stopping for fuel.
The trip with the strongest headwinds took 6 hours on the Hobbs.
The west to east trip was 4.5 on the Hobbs with a nice tailwind up high.
The last trip back to Wichita was 5 hours down low and bumpy with a slight tailwind.

I still want to sell the Tampico & buy a Comanche. But I am enjoying making due with my Slowmobile and you just cannot beat the comfort! It would be nice to go faster and not to have to stop for fuel.

Jim
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I'm currently doing a 423nm commute weekly in a Bonanza A36TN averaging 2.2 hours or so eastbound, 3.3 westbound. It's pretty darn comfortable.
 
The fuel stop adds a complication I would like to avoid. The Comanche could do the whole trip, non-stop, in 3-4 hours.
Payload is not an issue right now (solo commute), but is when I try to load up the family.

I forgot to add the rest of the comparison in my last post. My trips by Tampico have taken 5-7 hours. It takes 13-14 to drive the same route. It may be slow, but it beats the heck out of driving !
 
As soon as you get in the air, you get a significant time savings vs. driving.

If I had a regular solo commute, I'd probably pick up a Lancair for the commute.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
If I had a regular solo commute, I'd probably pick up a Lancair for the commute.
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I have about 2-4 more trips to do, so no rush there. I would like to take the whole family on trips like this once we get moved out to Wichita. The comanche is the way to go, since I cannot afford a Trinidad.

Jim
 
I can't sleep and found my way to your thread here. For fun I opened Foreflight and found a random airport in Tennessee M54, and used KOKC for the other which have a 551 nm straight line distance between them. Pretty close to your setup for your question.

Right now there is a 28 knot headwind going West, or obviously a push going East.

With an IO-520 powered Bonanza with Gami's I flight plan for 166 knots at 12.5 gallons per hour. Add another 4 gallons to account for taxi, run up, and climb and it comes out pretty close. So here is how it works out.

Going from Tennessee to Oklahoma with the above conditions it would be a 4 hour flight on the nose, with a burn totaling 54 gallons after adding in the 4 gallons for taxi and run up and climb, leaving 20 gallons until engine stoppage. That easily meets flying to an alternate and then another 45 minutes.

Going East is a little better... It looks to be 2 hours and 52 minutes, with a burn of 40 gallons including the 4 gallons as mentioned above. This leaves 34 gallons until engine stoppage to bail you out with.

These are realistic numbers and times. I figured the flight at 6,500 and 7500 feet because there isn't much to hit out there. I didn't do the math to account for the reduced airspeed during climb, but it'll only add a few minutes to the flight times and burns listed above. I wouldn't think twice about launching on this trip in my plane with these winds non stop. Good luck with your purchase and whatever you decide to buy. I see you are leaning towards a Comanche... Good choice really, as they perform their mission as good or better than just about any other GA plane. They carry a good load, go fast, have no CG issues, a Lycoming engine, 90 gallons of gas, and fuel injection if you buy the right one. I think the 62 model 250's were the first to come with toe brakes, 90 gallons, and fuel injection as options all on the same bird. That would be my starting point.
 
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Kiddo's Driver said:
I have about 2-4 more trips to do, so no rush there. I would like to take the whole family on trips like this once we get moved out to Wichita. The comanche is the way to go, since I cannot afford a Trinidad.

Jim
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What about the Tabago? Or is there not much of a speed increase?
 
Rex Kramer said:
What about the Tabago? Or is there not much of a speed increase?
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They are not much faster, but they are faster. They are also almost impossible to find!
I'm nearing an overhaul...
I could yank the O-320 and put in an O-360 with a CS prop...
Add some wheel pants...
Suddenly I have a Tobago TB10! With small fuel tanks...
I could add an IO-360 with a CS prop...
Maybe an IO-390...
or I could just sell it and buy a Comanche!

Jim
 
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Kiddo's Driver said:
They are not much faster, but they are faster. They are also almost impossible to find!
Jim
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Very scarce. I'm learning in a TB-10, my instructor just picked up a second one. Nice as I now have two pretty much identical planes at my disposal to fly :yes:
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
They are not much faster, but they are faster. They are also almost impossible to find!
I'm nearing an overhaul...
I could yank the O-320 and put in an O-360 with a CS prop...
Add some wheel pants...
Suddenly I have a Tobago TB10! With small fuel tanks...
I could add an IO-360 with a CS prop...
Maybe an IO-390...
or I could just sell it and buy a Comanche!

Jim
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What are you talking about? There's one at the field behind my neighborhood.

(and it's also the only one I've ever seen in person :D)
 
Modifying a plane with new engine, prop, etc. will rarely be as cost effective as simply buying a faster plane. It can make sense sometimes, but I doubt would in your case.
 
Well we are out here in Kansas now. We drove out over a weekend with a break Saturday night. (IOW 7 hours Saturday & 7 hours Sunday.)
We rested Monday and then got a call at 2AM Monday night, death in the family. We drove straight through back to Tennessee (13.5 hours) Sunday night. We turned around and drove back to Kansas on Friday (13 hours).

This all happened Memorial day weekend.

By the end of the last drive back to Kansas my wife looked at me and said that it was time for me to buy a faster plane. :D

Now to sell the Tampico!

Jim
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
Well we are out here in Kansas now. We drove out over a weekend with a break Saturday night. (IOW 7 hours Saturday & 7 hours Sunday.)
We rested Monday and then got a call at 2AM Monday night, death in the family. We drove straight through back to Tennessee (13.5 hours) Sunday night. We turned around and drove back to Kansas on Friday (13 hours).

This all happened Memorial day weekend.

By the end of the last drive back to Kansas my wife looked at me and said that it was time for me to buy a faster plane. :D

Now to sell the Tampico!

Jim
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The 310 goes in for annual this month, she's 3 miles a minute. I'd like to get back and take her to OSH this year, but if you want her before then...
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
Well we are out here in Kansas now. We drove out over a weekend with a break Saturday night. (IOW 7 hours Saturday & 7 hours Sunday.)
We rested Monday and then got a call at 2AM Monday night, death in the family. We drove straight through back to Tennessee (13.5 hours) Sunday night. We turned around and drove back to Kansas on Friday (13 hours).

This all happened Memorial day weekend.

By the end of the last drive back to Kansas my wife looked at me and said that it was time for me to buy a faster plane. :D

Now to sell the Tampico!

Jim
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Jim
Sorry for your loss and

Congrats on the GO AHEAD on the Faster Plane.

Good luck with your sale.
 
I know it's a cliched answer, but if you want to stay under 100k and go fast without burning a ton of fuel, a Mooney seems like the simple answer to pursue. M20F or J.

They aren't cramped width or length wise (they are as wide as a bonanza), but you have to like sitting on the floor like a sports car. Felt kind of weird to me.
 
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I would also consider a 182. It's at the bottom of your speed parameter but it's useful load and big cabin will make your trips a little easier.
 
310. I know of a '55 model for $35k with a 530 and STec 50.
 
Same general premise as the original post, now it is 577 nm from KFYM to the Lincoln, Nebraska area.

I just finished reading the whole thread again. Lots to think about.
 
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Kiddo's Driver said:
Same general premise as the original post, now it is 577 nm from KFYM to the Lincoln, Nebraska area.

I just finished reading the whole thread again. Lots to think about.
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A PA-32R is a great plane for that mission. Big, roomy, affordable, and comfortable. Lance/Saratoga. You're looking at 155 knots or so.
 
My C model Mooney gets 140kts on the same fuel as your plane. WELL under $100k too.
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
Same general premise as the original post, now it is 577 nm from KFYM to the Lincoln, Nebraska area.

I just finished reading the whole thread again. Lots to think about.
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What are your thoughts on a commander or 182?
Those are roomy to boot
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What are your thoughts on a commander or 182?
Those are roomy to boot
Click to expand...

I like them both. I have 13.6 hours in a Aero Commander 112 (23 years ago). It is about 1/2 way between a Socata TB and a Cessna 172 as far as cabin width. It is still very comfortable, but not a TB. I have 250+ hours in Cessna's, including a few in 182's. I liked them. Honestly, I have not found a plane that I did not enjoy flying one way or another.

-Jim
 
did someone already say Comanche 400 or Aztec? Cruise 160-180 kts and tons of useful.

I didn't see a budget by the OP
 
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