Beechcraft Sierra Questions

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Prcpilot

Filing Flight Plan
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Sep 4, 2013
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PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ
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PRCpilot
Hey all,
Looking at buying a A24R.... Any suggestions on common problems? Also when I evaluate it this weekend, it would be nice to have some basis of "hotspots" to go over. Also, I wanted to ask if anyone has the annual/100 hour checklists for the aircraft?
If you can point me in the right direction, it would be great!

Blue Skies N Tailwinds,
JD
 
Is it fair to assume that you have already received the obligatory "check flight control surfaces for damage from bird strikes from behind?"
 
wabower said:
Is it fair to assume that you have already received the obligatory "check flight control surfaces for damage from bird strikes from behind?"
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It's not that slow..... I hope! I do know one thing, it's one heck of an upgrade from my Cherokee 140. I do have some Sundowner time and love that Beech! :goofy:
 
Gear donuts, door attach and latch hardware, Some years and SN got poor plexi and it tends to fog, or craze pretty easy.

They are slooooooowwwww. For the same price, you can get an older Bonanza and go the same speed, on the same fuel and carry same. Or you can turn up the throttle and go a bunch faster.

Another option is the Musketeer A23-24 super III. No gear issues, 200HP, almost the same speed, exact same fuselage dimension.
 
Prcpilot said:
This one has 1184lb useful, much better than 800.... I can still have full fuel and around 800 lbs between bags, and pax. Not bad for me.
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I have flown one... It was a very slow climber with 3 people..(don't know if engine was in top shape..) To me its hard to justify the complexity and expense of a retractable to get speeds of a traditional fixed gear....

Dont get me wrong... I love Beechcraft....( Of course..We all want a Baron!!! :yes::yes:) But the Sierra doesn't make any sense to me...
 
Joint the Beech Aero Club - http://www.beechaeroclub.org/content.php - You will have access to all the info you need on that aircraft. If and when you join go to the forum page and in the member chat post a message for Marty Vanover, he'll be one of many to provide plenty of info on the Sierra.

I fly an 80 Sundowner.
 
GMascelli said:
Joint the Beech Aero Club - http://www.beechaeroclub.org/content.php - You will have access to all the info you need on that aircraft. If and when you join go to the forum page and in the member chat post a message for Marty Vanover, he'll be one of many to provide plenty of info on the Sierra.

I fly an 80 Sundowner.
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I guess after I pony up the big bucks for the plane, I will look at joining. I guess Im too cheap to pony up the $50 while im just "investigating farther"
 
If you do your 'investigating' carefully, you'll find something better. In the same target, I would go with a Cardinal RG. Maybe a bit more up front cost, but seems to be a better plane all around. Or the Musketeer fixed gear same fuselage, or the early Bo.

Basically, anything but the Sierra.
 
I was sitting here wondering what makes it so much better. Obviously a bit more cabin room, but what else?

JHW said:
I would say just the opposite
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The wheels retract.

However, they didn't really get that right either cause they go outward.
 
I looked at one before getting the Arrow and loved the extra space. There is a company I believe in GA that specializes in working on the Sierras and Mouses and claims they can get a solid 140kts out of them if rigged properly. The cabin definitely has more room than most of the retracts in the same class, but that rotating nose gear gave me the willys.

And just as a reminder this is the Sierra bashing thread not the Arrow bashing thread. The Arrow bashing thread is down the hall and to the left, third stall. "Just Sayin!!!"
 
Yeah, they are a very nice plane. Guy on my old field had one and it went from being worth $70k to god knows what over night. It is gorgeous, roomy, bit slow but within 10-12 knots of an Arrow I am told. Are they 4 and 5 seats out there, remember seeing one with 5 seats.
 
I have heard that they are about 5 kts slower than the Arrow peaking out at about 130 kts, but have also heard that with proper rigging they can be 135 to 140 knot machines.

Have never flown one so I don't have first hand experience.
 
The Sierra is ok, but with the prices of Bonanzas being what they are currently, I don't see the sense in buying one unless you really want that left door, and then I would probably take a 112 Commander if I wanted a slow 4 cylinder plane.
 
I absolutely love the look of the Commander. Looks like it is doin 200 kts on the ground. To bad it doesn't do that in the air.
 
tmyers said:
I absolutely love the look of the Commander. Looks like it is doin 200 kts on the ground. To bad it doesn't do that in the air.
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It's a comfy plane for sure, and it's slow because it's built like a brick ****house. There is a tail mod to change the angle of incidence on the horizontal stabilizer that's supposed to give it 5+ knots. The 112TC trues out pretty well at altitude, and if you want one to perform, get the 114/115, preferably with a turbo. Probably the roomiest, comfiest 4 seat airframe I've been in. There's also something to be said for trailing link gear.
 
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tmyers said:
A hangar mate behind me has one, I need to bum a ride sometime.
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Isn't that what we all do or did to get into this fine hobby? I love the 112 as well, but the pocketbook is a player in my decision, as for the Bonanza argument, it would be a tough sell for me due to the increased fuel burn and I am not a MD or JD..... It would cost more to go to medical and law school!
:lol::nono::lol::nono::lol:
 
Prcpilot said:
Isn't that what we all do or did to get into this fine hobby? I love the 112 as well, but the pocketbook is a player in my decision, as for the Bonanza argument, it would be a tough sell for me due to the increased fuel burn and I am not a MD or JD..... It would cost more to go to medical and law school!
:lol::nono::lol::nono::lol:
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If you fly any bonanza at sierra speeds it will be using less fuel than the sierra
 
JHW said:
If you fly any bonanza at sierra speeds it will be using less fuel than the sierra
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Yep, when Marty had his Arrow I told him the same thing, when he finally got the Bonanza he tried it and found out it was true.
 
ROP cruise in mine is about 135 knots. Things I love about it are how roomy it is inside, a huge baggage door with a luggage area that holds 270lbs. The pilot side door is a big deal to me too. Most pilots don't seem to care about pilot side doors, but for my wife and I, it makes loading and unloading much easier, so I find it's worth mentioning.

As mentioned previously in this thread, beechaeroclub.org is an incredible resource. My membership fee has paid for itself many, many times over already and I've only owned my B24 for about 2.5 years. Some of the guys on that site are ridiculously knowledgeable about this type of aircraft, so it's been great to have access to that sort of specific info.

One of the main issues with these aircraft are from corrosion at the points on the airframe where the original fresh-air ducting touches the aircraft skin. To put all new ducts in the plane isn't really a show stopper, as new non-corrosive ducts are readily available. It's not a fun project, but it really wasn't terrible either and I'm not really a mechanical guy by nature. You just need to make sure that any corrosion that may exist from this issue has been taken care of.

Check to see how much play there is in the forward nose-gear when the plane is jacked up. I actually still need to get this fixed on my own plane, but it's just something that eventually gets worse over time and needs to be resolved. I believe there's a certain level of tolerance that's within limits, but I'd have to check to BAC site to see what those measurements are.

Has a nose-gear, down-lock indicator been installed? This is another fairly inexpensive fix that I did to my own plane that I highly recommend. What this does is verify with certainty that the nose-gear is locked in the down position when you look at the green indicator in the cockpit.

Not positive all of the above are issues with the A24 model, as I'm no expert, but those are the ones I know of off the top of my head.

I really don't have any regrets with my purchase and I think the plane is undervalued, which is great for those looking to buy them. For the short 120nm trip that I use it for most of the time, it's been fantastic. If you're looking to fly across the country all the time you may want some extra speed; buy for your mission.
 
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Henning said:
There is a tail mod to change the angle of incidence on the horizontal stabilizer that's supposed to give it 5+ knots.
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I have looked high and low for information on the incidence change mod, and have not been able to find anything. Can you point to it?
 
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