Bellanca Viking

SoonerAviator

SoonerAviator

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SoonerAviator
What would you offer this guy? I know little about the Super Vikings, and there's not a whole lot of info in the ad, but I'd assume the panel is dated. Newer paint and interior, but a pretty close to run-out engine. Guy is asking $60K, but I feel like it's probably closer to $45K with the engine overhaul looming. Seems like most of the S-Vikings are running around $40-50K unless they had a nicer panel or new engine. Obviously a through inspection of the wings structures by a mechanic well-versed in Vikings would be necessary.

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/for/5067317653.html
 
There is no picture or description of the avionics so it's very tough to say ...

I remember when the Vikings were real popular here in TX because they're fast.
 
There's one rotting in a covered tie down next to my plane. Looks like a very expensive project....
 
lots of dreamers out there. That's all this guy is doing if he thinks a viking will fetch V35 money
 
That's kind of what I thought: insufficient data. The only way I can see it fetching close to that asking price is if the panel had modern stuff in it, GTN's, Aspen, etc. The overhaul at 1,700 TBO would probably run $17-20K id imagine. If you picked it up for $40K you might have a fair deal.
 
SoonerAviator said:
That's kind of what I thought: insufficient data. The only way I can see it fetching close to that asking price is if the panel had modern stuff in it, GTN's, Aspen, etc. The overhaul at 1,700 TBO would probably run $17-20K id imagine. If you picked it up for $40K you might have a fair deal.
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still way too high
 
A buddy of mine picked up one with "meh" avionics and 1700 TTSN airframe and engine for around $30K. Even though the engine is at TBO (Cont IO-520) it still runs strong and has good compressions and oil consumption is good too. It's a good flying airplane and the wings and fabric are in great shape since it spent its whole life in west Texas and was always hangared.
 
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High time engine and conveniently no photos or description of the panel, and the poor side view of the interior looks a little...well in needs cleaning or more, if you want the plane, I'd hit him at 25k, and wouldn't pay a cent over 30, presuming pre buy was stellar.

It's a odd ball plane, not many people in the market for a Viking, frankly you'd be better off taking your money over to a PA24, glasair, maule, etc.
 
James331 said:
It's a odd ball plane, not many people in the market for a Viking, frankly you'd be better off taking your money over to a PA24, glasair, maule, etc.
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now let's be fair. Every plane is a trade-off. The comanche is big and comfy but slower than a glasair, which is small but smokin fast.

OTOH the viking breaks the mold, it is not a trade-off at all. It manages to be slow, cramped, thirsty, noisy, and ugly, all in one convenient package.
 
You are probably already aware that Bellancas have wooden wings. While there is, from what I learnt, nothing generally wrong with this, it seems to be really difficult to find competent A&Ps for the pre-buy inspection and the regular maintenance.
I was once interested in Cruiseairs / Cruisemasters but quickly gave up on them because of this.
Even if wooden wings are fine with you, most potential buyers will have the same concerns, what makes the market IMHO pretty small and what is the reason for the low prices.
 
JHW said:
now let's be fair. Every plane is a trade-off. The comanche is big and comfy but slower than a glasair, which is small but smokin fast.

OTOH the viking breaks the mold, it is not a trade-off at all. It manages to be slow, cramped, thirsty, noisy, and ugly, all in one convenient package.
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:rofl::rofl::lol:
German guy said:
You are probably already aware that Bellancas have wooden wings. While there is, from what I learnt, nothing generally wrong with this, it seems to be really difficult to find competent A&Ps for the pre-buy inspection and the regular maintenance.
...
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They are strong wings!

cheerleaders.JPG
 
The nice thing about wood is you can eliminate 95% of your worries of inspection with your nose. A sniff will tell you if you have a rot problem.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
[...] They are strong wings!
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No question. Bellanca owners love their planes and have usually nothing but good things to say about them. It even appears as whether the wooden wings provide many advantages over metal wings and that, if kept in a hangar, rot would be less of an issue than corrosion on metal planes. Still, an A&P who has experience with wood will be needed and may be hard to find.
 
Lol, I know about the wood wings, but wasn't too concerned as long as a competent mechanic was doing the pre-buy. Now regarding the looks, I think we're being a bit harsh, lol. Aside from the big vertical stabilizer and the minor problem of not having the wheels retract fully, I think it's fairly decent-looking. I've never sat in one, personally, so I can't attest to how cramped they feel. My main concern was the relatively low useful load (and fuel capacity) for an aircraft in this category (competing with Commander 114's, Comanche's, V35's, etc.)
 
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I feel more cramped in the Viking than I do a Mooney. I wouldn't want to spend more than an hour in either one in a single sitting.
 
If i remember correctly this Bellanca has a pretty decent panel. Maybe a 530? But i could be wrong. It's been on craigslist for a while and had better pictures before.
 
thaxton89 said:
If i remember correctly this Bellanca has a pretty decent panel. Maybe a 530? But i could be wrong. It's been on craigslist for a while and had better pictures before.
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Yeah, I've seen it pop up for a while which just got me asking the questions about it. It looks nice externally, but is just priced too high for the market. Maybe the guy is just trying to find a sucker on the deal who is willing to pay him close to asking price. Even with a 530W, it's still out of what I would consider reasonable pricing, unless it's got a slew of other updated electronics (xpndr, com's, intercom, etc).
 
I am trying to sell it honey, it's on Craigslist right now. :rolleyes2:
 
German guy said:
No question. Bellanca owners love their planes and have usually nothing but good things to say about them. It even appears as whether the wooden wings provide many advantages over metal wings and that, if kept in a hangar, rot would be less of an issue than corrosion on metal planes. Still, an A&P who has experience with wood will be needed and may be hard to find.
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So, does anyone know of a good carpenter that has an A&P with IA?
 
No one will accuse the Super Viking of being excessively roomy, but once installed, it is quite comfortable, and it is a fingertip dream to fly; very light on the controls and yet very stable, as well. Get her trimmed up, and she will fly all day long hands-off.

As for the looks, I guess it's a matter of opinion; I think the planes are beautiful.
 
IIRC, the entire Viking wings were submerged in a preservative sealant before being covered when they were built.
 
Zeldman said:
So, does anyone know of a good carpenter that has an A&P with IA?
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That's a tough find, but IIRC Bellanca factory still exists, I'm sure you can get one of those guys onto a plane to do the prebuy, there's also a couple other good shops around with guys that still know wood. It's still a good material to build planes out of.
 
I've had my Viking since last October and love it. Cards on the table... It's my first plane and I have limited experience with others. This is way too high for a BSV with a runout engine. You can find one in really good shape and a good panel for that price. Another good place to post this question would be over on www.Viking pilots.com forum. A lot of those guys have these birds catalogued and often know of or have experience with them. There were only about 1300 produced after all. Overall I am glad I bought it and would again however here are some of my pros and cons. The upside is it's cheap to get into, relatively fast and handles nicely. The downside is there are not a lot of experienced mechanics out there, fuel burn and cockpit size. And yes the factory still exists up in MN, but they're no longer producing planes, just parts.
 
Having had owned a wooden airplane for a couple years now, I wouldn't personally be concerned about buying another, provided I didn't find any issues when I went through it.

The nice thing about wood is that I can fabricate replacement parts pretty cheaply with minimum skill and tooling.

To some degree a wooden airplane, concerns me less than a metal plane, keep the things in a decent hangar so they stay dry and there isn't much to worry about. Not always the case with an aluminum bird.

Whenever I tell someone it's built out of wood they always act like that's just totally crazy. Next thing I ask them is how old is their house and what is it made out of. That usually stops the conversation in its tracks :)
 
I've got a little turbo Viking time. I will agree it's a little small inside. But it was comfortable, fast, and a dream to fly. The real issue you have is whether the wood and fabric have been taken care of, and resell value. I enjoyed flying it
 
I did a contract job for Bellanca-Alexandria back in the late 70s to put all their antennas inside the wood wing. Project turned out beautifully, they all worked WAY better than the external pig-stickers. My deal was actual expenses from California to Alex plus $50 for each airplane they produced with my antennas.

They produced 2 airplanes and went out of business. I didn't even get my $100 out of the deal. Bummer.

That was the COLDEST I've ever been in my life. Actual was 35 below with wind chill down to 50. DAMN but that was cold.

Jim
 
Henning said:
The nice thing about wood is you can eliminate 95% of your worries of inspection with your nose. A sniff will tell you if you have a rot problem.
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I must have missed the sniff test in the 43.13
 
brien23 said:
I must have missed the sniff test in the 43.13
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I taught a USCG inspector the same trick, USCG doesn't teach about wood inspection either. Wood rot is the product of digestion of fungus and bacteria, and as such puts out a sickly sweet smell that is quite distinct and identifiable.
 
Super Viking is quite possibly best value out there if your mission suits what the plane can provide.

Please get very educated about them before you buy....they are not your typical plane. But find one well taken care of....can be a goldmine.

My .02
 
TEFLONSEAN said:
Super Viking is quite possibly best value out there if your mission suits what the plane can provide.

Please get very educated about them before you buy....they are not your typical plane. But find one well taken care of....can be a goldmine.

My .02
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I had the privilege of going for a ride in one.....if I was looking for a traveling airplane the Super Viking is where I would start. I really enjoyed flying it.
 
DavidWhite said:
I had the privilege of going for a ride in one.....if I was looking for a traveling airplane the Super Viking is where I would start. I really enjoyed flying it.
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No doubt....not the greatest of room....but handle very well in turbulence....you can see the wings flexing a bit if it's bad...no worries they will stay there.

great ifr platform....complex....

if you can find a good one...would be best value out there based on similar aircraft.

People get hung up on wood and fabric.....its definitely is a plane that needed to live its life in a hangar....or issues will be overwhelming.
 
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