Best Plane To Buy With 1k Useful Load Under 100k$

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Viacheslav Kovalevskyi

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Hi there, I am in the final stage of getting to the license, flying solo, but not yet licensed. Thinking what airplane to buy. My budget: <100k, but can wait a year and go abouve 100k.

Mission: fly with 3 friends (me + my wife + another family) places like fly-in campings and overall places around us (mostly within <300 miles). Me and my friend are quite ... heavy :) therefore 800-900 pounds useful load is needed for 4 ppl, camping gear will add even more. So useful load is the main factor I care about, I am ok to have re-fulling stops each 100-200miles, fly slow, etc :)

What I am looking at currently (but I am quite new to the airplane search process therefore I am sure I am missing tons of the options):
* C182 (hard to find within budget)
* old bonanza V-tail (35)
 
Welcome to PoA. Comanche or Dakota?
 
Some models of Cardinal will get you close to 1000#
 
If you and your friends are 800-900 lbs, a 1000-lb useful load leaves enough weight for 6-12 gallons of gas. I think you need to target substantially more useful load, probably from a six-place airplane.
 
MauleSkinner said:
If you and your friends are 800-900 lbs, a 1000-lb useful load leaves enough weight for 6-12 gallons of gas. I think you need to target substantially more useful load, probably from a six-place airplane.
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yep, me 240, my friend 220, and both our spouses +270-300, so we are looking for 800-900 lbs, so yes not much room for the fuel :)
 
Dakota looks like a good option, thank you folks. Some of them have almost 1200lbs of useful load, amazing!
 
A Super Viking is a good fit budget and useful load wise, but 4 full-size adults going very far in one isn't that fun. I've flown mine with 4 grown men from Kansas City to central Florida, but that's not an experience I need to repeat.

An older Bonanza is good to be a solid choice. A Dakota or 182 would be good, but under $100k is a tall order. You really need something with 1200lbs or so of useful load. That's tough in a 4 seater, save for a few heavy lifters.
 
Viacheslav Kovalevskyi said:
yep, me 240, my friend 220, and both our spouses +270-300, so we are looking for 800-900 lbs, so yes not much room for the fuel :)
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I take back my recommendation for a 172 with a 180hp upgrade. Even if the useful load is sufficient, I don't think you all would fit. I'm 220 and my wife is 150 and our shoulders were touching and I was pushing against the door. And the back seat is even tighter.
 
I'll be a jerk again. I think you need to get real weights for all the people, then the typical stuff they wear, then the luggage you're carrying. If a Dakota works, then yes. But you may end up with a number that suggests a Cherokee 6.
 
Camping? I'm thinking gravel/grass fields may be an issue. That puts you in a C182. Or even a C210 but I hate Cessna retracts. It would work though. It would be outside of your budget.

Think about it though. If you can do 100K, you can probably do 150K, if it works for your mission. It sounds like in any case you need something at least roomy.
 
I think volume might be as big a concern as useful load here. An older Bonanza would haul it, but it wouldn’t be comfortable and CG would be iffy. I’d almost start thinking about a Lance, but that’s probably at least a third over the budget.
 
Covid weight gain 50 lbs, baggage allowance deducted 50lbs. Makes a difference. Don’t mess around with fuel. Do your calculations with full fuel and passengers. Then consider your baggage. 4 people cannot fit in a 4 person aircraft, usually, for reasons of weight and balance, comfort, etc.
 
You are budgeting 10k per year operating costs with a bad year at 20-50k right?
 
To those suggesting an older Bonanza, how old are we talking? The early ones had nowhere near 1000lbs of useful load.

In this segment of the market the twins like a 310, Baron, or Aztec will probably offer the most value for the useful load desired.
 
Exactly in the same situation. Have 100K to spend and need ~1000lbs useful load. I started the search with C182 but now considering Piper Six and maybe a Bonanza. A partnership would make it a bit more sense and allow for additional budget, but it's not easy to find a partner or two. Almost like finding a spouse.
 
benyflyguy said:
Want 1300 useful??? Want to spend 60 grand and have 40 around to upgrade to what you need??? What to be the talk of any ramp you land and park at?? If the answer is yes than I have the plane for you.
https://www.hangar67.com/aircraft/1952-cessna-195b/21015?psrc=16656
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I love those, great useful load.. but just wow on insurance and upkeep. Parts are very limited and if I recall every single airworthy one has damage history. sweet plane though and tons of interior space.
 
Comanche 250 with with tip tanks gets you 1300 useful. But you'll probably want a PA32.
 
I think the OP needs to redo the math.

He and his threesome weigh over a thousand pounds, plus camping gear for 4 people, say 150 lbs, plus fuel. The idea you need an 800-900# useful load us absurd. Unless you leave two of the foursome at home.
 
CT583 said:
I love those, great useful load.. but just wow on insurance and upkeep. Parts are very limited and if I recall every single airworthy one has damage history. sweet plane though and tons of interior space.
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Every part on the airframe is readily available or can be easily made. The Jacobs engine is very well supported by at least one overhaul shop.

A lot of people make a big deal about damage history but that doesn’t mean a damned thing. If repairs are done properly, the airplane is in as good a shape as it ever was.

Insurance wasn’t unreasonable when I had mine and maintenance was in line with, say, a 182.

As far as this particular airplane goes, it would need a very thorough inspection by a very knowledgeable 195 guy to determine just what kind of damage has been done and how much it would take to fix it.
 
Taking your request at face value, my thought is a Stinson. It’s slow, but it can haul (I don’t know about 1000lbs, but it’s closer than a 172).


Honestly, there is a good reason why 182s are popular for this kind of mission.
 
A late 182Q or R may get you about 1300. Paging @ktup-flyer

The earlier P model can legally go 1250-1300 for takeoff with a paperwork STC (Fresh Pick by Trolltune for $750 adds about 150). My P without is about 1075.

But you’ll have to wait since it’s above your “$100k now” price.
 
MarkH said:
Honestly, there is a good reason why 182s are popular for this kind of mission.
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my 182 with myself (170) wife (130), two Labradors (2x 80), the a/c-cooler (40) and a week worth of luggage (80). We are pretty close to maxed out with full fuel. Add 3000’ density altitude and it’s a sluggish ride.
I have the TrollTune Stc for 150 extra lbs to keep that extra cushion.

Its comfortable, but I just don’t like flying the plane that heavy.
 
CalPilot said:
Exactly in the same situation. Have 100K to spend and need ~1000lbs useful load. I started the search with C182 but now considering Piper Six and maybe a Bonanza. A partnership would make it a bit more sense and allow for additional budget, but it's not easy to find a partner or two. Almost like finding a spouse.
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Worse than finding a spouse. With a spouse you can kiss and make-up. At least should be able to.:)
 
Viacheslav Kovalevskyi said:
yep, me 240, my friend 220, and both our spouses +270-300, so we are looking for 800-900 lbs, so yes not much room for the fuel :)
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Lndwarrior said:
I think the OP needs to redo the math.

He and his threesome weigh over a thousand pounds, plus camping gear for 4 people, say 150 lbs, plus fuel. The idea you need an 800-900# useful load us absurd. Unless you leave two of the foursome at home.
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That's what I thought at first but on second look I'm not so sure I read it right. Perhaps the OP can clear this up.
At first I though one spouse weighted in at 270 and the other at 300, but looking at the way it is written, I now think it means that the two spouses together weight 257 to 300 combined, or about 150 each for a total of about 760#,
If I was originally right he needs a big plane. If I figured it out correctly his options open back up.
 
Viacheslav(is that Russian?). I think the first thing you have to do is get on the same page as everyone else. Useful load is a specific term. It means the difference between gross take off weight and empty (0 fuel, 0 passengers, 0 baggage) weight. It’s not how much stuff/ people you can put in the plane. Basically fuel to fly eats into that weight. And you will need at least 150 lb of it in a single engine plane to make any flight worth the effort, legal, and safe

Based on the numbers you supplied, you’d need over 1000lb for just people. Add bags and fuel and you are looking at useful load of more than 1300-1400lb. That’s a twin territory or a turboprop
 
mondtster said:
To those suggesting an older Bonanza, how old are we talking? The early ones had nowhere near 1000lbs of useful load.

In this segment of the market the twins like a 310, Baron, or Aztec will probably offer the most value for the useful load desired.
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I put the 900lb number into a P model I fly and it barely works with half fuel and almost zero baggage, mostly due to CG.

I tried it in an S model and I couldn’t make it work.
 
Viacheslav Kovalevskyi said:
Hi there, I am in the final stage of getting to the license, flying solo, but not yet licensed. Thinking what airplane to buy. My budget: <100k, but can wait a year and go abouve 100k.

Mission: fly with 3 friends (me + my wife + another family) places like fly-in campings and overall places around us (mostly within <300 miles). Me and my friend are quite ... heavy :) therefore 800-900 pounds useful load is needed for 4 ppl, camping gear will add even more. So useful load is the main factor I care about, I am ok to have re-fulling stops each 100-200miles, fly slow, etc :)

What I am looking at currently (but I am quite new to the airplane search process therefore I am sure I am missing tons of the options):
* C182 (hard to find within budget)
* old bonanza V-tail (35)
Click to expand...

Honestly, you can’t afford the plane you want and will be unhappy with what you end up with.
 
Alright, I reread the OP and it’s possible the total weight of passengers is around 800lb. That still puts you in 1000lb UL not enough. Bags/gear still take you to not having enough fuel to make any flight. And you’d need a 6cyl plane to make that work, or 15-18gph. With minimum reserve fuel that easily takes you to over 1100lb for an hour of flight. And if you’re going camping, can you get fuel at destination?
 
I have a 182P and while I can fit four people and decent fuel, there is not much room left for baggage. You might reconsider your mission or up the ante to a larger plane (a six or even a twin).
 
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