C441 real world range

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C_Parker

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Good morning,

I'm looking for an aircraft that will need to fly 2000nm legs regularly, regardless of wind direction. Speed is valuable, but not necessarily the top priority.

The Cessna 441 seems to fit the bill perfectly in terms of cost and capability. What I'm not sure of though is that I'm reading some specs that call for a 2000 nm range, some 2200, and some as high as 2500 nm. Which one is accurate in the real world? A plane with a max range of 2000 miles will not work well because that means conditions have to be just so and I don't like sweating the last hour over fuel.

Thanks
 
These legs over water?
 
To carry anything at those ranges it's more like King Air 300s, Lear 35A, Phenom 300 arena.
 
C_Parker said:
Good morning,

I'm looking for an aircraft that will need to fly 2000nm legs regularly, regardless of wind direction. Speed is valuable, but not necessarily the top priority.

The Cessna 441 seems to fit the bill perfectly in terms of cost and capability. What I'm not sure of though is that I'm reading some specs that call for a 2000 nm range, some 2200, and some as high as 2500 nm. Which one is accurate in the real world? A plane with a max range of 2000 miles will not work well because that means conditions have to be just so and I don't like sweating the last hour over fuel.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The Conquest II won't do it.

If I presume correctly, you are planning to operate single-pilot. You state that the 441 fits the bill in terms of cost, so it seems that your budget is limited to the acquisition and operating costs of a decades-old turboprop.

I'm certainly not an expert, but I cannot think of any single-pilot GA aircraft--piston, turboprop, or jet--that can reliably fly 2000nm legs regardless of winds, much less one that falls into the price range indicated. Most turboprops are designed for a maximum range of 1200-1800nm, as the market increasingly favors jet speeds as segment lengths exceed 4hrs or so. Some newer single-pilot jets (Phenom 300?) might hit the mark, but not against strong headwinds, and not for the price of a 441.

I hope someone on the forum knows of such a beast, because I would be very interested to find out what it is.
 
T Bird said:
These legs over water?
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There are two 2000nm legs on my trips, the first is over land, 50% of the second leg is over water.
kaiser said:
To carry anything at those ranges it's more like King Air 300s, Lear 35A, Phenom 300 arena.
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I had been looking at the Phenom 300, I hadn't considered the 35A, I'll check it out. I appreciate the recommendations.
Plano Pilot said:
Falcon 50
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I had not considered the Falcon 50, I'll check the specs. Thank you
Roger Wilco said:
The Conquest II won't do it.

If I presume correctly, you are planning to operate single-pilot. You state that the 441 fits the bill in terms of cost, so it seems that your budget is limited to the acquisition and operating costs of a decades-old turboprop.

I'm certainly not an expert, but I cannot think of any single-pilot GA aircraft--piston, turboprop, or jet--that can reliably fly 2000nm legs regardless of winds, much less one that falls into the price range indicated. Most turboprops are designed for a maximum range of 1200-1800nm, as the market increasingly favors jet speeds as segment lengths exceed 4hrs or so. Some newer single-pilot jets (Phenom 300?) might hit the mark, but not against strong headwinds, and not for the price of a 441.

I hope someone on the forum knows of such a beast, because I would be very interested to find out what it is.
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Single pilot is a requirement, yes.
 
I thought this was one of the party tricks the Merlin could do with its enormous fuel tanks.

I would have thought a 441 was close behind, but I see it's about 175 gallons shy in comparison.
 
An alternate route is three ~1500nm legs, all over land, but it's less desirable.
 
schmookeeg said:
I thought this was one of the party tricks the Merlin could do with its enormous fuel tanks.

I would have thought a 441 was close behind, but I see it's about 175 gallons shy in comparison.
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Good call--I had forgotten about the Merlin. I think the IIIB advertised a still-air IFR range of about 2400NM. I'm guessing that in order to achieve the advertised range it would be necessary to climb into RSVM airspace. With a headwind of 50+, even it would fall short.
 
I don't think what you're looking to do is reasonably possible without dropping the SP requirement and looking into the more serious jets.

You won't want to SP those leg lengths on a regular basis anyway.
 
King Air 360 has a version that will fly pretty long.

Just looked it up 2600+ nm. . so with wind, 2000 is within range. Not sure of within your budget, but its single pilot and 2000nm.
 
You are also going to need additional range for a alternate airport. I think you will have to do the three 1500 mile legs. If you plan on carrying any cargo even that might be questionable.
 
Are you wanting to do two 2,000nm legs in a single trip/day, single pilot? That sounds beyond exhausting especially considering how many time zones you're going to cross doing that trip. In a Conquest II with no wind you're looking at something like 12 hours of flying not including the stop.
 
Zeldman said:
I think the numbers are wrong in the title.

I believe it should have read C141...
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I've glanced at this thread title a couple of times thinking "Wow, someone on POA is buying a Starlifter!"

:biggrin:
 
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