PA32, 210 or Bonanza

With that budget, the required useful load, and assuming you want something in reasonable shape, a PA32-260 works. Definitely not a fast plane, but it will carry what you need in your relatively short trips. Maintenance should not be bad either. My brother-in-law has one and it suits him very well. It's just him and his wife and two kids, but they pack like they are moving! They treat it just like a large SUV. It's only painful for me when we fly somewhere together. I fly a Mooney so I have to throttle waaay back to stay with him as he can only get around 125-130, maybe 135 with everything pushed forward. Still, he can sure carry a lot of crap in that plane!!
 
SmashTime said:
When I'd fly 250NM in the 235 sometimes due to the wind it would take 1.5 hours or 2 hours..... I hated it when it took the 2 hours, it definitely made a difference to my butt.

My dream trip would either be to Florida or Vegas. I'd appreciate the speed then even more.

I read somewhere if you get all the Laminar Flow upgrades for the SIX 260 it can get in the 140knot range. Which would be better then the 125-130 I'm seeing otherwise.
Click to expand...

If a 2 hour flight in a small GA plane is a pain to your butt, and you hated it, then going to an airplane that is 30 knots faster isn't going to make that big of a difference. Sorry, that's just reality.
 
RotorAndWing said:
If a 2 hour flight in a small GA plane is a pain to your butt, and you hated it, then going to an airplane that is 30 knots faster isn't going to make that big of a difference. Sorry, that's just reality.
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So many flavors, but you choose to be salty. Are you that put off by my thread?

I hated the fact that some times I flew 100 knots to my destination and other I flew 165 knots. Who doesn't hate that?

What you consider a big difference is obviously different then me your highness. Thank you for sparing your precious time with your posts in my thread.
 
You know, an early Comanche with tip tanks gets you 1250+ of useful load. That leaves you 360+lbs of fuel and baggage after loading up all the flesh.
 
Perezhr said:
With that budget, the required useful load, and assuming you want something in reasonable shape, a PA32-260 works. Definitely not a fast plane, but it will carry what you need in your relatively short trips. Maintenance should not be bad either. My brother-in-law has one and it suits him very well. It's just him and his wife and two kids, but they pack like they are moving! They treat it just like a large SUV. It's only painful for me when we fly somewhere together. I fly a Mooney so I have to throttle waaay back to stay with him as he can only get around 125-130, maybe 135 with everything pushed forward. Still, he can sure carry a lot of crap in that plane!!
Click to expand...

I imagine if I was flying in comfort, then the 130 knots wouldn't be terrible but it's just so dang tempting to look at 150k planes lol
 
EdFred said:
You know, an early Comanche with tip tanks gets you 1250+ of useful load. That leaves you 360+lbs of fuel and baggage after loading up all the flesh.
Click to expand...

My previous mission was really fit for a Comanche. Flying by myself mostly. How would the 2 big guys fit up front?
 
SmashTime said:
My previous mission was really fit for a Comanche. Flying by myself mostly. How would the 2 big guys fit up front?
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2 guys that wear 48 jackets can sit up front without touching shoulders at all.

I wear a 46 my dad wears a 44-46 and there's still probably 4-6" between the two of us and we sit with the seats in the same rail slot. No need to stagger.

How tall are the women?
 
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SmashTime said:
So many flavors, but you choose to be salty. Are you that put off by my thread?

I hated the fact that some times I flew 100 knots to my destination and other I flew 165 knots. Who doesn't hate that?

What you consider a big difference is obviously different then me your highness. Thank you for sparing your precious time with your posts in my thread.
Click to expand...

Sorry to impose a little bit of reality here.

Carry on.
 
EdFred said:
2 guys that wear 48 jackets can sit up front without touching shoulders at all.

I wear a 46 my dad wears a 44-46 and there's still probably 4-6" between the two of us and we sit with the seats in the same rail slot. No need to stagger
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That's close to us for sure. Worth taking a look at least

5'9 and 5'7
 
Aztec.

155-160 KTAS @ 21 gph combined. Room for all 4 of you and anything you can stuff in the door. You'll all be very comfortable, too. Get one within your budget.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Aztec.

155-160 KTAS @ 21 gph combined. Room for all 4 of you and anything you can stuff in the door. You'll all be very comfortable, too. Get one within your budget.
Click to expand...

Worried my budget won't be able to maintain a twin... : (
 
I turned down a partnership in a 6-260 for a couple of reasons, but one of them is it's about the same speed, maybe a coupl'a knots faster than the arrow. I don't have a need to haul a bunch of weight so it didn't make a lot of sense for MY mission. the lance I fly is a solid 150kt plane and comfy/roomy. love the extra speed. don't love the extra price tag. I have no idea how this information helps you, but figured I'd throw in my .02.
 
SmashTime said:
When I'd fly 250NM in the 235 sometimes due to the wind it would take 1.5 hours or 2 hours..... I hated it when it took the 2 hours, it definitely made a difference to my butt.

My dream trip would either be to Florida or Vegas. I'd appreciate the speed then even more.

I read somewhere if you get all the Laminar Flow upgrades for the SIX 260 it can get in the 140knot range. Which would be better then the 125-130 I'm seeing otherwise.
Click to expand...

My 260 would do 140.....at war power....and that was with the flaps adjusted to max up position (-2 deg). All else was stock with wheel pants. A fair amount of them do not have the flaps adjusted properly and are a little on the slower side.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
My 260 would do 140.....at war power....and that was with the flaps adjusted to max up position (-2 deg). All else was stock with wheel pants. A fair amount of them do not have the flaps adjusted properly and are a little on the slower side.
Click to expand...

Lol, war power. Haven't heard that one.
 
EdFred said:
2 guys that wear 48 jackets can sit up front without touching shoulders at all.

I wear a 46 my dad wears a 44-46 and there's still probably 4-6" between the two of us and we sit with the seats in the same rail slot. No need to stagger.

How tall are the women?
Click to expand...

Ya but 4 plus bags in that is much tighter than a Six....also the gear will cost more to maintain.
 
SmashTime said:
Lol, war power. Haven't heard that one.
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+75% and 120 deg rich of peak. :D



The Six is the most boring outta what you selected but it's the cheapest large single to own and operate.

Aztec is a good second choice. Good for roominess but you could get killed with maintenance and fuel.
 
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Checkout_my_Six said:
Ya but 4 plus bags in that is much tighter than a Six....also the gear will cost more to maintain.
Click to expand...

How so? 4 bags easily sit in the 200lb baggage area behind the bench seat. Whether there are bags or not is irrelevant on tightness.

Gear is 1000hrs though. Mx on it year to year is nothing.
 
EdFred said:
How so? 4 bags easily sit in the 200lb baggage area behind the bench seat. Whether there are bags or not is irrelevant on tightness.

Gear is 1000hrs though. Mx on it year to year is nothing.
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Bungies too? I regularly help with maintenance on a Comanche they are much smaller than a Six. Not saying it wouldn't work. But it'll cost more.
 
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SmashTime said:
I read somewhere if you get all the Laminar Flow upgrades for the SIX 260 it can get in the 140knot range. Which would be better then the 125-130 I'm seeing otherwise.
Click to expand...

If speed is the goal, the PA32-260 is not going to be your best choice. Buying a piper and then spending money on all the 'speed mods' is not a good way to spend your money. 1/2 of them don't do a thing and they add nothing at re-sale.

In the price range you are talking about, you are probably going to find a better value in a 210 than a Bo. You'll have to find an expert to help you look at candidate planes. A bad one can turn into a bottomless pit, a good one will get you around at a better speed than the Six and only cost a little bit more to maintain. The other option is a Lance. Only slightly slower than the A36 or C210 but the same cabin and stowage as the Six.
 
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SmashTime said:
I'll pull back to save fuel most every trip.
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I laughed out loud when I read this.

Why?

Because I used to say this.
Because I said this to justify buying my baron.

I have NEVER done it. Not once.

I now know I will NEVER do it. Ever.

Neither will you. But it sounds so good.:lol:

You will fly just like me most likely... WOT, as fast as the thing will go. Maybe LOP, but that's about it.

At the end of the day, you just gotta get there. BTW, when I fly the travel air, I fly it WOT too... I just can't help myself...:rofl:
 
So true, I only pull back when I'm over 75 percent are doing a local scenic flight.
 
retailguy said:
I laughed out loud when I read this.

Why?

Because I used to say this.
Because I said this to justify buying my baron.

I have NEVER done it. Not once.

I now know I will NEVER do it. Ever.

Neither will you. But it sounds so good.:lol:

You will fly just like me most likely... WOT, as fast as the thing will go. Maybe LOP, but that's about it.

At the end of the day, you just gotta get there. BTW, when I fly the travel air, I fly it WOT too... I just can't help myself...:rofl:
Click to expand...


I can verify this, I was WOT in my 235 most times. I wished I wouldn't of been during my training xc's though.

Hell, you're probably right.
 
James331 said:
You mearly chit on other opinions without bringing anything better to the table.
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pot_calls_kettle_black.jpg




I offered a bit of reality when someone shops "speed" on a SE GA airplane. With a spread of 30 knots in cruise speed, the difference in a 300 mile trip (as the OP stated) is but a few minutes difference.
 
RotorAndWing said:
I offered a bit of reality when someone shops "speed" on a SE GA airplane. With a spread of 30 knots in cruise speed, the difference in a 300 mile trip (as the OP stated) is but a few minutes difference.
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Till you toss in the 20kt headwind which invariably happens, then that few minutes can turn into half an hour or an hour. But you knew that. :)
 
timwinters said:
David had a really bad experience once with the hydraulic system on a 210 quite likely because it was a clapped out rental that hadn't been properly maintained. It's human nature to lump things into big groups thus now all 210s are pieces of schitt in David's world.

Can't really blame him, it was a pretty serious deal.
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What does the hydraulic system in a 210 control, apart from the gear?
 
EdFred said:
Till you toss in the 20kt headwind which invariably happens, then that few minutes can turn into half an hour or an hour. But you knew that. :)
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True, but when the spread is 30 knots, how much real difference is it for the 130 knot airplane versus the 160 knot airplane?

Again, it's for the buyer to decide. If those few minutes are a deal breaker, by all means buy the faster airplane.
 
RotorAndWing said:
Only the landing gear, which includes the doors. I believe on the early 210's (pre '64) the flaps were hydraulic as well.
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Fair enough. Maybe it was a flap issue. Can't think of a landing gear issue that would have someone so shaken.
 
I favor the 210. That said, I've flown about every modern single piston out there.

I have around 600 hours in three different Turbo 210's and it's still one of my all time favorites.

I flew part-time for a company in the early 80's that had a 77 model & it would haul six souls just fine. When the weather got nasty we put on oxygen masks & flew above the ice & turbulence. It flies a bit like a truck but when you're single pilot IFR that stability is really appreciated.

Two of the three I flew still had the gear doors & I never had an issue with the gear going up & down.

I too am searching for an airplane but the 210 is a bit beyond my budget. I could afford the purchase price but I'm fairly certain the upkeep costs would eat my lunch.

I also agree with the 206 comment. A nice airplane to fly & a bit unappreciated as a personal plane. Most are or are going to be freighters.

Good luck with your search.
 
I'm 5 9 inverted A frame, 170 and the guy who owned the weird nose 206 was about the same but shorter about 5 7. We rubbed shoulders (we re both workout types so our shoulder to waist ratio is larger than average for our heights,but still). I wasn't impressed with the 206.

A lance on the other hand. Roomy, I'm like a hotdog down a hallway in there at my height weight. The op should be good in there. The gear cost on the 28 32 44 series is chump change. It's straight up fixed gear compared to Cessna swing gear costs. Soi guess I vote lance for the op. Fixed gear sixes? Yikes 15 gph to go arrow speeds? Unless we re talking sub 200nm,ouch $$$
 
hindsight2020 said:
I'm 5 9 inverted A frame, 170 and the guy who owned the weird nose 206 was about the same but shorter about 5 7. We rubbed shoulders (we re both workout types so our shoulder to waist ratio is larger than average for our heights,but still). I wasn't impressed with the 206.

A lance on the other hand. Roomy, I'm like a hotdog down a hallway in there at my height weight. The op should be good in there. The gear cost on the 28 32 44 series is chump change. It's straight up fixed gear compared to Cessna swing gear costs. Soi guess I vote lance for the op. Fixed gear sixes? Yikes 15 gph to go arrow speeds? Unless we re talking sub 200nm,ouch $$$
Click to expand...

The OP is tall. The 206/210 is narrower than the lance you are right but has more headroom. You're fairly short at 5'9" if you had a few more inches of height you'd appreciate the 206/210.

The Lance is 6 inches wider according to published stats and an inch less headroom. If you're tall, that extra inch makes a big difference. I'm not as tall as the OP but at 6'2" myself I'd go for the extra headroom any day of the week.
 
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