Plane fantasizing

Ozone

Ozone

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Aug 10, 2014
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Ozone
In my quest to ignore the dreary drumbeat of icky news, I frequent the trade-a-plane website. Today, I saw 1958 comanche 250 & a 1961 Beech N35. Both had same/similar avionics, engine times, price, etc.

Which would you buy, if everything was equal?
Which one has less costly maintenance?
Which one would you put your family in?
Which one get better gas mileage?

-just curious to know where the consensus lies....
 
You asked that on PoA? Of course the answer is the Bo! You must be new here.

Other than that, we can discuss the Lycosauras vs Continental, fixed vs retract, Fuel Injection vs Carb. All we're missing is High wing vs low wing for this pairing. ;)

ATBE I actually vote Bo on this one.
 
I think the Beech is a better looking airplane, but I have a (completely baseless) feeling that caring for an old Piper will be easier on the pocketbook.
 
Ozone said:
In my quest to ignore the dreary drumbeat of icky news, I frequent the trade-a-plane website. Today, I saw 1958 comanche 250 & a 1961 Beech N35. Both had same/similar avionics, engine times, price, etc.

Which would you buy, if everything was equal?
Which one has less costly maintenance?
Which one would you put your family in?
Which one get better gas mileage?

-just curious to know where the consensus lies....
Click to expand...

Comanche.... for style, Bo for support and parts. Or forgo it all and get a GV 650 of course.......
 
kayoh190 said:
I think the Beech is a better looking airplane........
Click to expand...

Just like every.... other .... Bonanza out there on every ramp you fly to. You don't see Comanches too often. Side by side, I'll bet people are drawn to the Piper over the Beech when it comes to ramp appeal.
 
Unit74 said:
Just like every.... other .... Bonanza out there on every ramp you fly to. You don't see Comanches too often. Side by side, I'll bet people are drawn to the Piper over the Beech when it comes to ramp appeal.
Click to expand...

Personally, I like the looks and outward visibility of the Beech. I hear they land easier too. I like the engine in the Piper.
 
Ravioli said:
You asked that on PoA? Of course the answer is the Bo! You must be new here.

Other than that, we can discuss the Lycosauras vs Continental, fixed vs retract, Fuel Injection vs Carb. All we're missing is High wing vs low wing for this pairing. ;)
Click to expand...

And of course SIngle Engine vs Multi Engine...:goofy:
 
Unit74 said:
Just like every.... other .... Bonanza out there on every ramp you fly to. You don't see Comanches too often. Side by side, I'll bet people are drawn to the Piper over the Beech when it comes to ramp appeal.
Click to expand...

But it’s a V-tail! My first instructor when I started my PPL and I were watching one taxi up to the FBO while we were going out to start a lesson. I had not seen one in person and was enamored with it. He said “nothing says ‘hey I have a huge ****’ like rolling up to the FBO in a V-tail Bonanza.”
 
Ozone said:
In my quest to ignore the dreary drumbeat of icky news, I frequent the trade-a-plane website. Today, I saw 1958 comanche 250 & a 1961 Beech N35. Both had same/similar avionics, engine times, price, etc.

Which would you buy, if everything was equal?
Which one has less costly maintenance?
Which one would you put your family in?
Which one get better gas mileage?

-just curious to know where the consensus lies....
Click to expand...

Buy both of them. That way you'll always have one to fly while the other is down for annual or waiting on parts. ;)
 
Unit74 said:
Just like every.... other .... Bonanza out there on every ramp you fly to. You don't see Comanches too often. Side by side, I'll bet people are drawn to the Piper over the Beech when it comes to ramp appeal.
Click to expand...

I've seen them side by side many times, it seems like Comanches are smaller because they are lower to the ground.
 
Unit74 said:
Just like every.... other .... Bonanza out there on every ramp you fly to. You don't see Comanches too often. Side by side, I'll bet people are drawn to the Piper over the Beech when it comes to ramp appeal.
Click to expand...

True, there are a lot of Debonair/Bonanzas out there - but something Beech did with the design really resonates with me. Also really love the ramp presence when you stand up next to one. That's not to say I don't like the Comanche - I think that's a good looking plane too, and if shopping for an airplane of that vintage, it's probably what I'd buy.
 
FloridaPilot said:
I've seen them side by side many times, it seems like Comanches are smaller because they are lower to the ground.
Click to expand...

The odds of that are staggering.... Bought a lotto ticket yet?o_O
 
LoLPilot said:
But it’s a V-tail! My first instructor when I started my PPL and I were watching one taxi up to the FBO while we were going out to start a lesson. I had not seen one in person and was enamored with it. He said “nothing says ‘hey I have a huge ****’ like rolling up to the FBO in a V-tail Bonanza.”
Click to expand...

Yep! I know the feeling


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Just buy oil by the gallon ...
Click to expand...

Grease in a perfect landing in a 195, men will want to shake your hand at the ramp, women will want to bear your children, children will look to you as a hero, tower will say “nice plane!”, ground will give you preferential treatment, and you my friend will have arrived.
 
I'm just here so people can get #triggered about me coming within a square mile of a thread that utters the word comanche LOL. :D

Joking aside, my answer is: neither. Get a C33A or newer equivalent. The -A suffixes are IO-520 285HP variants of the same airframe by the way. Personally I would get a G33 (260hp IO-470 from the factory) if you could find one. An IO-470N modded C33 (whereas stock is 225hp 7:1 CR cylinder IO470J/K) is the same airplane but you cannot legally bump the MGW, which makes it a limited upgrade imo. The G33 came with the legal increase from the factory. To be clear, the -As have higher MGWs than the 225hp or 260hp equipped ones, as one would expect.

I used to feel strongly about the differences between getting into a -520 vice -470, or hell even tsio-360. I no longer feel that way. They're all equally likely to chunk an exhaust valve and ruin your day, as they have members of this forum in the recent past. So the added hassle of the 520 chunking the alternator gear doesn't really keep me up at night in that context anymore. Ditto for a spun starter adapter eating your steak dinner money, or a VAR crank expense, or turbo ducting woes on the tsio. You either buy into it or you don't. On the Lyco side, Comanche 250 chunked a camshaft in cruise two weeks ago out of the blue, and I considered that engine bulletproof. Bottom line, engines are sunk costs in this hobby. Get a chute or a second engine, if that's what you're worried about regarding the whole "which would you put your family in?" question. I've yet to have a power loss on my Lyco O-320 (prior) and IO-360 (current) respectively, understanding these small mills are not apples to apples to the performance of the 250HP+ birds you're talking about. BL, I consider powerplants the real achilles heel of this hobby. I rationalize my choices within the limitations of the hobby, or I exit stage.

icky news? Hope nothing's wrong with your current ship.
 
I'd say the thinking here is all wrong....it's not the purchase price but, the ownership costs that matter.
 
Comanche. Because that's the second plane I will never buy, a couple years after the first plane I will never buy. Lotto tickets in hand while I work another shift. :rolleyes:
 
texasclouds said:
Grease in a perfect landing in a 195, men will want to shake your hand at the ramp, women will want to bear your children, children will look to you as a hero, tower will say “nice plane!”, ground will give you preferential treatment, and you my friend will have arrived.
Click to expand...
Cardinals have the same effect and burn a lot less gas and oil ;):D
 
texasclouds said:
Grease in a perfect landing in a 195, men will want to shake your hand at the ramp, women will want to bear your children, children will look to you as a hero, tower will say “nice plane!”, ground will give you preferential treatment, and you my friend will have arrived.
Click to expand...

The only question I have is what drugs are you on....I want some!

If you had said Mooney instead of a 195...

Tom
 
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