Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
I wish you would have told me that before my wife rode with me in a C-340. When I told her it might be time to buy a plane, her immediate suggestion was C-340.!!
What Plane Should I Buy? Twin-Engine Edition
- Thread starter Sluggo63
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I wish you would have told me that before my wife rode with me in a C-340. When I told her it might be time to buy a plane, her immediate suggestion was C-340.!!
Sluggo63
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Nothing yet, but I have an offer in on a Seneca III, waiting to hear back from the seller. I think that'll be a good compromise between my mission, comfort and cost.
If we can't reach an agreement on price, I may include a P-Baron in my search...
Nice. Just dont land it on the nosewheel.....
A gentleman I worked with has owned a few regular barons, a p-baron and a few 310s. He was going back and forth between his places in ND and MT for many years. He sold the 'P' as it was just too expensive to maintain relative to his other twins. You basically have the same engines and systems to maintain as on a 340, just in a smaller airframe.
Shepherd
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Sluggo63
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I know. This is why I'm hung up on this whole thing. If I'm going to go P Baron, I might as well go 340. From what I see, the Baron would get me from Phoenix to Austin in one leg vs. two legs in the Seneca. But, from what I can gather, the Baron is going to be costlier to own from a fixed- and per-hour cost. I was trying to be responsible and balance the cost and mission, but making that PHX-AUS trip in one leg would be nice. Not exactly necessary, but just nice. Going PHX-DEN to see my family high (high altitude, not me or my family high) over the mountains would be nicer than going around south, east, then north. Then if I'm going to do that, being pressurized would be nice rather than being on the hose...
See, I can justify anything to myself and twist my own logic into spending more of my own money. That's why I was telling myself... get the Seneca, it's all you really need. But the devil on my shoulder has different plans.
Decisions, decisions...
Tantalum
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I'm not in a position to buy (yet) but if I do I'd really like a twin. I know they're more to maintain, but the bigger cabin, safety (if you're proficient), etc. make it worth it to me. The Seneca is the constant thing I keep falling back to as far as "this is the best overall compromise"
The 340 just looks "too corporate" for me and I really don't like how Cessna's feel and look on the inside.
The Baron, never got the obsession with that and the Bonanza.. for how imposing they are on the outside the cabin feels remarkably small
So I agree.. Seneca it is
(granted, if money, time, proficiency, and resources are no issue than the Aerostar would be fantastic)
schmookeeg
En-Route
It's funny you say this -- I find the aerostars rather small inside, like you find the beeches.
I wonder if it's an issue of where the cabin width is placed. I'm 6'2 so I might favor shoulder room over hip room, and I find beeches comfortable. I find the 340 downright claustro, to the point of not wanting to get inside of one.
Senecas and PA32s of course have them all beat.
Tantalum
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They are somewhat tight.. I was a little disappointed when I first sat in one. But the overall looks and the sheer speed and performance of the thing balance it out. It's like a piston SR71 to me
schmookeeg
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Sluggo63
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Of course not. In fact, the ones I'm looking at have two red handles to pull. See, right there on the right.
We did a similar mission for years in our 310R (naturally aspirated), 800 miles from Phoenix to Rapid City, SD. Actually, we still do it. So many trips across the Rockies, plus we've done Oshkosh and other places really far east of where we live. It's been a great airplane for it but as the frequency increased we've decided to move up, plus pressurization when you're in the Rockies once a week will be really nice. For the 3.5 years we've had it it has been a really great, solid airplane and I'm so glad to have been able to own it. The dog was a big factor in our decision to move up because of the pressurization.
So, long story short. The 310R is a great airplane for your mission. Just a personal opinion though, from someone who has been there and done that, and still doing it (until ours sells)
So, long story short. The 310R is a great airplane for your mission. Just a personal opinion though, from someone who has been there and done that, and still doing it (until ours sells)
charheep
Cleared for Takeoff
No love for the Duke?
EdFred
Taxi to Parking
Tantalum
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Haha! Don't worry I picked up on it.. interesting to the first question two of my friends asked when I discussed potentially purchasing a twin at some point was "but will it have a parachute?" ..I was actually referring to @Tantalum with the red handle comment.
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Ari
What are you upgrading to?
Either a C425 or a Cheyenne of some vintage. Selling our 182 and 310
If it was still a trip we were doing occasionally (once a month, maybe even twice a month) we would probably keep it. But it's close to once every 10 days or so and it just doesn't make sense anymore to try to do it with the 310.