Want To Buy WTB small 2 seat aircraft. Specifics within

kayoh190 said:
Southwest Airlines.

I’m not sure a regular 911nm trip is the kind of thing you’d want to do in any kind of ‘budget’ airplane.

EDIT: I just read the twice per month. That’s not as often as I thought, but man, 911nm isn’t exactly a fun distance for a plane that needs to be more economical than a 172.
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Nope. I'd want a 200kt airplane at a minimum
 
kayoh190 said:
I just read the twice per month. That’s not as often as I thought, but man, 911nm isn’t exactly a fun distance for a plane that needs to be more economical than a 172.
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I know right... my first thought was troll post. Then the 14gph 172. Then can't find any info on any of those 3 planes?
Trying to keep that off the board, but well, there it is.
 
kayoh190 said:
Southwest Airlines.

I’m not sure a regular 911nm trip is the kind of thing you’d want to do in any kind of ‘budget’ airplane.
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I second this motion. This kind of trip on a regular basis in a small budget piston plane, or actually any piston plane, is painful. Once and a while, OK, go for the adventure, but if you're going to do it all the time, fly the airlines. There is a reason they invented the jet airliner.
 
A liberty xl2 ,certified aircraft,5gph cruise,two seats ,cruise 120kt.
 
Dav8or said:
I second this motion. This kind of trip on a regular basis in a small budget piston plane, or actually any piston plane, is painful. Once and a while, OK, go for the adventure, but if you're going to do it all the time, fly the airlines. There is a reason they invented the jet airliner.
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Not to mention weather. Every two weeks? Thunderstorms, icing, crappy frontal systems ...
 
goodson said:
The only issue with an M20 series is the initial cost. looking at $80,000+ for something halfway decent....
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Says you. My Mooney M20C was almost half that and was one of the most cherry ones available at the time. Examples can be had very inexpensively. Biggest bang for your buck. You cannot touch much of an RV anywhere near the cost of short bodied Mooney. Yeah, maybe an RV4, good luck taking one of those 900 miles on a regular basis.

The only bad thing about the M20C's is that most of panels are, shall we say, vintage. Not many have been updated with modern avionics, they're old and relatively inexpensive aircraft. If you step up to a 201 you can find an example with more recent avionics, but then you're going to pay. But there isn't anything better for eating miles inexpensively.
 
Dav8or said:
I second this motion. This kind of trip on a regular basis in a small budget piston plane, or actually any piston plane, is painful. Once and a while, OK, go for the adventure, but if you're going to do it all the time, fly the airlines. There is a reason they invented the jet airliner.
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I just did 450 nm on Sunday...I'm still sore, and it's Tuesday!
 
Hey man take it from a guy who does 950-1000 NM trip a few times a year in a very well equipped bonanza... it will be cheaper faster, and more reliable for you to just fly commercial. For this kind of trip you need to be IFR rated and proficient, have a plane that can fly IFR, you need a good auto pilot, and lots of flexibility. If you are going to cover that much ground you will almost always encounter multiple kinds of weather on the way. Hand flying this trip will be a real pain. Doing this kind of trip on any kind of a regular basis in a small 2 seat basic platform will be way worse then flying commercial. You can buy lots of plane tickets and rental cars and be much better off for this trip unless you are willing to put the $$$$ and time into getting a plane that is up to this mission.

Now if you want to buy this plane and use it for local hamburger runs and once a year or so take the time and effort to make this trip just because you can, then maybe. But if you are wanting to do this every other week or even once a month commercial is the way to go hands down.
 
I would also recommend the commercial route.

However, if you're dead set on making a regular trip like that then you should look into selling your 172 and buying something like an RV or Lancair that can make a trip like that in 5ish hours on 8-10 gph. I don't have any idea what a 2010 Skyhawk is worth but you may even come out money ahead which could be used to get yourself an IFR ticket if you don't already have one.
 
I do similar trips several times per year in a Grumman Tiger. 135 to 137 knots true at 10 to 10-1/2 gallons per hour. Great visibility, cheap operating costs, fixed gear, fixed pitch prop, within a few knots of a M20 C Mooney and with more back seat room.
 
steingar said:
Says you. My Mooney M20C was almost half that and was one of the most cherry ones available at the time. Examples can be had very inexpensively. Biggest bang for your buck. You cannot touch much of an RV anywhere near the cost of short bodied Mooney. Yeah, maybe an RV4, good luck taking one of those 900 miles on a regular basis.

The only bad thing about the M20C's is that most of panels are, shall we say, vintage. Not many have been updated with modern avionics, they're old and relatively inexpensive aircraft. If you step up to a 201 you can find an example with more recent avionics, but then you're going to pay. But there isn't anything better for eating miles inexpensively.
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M20C or E. Absolute best bang for the buck and with max 2 people its perfect. For the price of a poorly equipped 172, you can get a m20c with autopilot, GPS, the whole thing! And the mechanical gear makes the complex thing way less of an issue.

check out mooneyspace
 
Thorp T18 or S18, or Mustang II. 180mph burning 6-8 gph with a fixed pitch prop. I think the Mustang looks better.
 
Skyrys62 said:
I know right... my first thought was troll post. Then the 14gph 172. Then can't find any info on any of those 3 planes?
Trying to keep that off the board, but well, there it is.
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i was sure, just from the 1st post.
now he has 10,, all in this thread.
and he was here for a few hours in 1 day!
 
Cozy Mark IV, replace the back seats with an extra ferry tank and you can go direct.

Among certified; if you go newish, Diamond DA-40NG using Jet-A is super efficient, quiet, and comfortable on such a long flight.
If you go older, I would think Mooney is the best price/value since so efficient. But a Piper Arrow is undervalued and could be a descent compromise.

Good luck,

Tim
 
My Aerotrek A240 LSA would just barely meet your criteria for speed, but 911 miles in a day's flying (hand flying, mind you - no A/P) would be a long-ass day. The Aerotrek is economical, fun, and a capable XC plane, but it would get old doing that trip twice a month. I like the suggestions for an older Mooney or some such.
 
Spend $20k on another airplane to save $100 in gas? Troll post. 20 grand buys a lot of 100LL.
 
I’ve done a few one day 700+nm round trips in in my RV-4. At 8,500’ I typically see 160kts and plan on burning 8.5gph, though it is usually a bit under 8.

They are somewhat weight limited depending on specific gross weight is. Design is 1500# but many, including mine are registered as 1600#. I can put my 210lb butt up front, 180# passenger in back, full fuel (32 gal) and 20# baggage and be at gross weight. I can reasonably fly 3 hours between stops. Cockpit is a bit snug and I’m ready to stretch after 2 hours.

Not sure I’d want to do 911nm one way frequently.
 
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