Single Engine or Twin?

Thinice said:
If you want to talk Twinkie's, let me know. I have been involved in a partnership for a little over three years and have been very involved on the maintenance side as well.

David
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I love Twinkies and looked long and hard at them. The problem with buying one is that there is a MUCH wider variation in airframes than I've seen with other rides. The top 5 percent are really nice, but it's a steep drop off in the curve after that, and "creampuff" or "turnkey" obviously has a way different meaning to some.

You see a more level distribution in Barons and other types.

Richman
 
mshunter said:
@Roger Roger brings up a good point. They didn't make many Twin Comanches, and they've been out of production for a long time. Parts might be getting hard to find.
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Let's speculate wildly, rather than, oh, I don't know, point the guy to a type club like the ICS that might actually know.

Sorry to go off. I've heard enough weird stuff about my own airplane from people "in the know" over the past 5 years to fill a book. If I had listened to all the pundits, it should be a smoldering, unairworthy heap by now.

Richman
 
Roger Roger said:
What is wrong with all the crazies suggesting the twin Comanche? Out of production for 44 years and just over 2000 built, whereas the Cherokee 6 had almost 8000 built with limited production running until 2007. While the OP states that he can afford it, no sense pouring money down the drain supporting a legacy complex twin when you could buy something slower and have a lot more operating budget for gas. Just my humble opinion.
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This x1000. Seriously, the PA32 is the best family hauling personal airplane I've ever flown.
 
Only recently getting familiar with Piper aircraft. From what I can gather, is a Saratoga basically a Cherokee 6 with retractable gear?
 
I'd think that FL to NC down low you'd get away without de-ice equipment the majority of the year. My personal preference is to have two engines, but this is one of the most hotly debated topics in GA and really boils down to what you're going to be most comfortable in.
 
killbilly said:
Only recently getting familiar with Piper aircraft. From what I can gather, is a Saratoga basically a Cherokee 6 with retractable gear?
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Close. A Saratoga is any PA32 with a tapered wing. They made a very few with fixed gear and a lot more with retractable gear. The tapered wing started in 1980 IIRC.
 
Richman said:
Let's speculate wildly, rather than, oh, I don't know, point the guy to a type club like the ICS that might actually know.

Sorry to go off. I've heard enough weird stuff about my own airplane from people "in the know" over the past 5 years to fill a book. If I had listened to all the pundits, it should be a smoldering, unairworthy heap by now.

Richman
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I manage 9 out of production airplanes so I know a little bit about the challenges. That said I did talk to one of my guys who has some experience with Twinkies back in their ancestral homeland of PA and he said that if you're set on an ancient out of production airplane it's not a bad one to choose as they are well built and the type club is rabid about keeping them flying. So I do have to eat a little crow on this one.
 
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Roger Roger said:
Close. A Saratoga is any PA32 with a tapered wing. They made a very few with fixed gear and a lot more with retractable gear. The tapered wing started in 1980 IIRC.
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There are more than a very few 301s. They outnumber the Rs on my field 2 to 1.

Saratogas are great birds. Very nice airplane, and the fixed-gear, non turbo versions are dirt cheap to operate other than fuel. Not fast, but you can carry a LOT. A fair number have A/C.

If you really need the useful load, look for an older Six with the 300 HP engine. Clean models have a higher useful load than their empty weight. A Lance is a Cherokee Six with RG.

If you don't need the room, a Dakota or 235 is also really nice. Problem is everyone thinks so, too, so they hold their value. Same price as a Dakota gets you into a decent Baron these days.

A Twinkie ain't like a A model Bonanza with an E engine and an electric prop where you're scouring barns looking for pitch change bearings. Or a Meyers 200D where you're looking for gear bushings (oops, found them!). Nor is it a Musketeer with a IO-346 engine (break it, and yea, you're boned). Lots of parts, good user base and a fair number of people who know how to twist wrenches on them.

"Out of production" piston GA wise is almost everything. Kinda of a big category there, Hoss.

Richman
 
Richman said:
There are more than a very few 301s. They outnumber the Rs on my field 2 to 1.

Saratogas are great birds. Very nice airplane, and the fixed-gear, non turbo versions are dirt cheap to operate other than fuel. Not fast, but you can carry a LOT. A fair number have A/C.

If you really need the useful load, look for an older Six with the 300 HP engine. Clean models have a higher useful load than their empty weight. A Lance is a Cherokee Six with RG.

If you don't need the room, a Dakota or 235 is also really nice. Problem is everyone thinks so, too, so they hold their value. Same price as a Dakota gets you into a decent Baron these days.

A Twinkie ain't like a A model Bonanza with an E engine and an electric prop where you're scouring barns looking for pitch change bearings. Or a Meyers 200D where you're looking for gear bushings (oops, found them!). Nor is it a Musketeer with a IO-346 engine (break it, and yea, you're boned). Lots of parts, good user base and a fair number of people who know how to twist wrenches on them.

"Out of production" piston GA wise is almost everything. Kinda of a big category there, Hoss.

Richman
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Cessna still cranks out Caravans and a variant of the 206 that has a lot of commonality with the Gs. Even the 207 shares a fair number of parts that still go into a 206H. Same with the later PA32s, lots of stuff out there and the limited production Cherokee airplanes them still build to order (IIRC) share a lot of parts. But need a Navajo fuel sender? Your choices are one vendor that overhauls them, or a questionable unit from a junkyard. Flap tracks? Good luck.
 
I believe that Flight Express (and other, even more unsavory check uh "expediters") proved DECADES ago that you can't beat a C210 in the speed/range/payload matrix. It's not even close. If'you want to fill the cabin, get off the ground before you run out of "tarmac", and get where you're going in a (pistony) hurry, the Centurion reigns supreme.

OTOH, if you want a comic book ending to a political dynasty...get a Saratoga.
 
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