Most affordable XCountry Bird

I vote Mooney. My dad has an M20F it was built just before the 201’s but it still has the manuall gear and flaps, less maintence. It also has all of the 201 speed mods. Bad thing is it still has the old insturment pannel.

I do like Waco’s ideas, you will get noticed on the ramp. How about a Swift?
 
tprops4me said:
To Jonnydwolf:
There is a joke, and remember this is just a joke, that the only reason that people fly the Sierra is because they can't afford a Bonanza. No hard feelings I hope.
Click to expand...

No hard feelings at all. We bought the Sierra because it is an affordable cross country machine. They can get there ~25% faster and use ~50% more fuel. I'll take in the scenery!:D
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
What? They burn the same fuel as a late model 172, doing a good 20-30 knots more. They've got no less useful load than a comparable 172, and tend to cost right at about the same as a 172 from the same year. Plus, many hold 50 gallons. You might be right on the insurance cost, but take a look at NTSB reports on them. Very, very rarely do they involve post-impact fire's, unlike similarly constructed airplanes (Cirrus).
Click to expand...

I would have to agree with you if you are talking about the XL. They give some very decent performance. I just wish they had better short field numbers, and were a touch more comfortable on long trips. If you are talking about the regular DA40-180, they start to lose ground to the 172(180 hp) after about 4000 feet. They do get a little better speed, but unless the distance is great, the advantage there is minimal. They also tend to be forward CG too. They are fun to fly though.
 
fholbert said:
Super Viking Baby!

SC%20Bellanca2%20520.JPG


blank.gif
Click to expand...

man I don't know, don't think I could get past the fact it looks like a pregnant guppy!
 
mooneyguy said:
man I don't know, don't think I could get past the fact it looks like a pregnant guppy!
Click to expand...

Your man Al Mooney learned a LOT about making good airplanes while working for Guiseppe Bellanca in his formative years...

Guiseppe Bellanca is Italian for "really nice flying airplane".
 
In our DA40, if you're looking to take 3 people and full tanks, you're over gross. I guess it just depends on the model you get. They are a great airplane don't get me wrong. It's probably my favorite, but if you try to get a couple of friends somewhere, it's probably not going to happen. Our useful load on our is around 750
 
Pilot0486 said:
In our DA40, if you're looking to take 3 people and full tanks, you're over gross. I guess it just depends on the model you get. They are a great airplane don't get me wrong. It's probably my favorite, but if you try to get a couple of friends somewhere, it's probably not going to happen. Our useful load on our is around 750
Click to expand...

I only flew the DA40 tdi, there was no way to fly 3 peoples in it and full tanks....
 
I don't know how hard is to get one in the US, but in Europe they sell them for really cheap..

The Socata Rallye, it's an amazing plane, it's really popular in the Swiss Alps:

Here one taking off from Hasenstrick, it's a small grass strip (1,247 feet) in the Swiss Alps. (they take off in 4 peoples!! the airplane is a workhorse)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffRsfyAMqc0

This is an other video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffRsfyAMqc0

FBO in the winter:
wz_LastFly_ert_00_g.jpg


wz_LastFly_ert_03_g.jpg


wz_LastFly_ert_02_g.jpg


wz_LastFly_ert_04_g.jpg


anflug_11_g.jpg


anflug_29_g.jpg


flz_05_g.jpg


flz_04_g.jpg


flz_03.jpg


rund_g.jpg


In the US it was sold as WACO minerva

http://books.google.com.br/books?id...=0CBsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=waco minerva&f=false

http://www.global-air.com/global/g08185.htm
 
Agreed. Am I nuts or did I see leading-edge slats on that thing? That's a cool little airplane to be sure.
 
Can't find one for sale domestically.

How much does a used one cost, USD, in decent condition?
 
WacoFan said:
Your man Al Mooney learned a LOT about making good airplanes while working for Guiseppe Bellanca in his formative years...

Guiseppe Bellanca is Italian for "really nice flying airplane".
Click to expand...

Yes you are correct. I know it's a great airplane, just a little kidding around. Actually I tend to agree with you most of my favorites are the older planes. How about a staggerwing for a X-C machine...now we're talking. The modern aluminum people movers just cannot compare to the oldies!

And Al had his hands in a lot of different airplanes (pre-Mooney aircraft), he was a very interesting person.
 
killbilly said:
Can't find one for sale domestically.

How much does a used one cost, USD, in decent condition?
Click to expand...

I think they are pretty hard to find in the US, I only found this one in the US http://www.global-air.com/global/g08185.htm

There are a ton of them in Europe, lots of them are from military surplus.

http://www.planecheck.com/index.asp...rp=Rallye (Morane / Socata / PZL) Series&id=0

The model with 235HP engine gets 120-130 kts burning 8-10 gal

In Switzerland they go for 40-50K dollars (if it's legal to fly any airplane in Europe will be in perfect shape), lots of flying club have them because they are cheap to operate.
 
I'm sure the unanimous decision is a 20J or some IO-360 Mooney. But, a lot of people don't think about dialing the 520s and 550s back. You can cruise along at 140kts in 35B while sipping 9 gal/hr/
 
If you could bump the price up a little higher, the cherokee 6 is a decent cross country machine, ours do about 130KIAS, and true out quite a bit higher at altitude, great IFR platform, the seats leave a little bit to be desired of in the comfort sector, but other than that, a good machine, and can haul a lot.
 
mooneyguy said:
Yes you are correct. I know it's a great airplane, just a little kidding around. Actually I tend to agree with you most of my favorites are the older planes. How about a staggerwing for a X-C machine...now we're talking. The modern aluminum people movers just cannot compare to the oldies!

And Al had his hands in a lot of different airplanes (pre-Mooney aircraft), he was a very interesting person.
Click to expand...

I forget which thread we created but Al Mooney - from Swallow, to Bellanca, to Monocoupe, to Culver and then Mooney had a really influential career. He was at Bellanca when they were still making the highwing workhorses. And, for a commuter to Springfield, Mo and then on to Jeff City and then St. Louis - a Mooney Mite would be a great machine. I have always had a fetish for a Mooney Mite.
 
Pilot0486 said:
DA40's are very expensive and have a poor useful load with little fuel load (40 gallons). They burn quite a bit of gas and with a very high hull value, insurance is very expensive.

PA28-180's aren't bad. To tell you the truth it's probably the lesser of the evils. 140's are dogs unless you find one that has a 160 conversion.
Click to expand...


Currently fly a DA40 XLS.... The useful load isnt the greatest at 868 pounds, but it cruises easily at 140knots at 9gph and has great fuel load >50 gallons<. You cant knock the DA40 especially its saftey record "2 fatalities that were pilot error" vs something similar like the cirrus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top