MikeOH

Thanks! At least we are back to where we were...for the time being, anyway.

Well, I think the price for puny AIRCRAFT turbochargers is also ridiculous! Do you honestly think a new aircraft turbo is really made of that much more expensive materials, machined to that much tighter tolerances, and is that much more reliable to justify an over $10,000 premium? (No, I'm not going to put a Summit racing turbo on my plane!)

^^^ THIS ^^^^ should be required reading for anyone considering an airline career. Very well said.

Context? You literally said, "Materials. Think how much an IO-360 would cost if the entire engine were constructed of exhaust valve material instead of simple cast aluminum and steel." Also, you seem to ignore that in my original response I acknowledged that the higher precision would add cost; i.e., I agreed with you on that point! I still maintain that difference does not fully explain the enormous difference in the completed engine price. I think @Schllc comments about quantity are probably far more likely to be the explanation.

@Matthew P I, too, am surprised none of the manufacturers want to take your (our) money! FYI, looking into the design of worm gear systems a critical parameter is the distance between the centerlines of the two gears; it's not sufficient to just have the diameters of the two gears. This distance needs to be accurate to within only a couple of thousandths. I think a careful measurement of the gear housing would be required.

Your claim was that the cost difference was due to material cost. I.e. how expensive an IO-360 would be if made of jet engine materials. So, I looked at the difference in material cost. Conclusion: there is ONLY $10,000 worth of material in a PT6A, or an IO-360 made of the same material (actually $6,000 at 300 lbs). Therefore, the price difference between a $1,000,000 PT6A vs. a $100,000 IO-360 is NOT due to material cost.

What are your nephew's reasons for considering an airline pilot career? Back when I was 17 and learning to fly my CFI tried to push me in that direction. Having read aviation publications since I was 12 I already understood the 'ups and downs' of an airline career, living out of a suitcase, being away from family. The potential for 'big bucks' and flying the 'big iron' just didn't outweigh what I viewed as the downsides. Just make sure your nephew understands all the pros/cons.

No doubt those issues are factors but they boil down to labor/machine time...I struggle to understand what would be a factor of 10 difference in those operations vs. casting/forging/machining/heat treating for a piston engine. I think your comment about volume of engines is likely the real explanation.

Well, let's think about material cost. A quick Google shows that nickel superalloys are used in turbines. I found that Inconel 600 alloy is roughly $45/kg; titanium is a similar cost. Aluminum is down around $2.50/kg. So, around 20X the cost. At that ratio, let's say the aluminum is free. An IO-360 weighs around 300 pounds, and a PT6A, depending on configuration, can be as much as 500 pounds. Worst case, 500 lbs. X $20/lb. is $10,000. So, no, I don't think it's the material costs. I'd agree the precision required likely adds considerable cost but I still struggle with the enormous cost difference.

Hmm, maybe...I don't like 'not knowing' what my battery condition is until it fails. As in, I doubt that any of my annuals have had a capacity check performed. It was less than $200 for the equipment to perform the test myself. Concorde has once a year in their manual, so I don't think it's all that hard on the battery.

Be VERY careful at the low end... Is this your first airplane purchase? If so, be aware that the buy-in price is just the beginning; ongoing costs are going to overshadow a low purchase price. My number one consideration when I was shopping was consistent and recent use! Many 'low price' aircraft had been sitting, or with very little use, for a year or, commonly, many years ; I ran from those. While it 'may be possible' your comment about 'knowing the market' tends to contradict today's reality. @bigmo is correct, I think, in that $60K is likely going to be a run-out engine. I had the budget but chose to buy a plane with a run-out engine so that I could control the OH figuring I'd fly until the engine started talking to me...7 years and over 500 hours later the engine is still doing fine. Point being, I was EXPECTING to need an OH shortly after purchase, but that was okay since I'd paid a run-out price for the plane. No matter the hours on the engine that can still happen and you need to be able to swing that. Good luck!

Ok, below is the pertinent table from your link. My read is that as long as the capacity check is >90% you perform the check every 12 months. If the check shows between 85% and 90% then you check every 6 months. That seems logical to me.

This guy understands Garmin's business model

But did you typically do that fully loaded, or just you on board?

Yuup. Just like a water heater in your garage.