Godfather

I think a big factor not normally discussed is when buying a plane over or close to tbo is you have no idea how that engine was treated over its life. I have no problem going over tbo if you know how the engine was treated and maintained. But the PO might put the plane up for sale if the oil analysis started showing signs etc.. I can see why an IA would have reservations about signing off an engine he knows very little about. We had a 210 overhauled @ tbo that was purchased 400 hr prior. The shop started working on and said the best option was to trade it in on a reman as many parts were out of spec.

I wonder if it's the 40 years or the number of cycles? If the armature started forming rust it might use up the brushes very quickly.

The problem I have with this logic... I log into MS and announce the I'm flying my Icon to AK. They notice this because searches are running around the clock on the A5. They check my location and flying habits and if it looks like I'm heading NW on a mission to the rugged new world they contact me and force me to sell it back to the company (@ a presumed low trade in rate).

I realize a lot of this discussion relates to buying a plane in the near future for finance reasons. To give you a data point over the past 12 years the Mooney has averaged $160-170 per hour. This rate does not include a reserve for engine & prop $35-40k or any loan charges / TVM. Buying a newish plane with a glass panel will not IMO provide a savings from what you are paying now. Instead it's all about convenience. I still believe if you keep flying the sr20 past an instrument rating and 250 hrs you could with good instruction transition to many different types of aircraft. In other word 250 hrs in a cirrus is just as valuable as 250 in a J or 182RG...IMO, YMMV. It sounds like you are disliking the sr20 because you have to fly it with your left hand. I think with more experience you will find this is a non issue. You also might want to join the other forums and read all you can on the days you can't fly.

Not sure about the history of your prop but you might be able to reseal it instead of an overhaul. Prob be < half the cost.

Just finished reading a AOPA article and to be honest this is the first time I've been truly disappointed with an aircraft company. Giving up the rights to ownership, doubling the price, offering $70k bump in line bids, etc. Is this modern aviation at its finest?

Wow that 210 has a great panel. If you get serious about a 210 I'd look into renting a 182 (RG if flying w/ instructor) at your club. Keep in mind a 30-40 YO p210 is going to be expensive to maintain. The example you listed has 1500 hr smoh but with the low overall time it could be 25+ years since that was done...age and hr's are both important IMO. I really think an eagle or ovation is a great way to go as far as good deals. Also ask yourself if you really need a top of the line panel. If you put 100k into the panel you will get < half of it back when you sell the aircraft. Put a new Aspen (or g500) and garmin gps/nav/com in for 30-40k and call that good.

I think if you came in just looking for a Mooney for you and your dogs while or after you finish the ppl people would have aligned with you earlier. However, you would not received 1/10 of the good responses you did.

No, you clearly stated your age a few pages back...but the number of responses in his thread make it hard to keep up. But IMO age has little to do with this discussion. I'm sure some individuals have been riding around in small planes for as long as they can remember. Seat time matters IMO and even if you can't see over the dash they are gaining useful experiences little by little. I will say the two most common statements I get from friends and extended family (non pilots) is -how nice it would be to fly from xxx to xxx (normally a long flight) without worrying about security or baggage claim etc -How cheap it would be to drop down to the Bahamas (exotic locations) if they owned a plane. The only reason I bring this up is some of the members might've been concerned with the desire to get an expensive, complex, high performance, pressurized, and fast aircraft to make trips less stressful and more convenient.

How many hours do you want to fly a year? How many flight hours do you currently have? As a WAG I'd say 10k for fixed expenses and 15k for the rest per year and probably close to 50k for a good overhaul...again a WAG.

I've had the best luck with Premier Avionics in Fort Wayne, IN. Brain and the rest of the crew are great to work with. They installed the 750 / 650 combo 1.5 years ago and a 330 ES last fall. I've had work done at 4 other shops in and around MI and would go back to Premier first.

I agree with jetdriven with regards to the cost. With your mission...400 hours of flying...I'd look for a plane with 400-1100 hours since a recent overhaul and run with it. If you were planning on another 2k hours I'd buy a run out one squeeze a few more out of it if sound (25 hr oil check/changes) and do a good quality overhaul.

I'm really enjoying the longer well thought out responses on this thread. Part of the problem I'm having is I really consider the sr20, sr22, ovation, bravo etc the same aircraft. All are fast and slick aircraft with a lot of capability. When you master flying the sr20 IMO you should easily be able to transition to the other models. What aspects besides flying with the left hand do you not like about the Cirrus? You can buy a nice used sr20 for $125k if you look hard. Edit: We also have two dogs that weigh around 130 lbs combined. One is a young high powered dog the other one is older with multiple surgeries under her belt. I have not found a good way to travel with them in the Mooney. It is hard for older individuals to get on the wing and turned around to fit in the back seat. Our dogs would have a hard time doing this without damaging the aircraft. I would practice having the dogs get into the cirrus before buying the planes mentioned above.

I'm guessing you could easily drop $30k for a good overhaul and 430w/530w install. If the plane I was looking at needed these upgrades I would add $25k to the price and compare it to others in the same price range.

If I had your mission and experience my first choice would be a Piper Saratoga II TC. The rear door and club seating setup is really convenient for large dogs if you remove the rear two seats. Also I know the weather is a lot more predictable in the SW but planning on being able to return home at a moments notice as a work requirement is a tall order for a new pilot...

I'd personally figure out a way to secure 2 car seats. Having never looked into this I wonder what people use for hearing protection? edit: looks like em's 4 bubs might be a good option for hearing protection...not your question but I was curious.

All I can say is wow...so sorry that this happened on your trip. I'm not too familiar with the virus but should you move to a different location? Not sure if the constant bombardment will lengthen recovery.

In 2004 I think it was called a DX. Nice looking plane with a high useful load without tks or air.

You don't mess around! My wife likes to stop every 3-5 hours...definitely a trip that she would fly commercial and meet me there.

That number should drop very quickly to the low 2's after your first year. Keep calling around on the Cirrus I'm sure there are multiple companies that will insure pilots with a fresh ticket let alone a 1k hr pilot.

I agree about increasing the safety factor with the backup AI. Probably one of the better additions to the panel. Some people believe that it is not need and that it makes for a lazy scan but I find it really nice under high demand situations...especially with an attitude based AP.

Had an AP problem 5 or 6 years ago. Turned out to be a bad wire but the 225 was sent to BK just to make sure it was working properly. They tested it and said it was working 100% and returned it along with a bill for over 2 amu... Point is you might find sending the unit back for a slight upgrade might be very expensive.

I think you made a good choice. Especially since you wanted a vac AI backup. Thanks for providing the overhaul cost...I'll keep in mind for the future.

No reason to get in a bind... The Cirrus is a great plane and many people like flying them. I have very little time in type but I really enjoyed it. However, to keep quoting that it is the safest aircraft out there if you look at just three or four years is misleading. I could say the fatalities almost doubled going from 2014-15 or that this year is not starting off the best but that would again be misleading. I do think a younger higher time fleet is more predictable - sit a Cirrus on the ramp for 30 years while not being flown regularly and you will have a new set of problems. I do think training is important with recent comprehensive training in type being key. 1 in 4 recent Cirrus buyers are acquiring $6k flight sims so they are trying to be proactive with training. IMO a lot of new Cirrus buyers have deep pockets which can help to lower the barrier to upgrade systems, keep everything working 100%, train more, burn more fuel, hire professional pilots, or whatever...