Firebird2xc

So long as somebody gives the airplane a good new home, eh? I scraped up the extra cash to make a possible offer but was out of the country then locked down under Irma. C'est la vie- sometimes the timing just isn't there.

Like corpses left to rot. This has never sat well with me.

Guess sarcasm doesn't translate well on the internet. Mea culpa.

Glad you find it useful. My windows are all boarded up so that's how I'm 'peeking outside'...

Fair enough. I suppose there's enough wind around without adding politics to the bluster. Just got a tornado warning in the NE quadrant that said to take immediate shelter. Then it got REALLY scary and the power flickered- NO WIFI! I also am pretty sure I just saw my ex wife fly by on a bicycle... (Hopefully nobody takes any of this too seriously... My lame humor is just helping me pass the time.)

If you're interested to see how it looks later when it rolls through, here's a local webcam link. http://www.evsjupiter.com/ Some thoughtful genius sent out some quality vibes just before curfew. Might be on the beach a while... LOL

I was almost on a little island in Europe. Had to scurry back to ATH and come home to prep for the storm. The most annoying thing about Irma right now is that it has effectively stuck me unable to continue airplane shopping... for at least a week or two. I'll be glad to see it pass us.

I have the opposite scenario- I have a plane and no hangar. That said, I plan on plugging and covering the airplane I do finally put in it every time. T-hangars are known to leak, and birds, rodents, and insects always find a way in when they really want it. I figure a bird's nest in my engine cowling or a mud dauber hive blocking my pitot tube would scrub a flight pretty quick. I've also been told radio thieves have at times broken in to hangars looking for eBay fodder. A covered bird offers up a little less to see for a would be avionics dealer...

I'll probably never file for higher than 11,000 or 12,000 unless weather dictates the need. Other than initial climb performance I'd likely not benefit much from a turbo, but I'm not going to dismiss it without doing the research. As it stands a well equipped J model is all the plane I'll likely need.

Good points all around and you're right- it's not the turbo that had issues so much as the -GB engine. I read somewhere to avoid them. I guess I won't rule out K models yet- I'll just have to do the CBA for the extra maintenance costs and fuel burn.

Thank you for clarifying. I think and a good mid-time J at the range you mentioned seems pretty reasonable. I'll have to just be a little more patient.

Good advice. I think I better know what I actually do want- I think I just made the mistake that some of the planes listed were an accurate representation of good airplanes when they were not. I just needed a moment to adjust my thinking and come to terms with the idea of what must be spent to actually get what I want.

I actually agree with everything you said. Especially the stuff about instruments. Now that glass replacements can be had for comparable overhaul cost, vaccuum driven six packs with mechanical gyros are done. I insist on IFR GPS capability as well. That's the baseline standard now, in my opinion. Looks like the "buy once, cry once" adage REALLY applies here.

Don't beat yourself up. The really bad pilots make mistakes like that and then write them off with excuses. You are holding yourself accountable and seeking wisdom. If I may make a suggestion, I think you'd really benefit from some chair flying and some concentrated standardization. You can put together (or your CFI if you aren't sure) a core set of functional flows and checklists. Sit in the seat in the hangar, or at home in a chair with a reasonable mockup of your panel and practice procedures. Do this until you can run them from memory, then use the checklists anyways. Make callouts to yourself just like you were a two pilot crew. Make sure you're really looking and checking indications when you need to. Drill until you cannot get it wrong... and this goes double for emergency procedures. All of this will reduce mental load in high workload or critical moments. Standardization with scripted flows is how a lot of professional aviation does it and it does a lot to help manage things. I think it would help.

It would appear I need to cowboy up and follow your example.

I zeroed in on the J model because it's the fastest, most efficient thing around at the given hourly burn rate. Stepping back to an F cuts performance enough (in my opinion) to make other similarly priced airplanes much more competitive. I stopped short of a K model because I've read the turbo system in the 231 has a reputation, the 252 is well outside my budget, and my mission doesn't warrant the turbo anyways. ... you're not wrong about the range of values... but if I cut the extremes and venn diagram the rest it gives me an approximate aiming point.

That's more or less the goal. I want something I can sustain. It might sound a little cheesy, but to me airplanes are like living things. If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right. Making sure I don't screw myself on the buy will go a long way towards that.

Thanks, will do.

Yes. If it needs paint, I needs paint. We're not talking about a touch up. Why would you not repaint the whole plane?

This is a big help. Thank you.

If that's true. Maybe what I really need is more patience. I might not have done all the homework yet- and the right plane might not even be listed yet. This is actually very encouraging. Thank you.

Solid advice. Perhaps that's where the cognitive dissonance lies. It still confuses me to see people said machines and leave them out in the rain.

It's being considered. I've already been up to see it. I feel like it might need a few things and the cost of them plus purchase price might be too much for me. My opinion on that might evolve, but after my recent prebuy fiasco I don't want to make any quick decisions and potentially waste anybody's time.

To clarify- I DO believe Vref. But it seems like planes I run through it often come in way under the list price. A few times weirdly under- for no immediately apparent explanation. I'm asking if Vref is getting dated or if there's a percentage fudge factor I should be applying. Pardon my technical misstatement on the models listed. I know those airplanes are technically considered 'newer' models, but by older I mean 30+ year old airframes. Early 80's as opposed to mid-90's. I'm not venting at all. I'm seriously asking if I should be raising my price estimate to get a plane I'd feel like had been well maintained in the past.

3) This is where I seem to get a little confused. Vref says a plane needing paint knocks off $6000 in value. But it costs $10000 to $15000 to paint a plane. What? 4-5) Some planes and owners I'm looking at are on MS. Some not. A phone call to the owner usually fills in the blanks. 6) One thing I've noticed is that things often don't look nearly as good as in pictures as in person. I tend to trust my own eyes more than a carefully photoshopped ad. 11-12) I've been told first year annuals are 'exploratory'. Is there a number you'd put on a first annual budget? 14) I keep a very low overhead and an emergency cash reserve. I don't like not having an out. 15) THIS is something I needed. Low price is always bottom of the barrel? Fair enough- the bottom ten or twenty percent of the price spread don't get second looks anymore. 18) I don't object to paying more if I'm actually getting more. The hard part is telling the difference. You're right - lots of helpful people here, and I appreciate you and everyone's else's input very much. And yes, I'm starting to get it. Apparently there is no such thing as a bargain on a used plane, no matter what the seller says.