o. sami saydjari

Folks, I am a first-time aircraft buyer. I have a general idea of the
type of aircraft I want, but am having trouble narrowing the list down.
Here is my general list of wants/needs:

1. Fast: >160 kts
2. Price range: $75K-$120K
3. Four Seater
4. Range: >800nm
5. Useful Payload (with full fuel); > 650lbs
6. Retains its value well over time
7. Reliable: Engine TBO of 2000 hrs, good saftey record
8. Insurable for a pilot with only 350 hrs PIC experience (no HP/complex
time)


I have been thinking about a Piper Comanche 260 and a Piper Turbo Arrow
III/IV. I was considering a Mooney M20J, but they feel a little cramped
in the cabin to me. What I am looking for is the best dollars/kts
airplane (what we call price/performance in the computer biz) that meets
the above requirements. I would really appreciate suggestions and advice.

-Sami

guy byars

Give up the 160kt requirement for a few hundred hours and go with a good
Cessna 182 Skylane. You can count on 130kts with it and it meets all your
other requirements. After more experience, then go with something with
higher performance.

GB

edr

The Arrow is a three adult/two adult-two child airplane.

Look at a Bonanza.

jay honeck

Well, Sami, I've got ya covered on everything except the 160 knots. Our
Cherokee 235 Pathfinder has:

We'll do 140 knots all day long, with fixed gear. (Read: Cheaper annual
inspections.)

We bought ours for $74K, and put in a new engine. With the new interior,
new engine, and a raft of other stuff, it's in the $100K range now. (But
it's not for sale... ;-)

Yep. Four REAL, 200+ pound, 6 foot tall people.

Try 1100+ nm. Farther, if you throttle back, and your bladder can stand
it.

1460 pounds total. 956 pounds useful, with 84 gallons of fuel on board.

Late model Cherokee 235s sell themselves.

Low compression Lycoming O-540, carbureted. Burns car gas. Almost
bulletproof.


Yep.

I'd say if you can bend your mission parameters on the speed required, you
won't find a better aircraft than the post-1972 Cherokee 235 (known
variously as the "Charger", "Pathfinder", and "Dakota", depending on the
year.) That's the year they stretched the fuselage 5 inches, making all
that horsepower usable.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
http://www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

ben

You can get insurance with no HP/complex time, but you'll have to fly
more dual before you can solo.

Where are you located? Have you flown the Comanche or the Arrow?
-- Ben Jackson
<ben@ben.com>
http://www.ben.com/

o. sami saydjari

Yes, I have quotes on both a Mooney 201 and a Comanche 260. It is just
that they prefer that low-time pilots not go right to a very high
performance aircraft, like a Mooney TLS.

Wisconsin. I have flown a Comanche 260 and a Mooney 201. I like them
both in terms of how they fly. I have not yet had a chance to fly an Arrow.

o. sami saydjari

Just out of curiosity, what is the fastest single-engine aircraft
available and how fast does it go? -Sami

jeff

A bonanza is not in the price range he is looking at. unles he gets a 1947
one.

michael 182

Piston - maybe a Lancair IVP - 287 knots
Turboprop - maybe a Lancair IVP with a Propjet conversion - 330 knots
Jet - ????


An F-106 Delta Dart flew 1526 mph over an 11 mile course way back in 1959
http://www.f-106deltadart.com/speedrecord.htm

jeff

what I would do is call my insurance company with the types of planes you
want, ask them ya or nay on them and a general price range for insurance on
each of them. Depending on your insurance company, you will see they wont
insure some planes for you, they may also ask you, if you dont have it yet, to
get your instrument rating. Talking to them may help you narrow down what your
wanting really quick