Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just a quick question(s). FYI, I'm looking to get my HP/Complex and ifr
Looking for an A36, not real hard but look every now and then. One has come up that needs a new engine, 11,000 TTAF, avionics are "fair", no 430w, not ifr, trouble with auto pilot. It is a "make offer" deal cause I know the guys, I was thinking $60k, $40k engine, $10k for 430w.
Or I found a similar one that has 4k TTAF, 800SMOH, with 430, ifr till 10/2013.
both 300hp, similar interior and exterior, would want dual yoke(both have single), both are not "housed" on a coast.
Will get comp tests and an inspection from my cfii.
Seems like that bird would require quite a bit of work, and wouldn't allow you to get the most bang for your buck (Actual instrument time).
The high performance and complex aircraft are both endorsements if memory serves me right. If you show that you're competent in either of them, there's no reason your instructor couldn't provide you with the endorsement...I know that's true for high performance, but I'm not 100% sure on the complex. I received my high performance endorsement in a Frasca 142 which was simulating a baron I believe. My instructor sat behind me while I dealt with a couple instrument failures, shot some approaches, and worked out engine failures. At the end of the day, he was like "Yep, you're fine" and gave me the endorsement.
To put it simply, I'd try to find an even more economical way to get the instrument rating, preferably in an IFR capable aircraft...and really wouldn't worry about your high performance endorsement in the purchase of a new airplane, since it can be had for so cheap by itself. That's also my thought with a complex airplane, it's great to get some time in, and understand how everything works. But maintenance goes up dramatically when the gear is able to tuck away, and the propeller can maintain a constant speed.
My advice is to find a real pilot message board and post there. There will be Bonanza owners who can guide you a lot more than a place like this can.
I have ~700 hours in the A36 it's a great plane. I would do private and instrument students in it so getting your instrument in it is no problem, maybe even preferable because you know it cold when going on your own.
A36 is a very fine cross country aircraft for a pilot and 3 passengers but a rather expensive one. I'd urge you to also look at late model Commanche 250s and 260s to compare.
I'd be a little reluctant to buy a plane with 11K airframe hours. That's getting up there kinda high.
Firstly, if you are going to put this much money into a project aircraft that doesn't quite have the equipment/options in it that meet your ideal circumstance ... are you planning on keeping the bird for your use after the IFR/Complex endorsements?
If it's only a short-term use, then an A36 ... unless it's at an absolute rock-bottom bargain basement distress price, family or estate emergency sale, lost medical or similar circumstance ... is far and away in excess of what you need to accomplish your training goal.
They're a wonderful aircraft in many aspects, but you're gonna' get upside down financially in these projects so fast it will make your head spin if you're not planning on keeping/using the bird for after the training. At that, the price points you've mentioned so far ... $100,000+ to get into these examples ... are way over the current marketplace for inland dry country A36's with a fraction of the time and in otherwise mid-time service lives on components with decent IFR panels.
Are you just guessing at the valuation of these aircraft when the projects are finished? Have you looked at vRef or other resources to know what the marketplace is on these? did you decide upon $60K for that 11,000 TTAF aircraft without knowing the full scope of it's current condition via an inspection by an knowledgeable IA? This is a lot of money to be tossing around on a project if you're not going to be able to recoup it in flying hours.
HP and complex are separate endorsements; HP is 200+ HP parameters, complex is retract gear. There's a lot of pilots with the HP endorsement who don't have complex endorsements (such as a C180 or 182 owner, a fairly common aircraft) ... the guys who seek both endorsements are typically headed for a commercial rating. I've seen complex endorsements for fellows who are flying retract sub-200HP aircraft, like a 172 retract or an older Bellanca.
Anyway, my impression is that you can find suitable aircraft for a lot less money that will keep their value so you can sell it when done without taking a big loss on it. As well, if your goal is solely to obtain the tickets, why not rent or join a flying club that has the appropriate aircraft available to you?
In addition to the Piper aircraft that would meet your needs, I'd also mention a C182 retract as a very capable reasonably priced platform ... even if it doesn't have the cachet of the Beechcraft, it's a stable platform with plenty of interior space but without the higher cruise speeds/performance of the A36 level aircraft. (who cares if all you're doing is using it for the ratings? IFR training is not about cross country speeds, it's about control and precision flying, holding patterns, approaches, missed approaches, etc). A more comparable performer to the A36 would be a C210 ... and you can find reasonably equiped modest time aircraft for a lot less money than the A36. Another option could be a Mooney, although you're looking at a very different aircraft when it comes to flying characteristics/interior space ... and another viable option would be to look at Bellanca's.
On a side note, you mention having a CFII do the pre-buy inspection. Is that person an IA experienced with the A36?
No one has mentioned the most important thing - INSURANCE. With no HP/Retract time and no instrument rating (you didn't mention total time but anything under 250 PIC is going to rack things up even more) insurance is going to want to see 250 total time /25 retract /10 in type. If less than 250 TT and no IFR I would expect insurance on a hull value of $60K to be north of $4k for the first year, if you can even get anyone to quote.
The A36 is a great plane but perhaps a better way to approach this discussion is for the OP to give the forum a little more information on their mission requirements (#people, baggage, distance, location in the country).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
