The only airframe that I recall allowed for a choice of engines was the Bellanca Super Viking. They offered both the Continental and the Lycoming engines but there was a price difference of about $2,000 in 1973 dollars.
I flew 99s into some interesting places however and unfortunately, not in Alaska. I landed at Wonder Valley Ranch's one-way strip with the stone wall at the end of the runway in the Sierra Nevada foothills. I plopped into Santa Paula airport in the Los Angeles area when Oxnard went below...
Thank you. I wish I could take credit for it but the avionics shop I used really knows its business. They are not the least expensive but the quality of their work I'm more than satisfied with.
I didn't install the GFC500 this time around. Maybe in a couple years. New interior comes first. But I will miss the mode selector for the G5’s flight director.
Interesting question. I don't really think of time as much as I think of experience. What did a pilot do in all those hours? Are they currently proficient? All our skills are perishable if not used and reinforced. We may become rusty in some areas and keep other skills polished. Judgment comes...
I once had to make a go-around for the eight-footer crossing Runway 9L at Ft. Lauderdale Int'l. (KFLL). Don't discount the large crabs hiding in the grass just off the ramp either, they want their cut.
Another not-so-lucky case. This preceded the above story, NTSB Link: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001213X29403&AKey=1&RType=Summary&IType=FA