Best first plane for a big guy?

bartmc said:
Just to fan boy a little.

Try on a Bonanza if you're considering planes in that class, Im short so I can't really say, but some folks ( read tall ) say head clearance is an issue with a headset on but they're plenty wide. The older one true out around 162 knots. A Cherokee 235 is a nice rig, but I wouldn't consider it a speed demon nor consider it spacious.
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You remember what you found in that budget for a Bo right? You can get a decent old 182 in that budget though.
 
Hope it's a lot more. You'll need all of it.:rofl:

willywildes said:
There built like a tank. Two big guys up front no problem. Lycoming 180hp, trailing link gear, and in your price point. Down side. I plan for 110 kts ground speed. But I have more time than money.
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JimNtexas said:
A fixed gear 180hp Cessna Cardinal would be the ideal plane for you.
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One thing to watch out for... I weigh 175 and occasionally take my 270 pound hangar neighbor for pancakes. At those weights, we are well below gross, but with anything more than 28 gallons of gas, the CG is blown out the front of the airplane. For a heavy guy or two up front, you have to pay attention to the CG on the Cardinal.
 
So, after seeing the video account of the witness who pulled the passenger from the Sarasota crash and hearing him talk about not being able to reach the Pilot, I'm thinking egress is important. I'm gonna need two doors. The Sundowner it is.
 
Jhernandez04 said:
6'3 283lbs

235 Cherokee. More then enough leg room as pic. And shoulder room is great if solo, decent with medium size passenger.
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Sit in a C182 or C177 before you buy a Cherokee. These large cabin Cessnas are way more comfortable than any Cherokee.

I think the Cessnas are safer due to their two doors and far easier ingress and egress.


Full disclosure: I'm in a partnership that includes a Cardinal an Archer, and a Warrior.
 
I'm about your size. I fly a Beech Sundowner. Yeah, it's slow, but plenty of room.
 
LandSickness said:
So, after seeing the video account of the witness who pulled the passenger from the Sarasota crash and hearing him talk about not being able to reach the Pilot, I'm thinking egress is important. I'm gonna need two doors. The Sundowner it is.
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You might want to check in on the Beech Aero Club forum. Great info on Beech aircraft and a good bunch of knowledgeable folks that can answer questions.

I fly a Sundowner, love the room and it's an excellent aircraft.
 
GMascelli said:
You might want to check in on the Beech Aero Club forum. Great info on Beech aircraft and a good bunch of knowledgeable folks that can answer questions.

I fly a Sundowner, love the room and it's an excellent aircraft.
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Thanks for the Beech Aero Club link. I intend to peruse that site often. I'm just curious, though. Any maintenance gotchas to look out for when buying a Sundowner? How was your personal experience with the pre-buy and annual maintenance?
 
You could always look at a Comanche. The aforementioned Kent and I flew in mine side by side and never rubbed elbows, and I'm not a small guy either. Get one with tip tanks and you have a 1250# useful load. Topped off with fuel, you can still load it up with another 700lbs of flesh and baggage. It's almost impossible to get out of CG, and you can get 150ish knots in the 11-12gph fuel burn. It will fly further than you'll want to in one leg. Ingress, and egress however....it is a single door low wing.
 
LandSickness said:
Thanks for the Beech Aero Club link. I intend to peruse that site often. I'm just curious, though. Any maintenance gotchas to look out for when buying a Sundowner? How was your personal experience with the pre-buy and annual maintenance?
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Corrosion is always at the top of the list. Making sure the old black duct (CEET) is removed through out the aircraft and replaced with heavy-duty smooth-lined SCEET ducting (called 'SCEAT').

Landing gear donuts, confirm via logbook when they were last replaced and look for notes on jobolt replacement while you're at it. Make sure the pre-buy gets the plane in the air to check the gear movement and knee pin sleeves.

Also check the air intake plenums by the windshield, directly under the vent between the windscreen and top cowl. if they are cracked they may have caused corrosion.

My pre-buy went very well and I ended up flying my plane home from texas to Delaware to have an annual done by the guy I have been flying behind since I started, it was just a comfort factor for me.

My annuals vary but never to extreme. you can find the write ups on my blog listed every november. I try and do upgrades every year and stay ahead of items. Take this past annual, I had some play in the knee pins on one main and the nose gear, and did all three. Upgraded baggage door seals and things like that.

Our Sundowner is a good solid plane that my Bride and I enjoy traveling in. Hope you find one just as nice!
 
Now that's what I call a PIREP! :yes:

Thanks for the info. I can start researching and learning to evaluate these birds. My budget is pretty strict, but I still get the last word in my house...of course, most of the time, that last word is "Yes Ma'am" :D


Maybe we should have an aircraft PIREP thread here somewhere. :dunno: That kind of inside information is invaluable to us budget-conscious folks.


GMascelli said:
Corrosion is always at the top of the list. Making sure the old black duct (CEET) is removed through out the aircraft and replaced with heavy-duty smooth-lined SCEET ducting (called 'SCEAT').

Landing gear donuts, confirm via logbook when they were last replaced and look for notes on jobolt replacement while you're at it. Make sure the pre-buy gets the plane in the air to check the gear movement and knee pin sleeves.

Also check the air intake plenums by the windshield, directly under the vent between the windscreen and top cowl. if they are cracked they may have caused corrosion.

My pre-buy went very well and I ended up flying my plane home from texas to Delaware to have an annual done by the guy I have been flying behind since I started, it was just a comfort factor for me.

My annuals vary but never to extreme. you can find the write ups on my blog listed every november. I try and do upgrades every year and stay ahead of items. Take this past annual, I had some play in the knee pins on one main and the nose gear, and did all three. Upgraded baggage door seals and things like that.

Our Sundowner is a good solid plane that my Bride and I enjoy traveling in. Hope you find one just as nice!
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LandSickness said:
Maybe we should have an aircraft PIREP thread here somewhere. :dunno: That kind of inside information is invaluable to us budget-conscious folks.
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Unfortunately a thread like that would quickly devolve into:

Poster A: "Stay away from [this aircraft], it's nothing but a maintenance nightmare!"

Poster B: "Have you ever owned a [this aircraft]?"

Poster A: "No, but I saw one with a flat tire once on a ramp! Stay away!!!!"
 
EdFred said:
You could always look at a Comanche. The aforementioned Kent and I flew in mine side by side and never rubbed elbows, and I'm not a small guy either. Get one with tip tanks and you have a 1250# useful load. Topped off with fuel, you can still load it up with another 700lbs of flesh and baggage. It's almost impossible to get out of CG, and you can get 150ish knots in the 11-12gph fuel burn. It will fly further than you'll want to in one leg. Ingress, and egress however....it is a single door low wing.
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I also hear there is a very nice one for sale :D
 
Gary, what were the circumstances surrounding your interest in a faster plane and your subsequent decision to keep the Mouse instead?

GMascelli said:
Corrosion is always at the top of the list. Making sure the old black duct (CEET) is removed through out the aircraft and replaced with heavy-duty smooth-lined SCEET ducting (called 'SCEAT').

Landing gear donuts, confirm via logbook when they were last replaced and look for notes on jobolt replacement while you're at it. Make sure the pre-buy gets the plane in the air to check the gear movement and knee pin sleeves.

Also check the air intake plenums by the windshield, directly under the vent between the windscreen and top cowl. if they are cracked they may have caused corrosion.

My pre-buy went very well and I ended up flying my plane home from texas to Delaware to have an annual done by the guy I have been flying behind since I started, it was just a comfort factor for me.

My annuals vary but never to extreme. you can find the write ups on my blog listed every november. I try and do upgrades every year and stay ahead of items. Take this past annual, I had some play in the knee pins on one main and the nose gear, and did all three. Upgraded baggage door seals and things like that.

Our Sundowner is a good solid plane that my Bride and I enjoy traveling in. Hope you find one just as nice!
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wabower said:
Gary, what were the circumstances surrounding your interest in a faster plane and your subsequent decision to keep the Mouse instead?
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Wayne,

After the Gulf Shores AL trip Mary said it took way to long, we needed more speed. I figured who am I to argue and we started looking.

Mary and I went back and forth for weeks looking at the Bo, cirrus partnership and a few other aircraft but decided that the Sundowner met our mission for 90% of our flying. (Weekend beach runs and the twice a year distance trip)

We didn't want to start over on a new to us plane and the Sundowner has been solid on the mechanical end. I guess when we retire it will be time to revisit the need for speed since we will be doing the Delaware to Florida trip more often. For now it's time to concentrate the $$ on finding a condo in Jupiter FL for a rental until I call it quits as a project engineer up north.
 
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Thanks, I thought that insight might be valuable to the guy who's working through the decision.

GMascelli said:
Wayne,

Mary and I went back and forth for weeks looking at the Bo, cirrus partnership and a few other aircraft but decided that the Sundowner met our mission for 90% of our flying. (Weekend beach runs and the twice a year distance trip)

We didn't want to start over on a new to us plane and the Sundowner has been solid on the mechanical end. I guess when we retire it will be time to revisit the need for speed since we will be doing the Delaware to Florida trip more often. For now it's time to concentrate the $$ on finding a condo in Jupiter FL for a rental until I call it quits as a project engineer up north.
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LandSickness said:
Thanks for the info. I can start researching and learning to evaluate these birds. My budget is pretty strict, but I still get the last word in my house...of course, most of the time, that last word is "Yes Ma'am" :D
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:D Now that's an honest man.....

My Bride loves to fly so I have it pretty darn good. Keep to the budget, it helps when you get to feeling overwhelmed by the process.
 
wabower said:
Why delay the misery? If your plane of choice is a Grumman, just get one now and learn how to scrooch up to make it as comfortable as possible. Somebody posted a Cheetah ad on Grumman Gang for $22k.
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I agree, it's not as if you want your last plane to be some super expen$ive, high performance, complex barn burner. The Grumman would be an affordable trainer and if it is what you ultimately want, then why not now?
 
MBDiagMan said:
I agree, it's not as if you want your last plane to be some super expen$ive, high performance, complex barn burner. The Grumman would be an affordable trainer and if it is what you ultimately want, then why not now?
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I came to this conclusion by rethinking my mission.

To be honest, I sorta fell hard for the Tiger early on. She's a sweet flying bird. What I realize now, early in my PPL training, the idea of flying cross country @ 130kts, as appealing as that sounds, is actually not my mission. I'm opting for comfort instead of speed because I don't see myself traveling distances beyond 300nm at a time much.

The Grumman Tiger is the Mercedes SLK 350 I leer at every time I see one, but the Sundowner is the slower, less performing and very predictable Buick Lesabre that just might fit my mission like a glove. We'll see if it does.
 
How long are you comfortable sitting is what it boils down to. I've realized since I bought the Mooney that it isn't about being able to go the farthest in a day, it's about being able to go fast comfortably for3-4 hours. I really have no desire to fly any more than that in a day - and that's 650 miles so I really shouldn't need to go any further.
 
DavidWhite said:
Keep in mind if your mission is 300nm, in a Sundowner you are looking at 2 hours and 45 minutes.
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That's the longest my trips could be and that doesn't even have to be a single leg. As a matter of fact, I don't even have destinations in mind. I just want to be able to fly comfortably and right now, travel is secondary to actually enjoying the flight.
 
LandSickness said:
That's the longest my trips could be and that doesn't even have to be a single leg. As a matter of fact, I don't even have destinations in mind. I just want to be able to fly comfortably and right now, travel is secondary to actually enjoying the flight.
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Thats what I thought when I bought a basic trainer. Cherokee 115 mph on 8gph. Great plane. But after 150 hrs I wanted to go to Florida and California and OSH and other flyins.

While you do those trips in a Cherokee (I did), sometimes it can be a pita.

I flew my Cherokee back and forth to Florida a few times no problems but when I tried to go to California I had to go to an altitude which made for higher head winds. I was truing out about 60mph and did not have enough fuel to finish my sortie. So I turned back and landed at Springerville, NM for the night. I had 60-70 mph headwinds which all but stopped my progress and I could not fly lower as I was barely 2000' agl at that.

Then I saw the importance of a bit more speed than 115mph.

Looking back I probably should have just rented and checked out in a V tail bonanza on the field for those trips and Keep my lowly Cherokee.
 
Tony that's the Conclusion I came to. I wanted a J model Mooney. After much thought, The initial cost. Plus additional maintenance, and Insurance. didn't add up for my fun flying. So I moved down to wanting a 182. The price point for the 182 I want is the same as a 201 or more. In the end I have a club across from me that has a RV, 182 and a A36 for a 5k buy in, fully Refundable,and a hundred a month. Keep the sundowner and join the club for the two or three flights a year. Still way ahead.
 
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