Buying another plane

corjulo

corjulo

Line Up and Wait
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Corjulo
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My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
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A true four seater? The 182 you mentioned, as well as the Piper Dakota. Also, the Cessna 206 and Piper Cherokee Sixes shouldn't be ignored.
 
Grumman Tiger! It's a true 4 seater, has a cool sliding canopy, goes as fast as a 182 on 2/3 of the fuel, fun to fly. (I'm new at this - how'd I do, Ron and Anthony?) :)
 
BillG said:
Grumman Tiger! It's a true 4 seater, has a cool sliding canopy, goes as fast as a 182 on 2/3 of the fuel, fun to fly. (I'm new at this - how'd I do, Ron and Anthony?) :)
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The Tiger carries what, 900-950 pounds? With full fuel it can't really carry four real people. But it's certainly worth a look if you really want to carry three, not four, or two adults and two kids. It's way more fun to fly than a 182, that's for sure!!
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
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If you want a true 4 seater then buy a 6 seater.:rolleyes:
 
BillG said:
Grumman Tiger! It's a true 4 seater, has a cool sliding canopy, goes as fast as a 182 on 2/3 of the fuel, fun to fly. (I'm new at this - how'd I do, Ron and Anthony?) :)
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Perfect. :) Sounds like familiar propaganda to me and it sounds like you love your Tiger. Might be time for a Tiger report as a new owner. I and maybe others would like ot here your thoughts, pros/cons, etc.

If Dan needs a true four place and full fuel plus bags plane, the Tiger ain't gonna do it. Besides the 182, the Cherokee 235/Dakota comes to mind or a even a Cherokee Six. If you just want the ability to fill four seats and don't mind flying fuel to the tabs (38 gallons @ 10 GPH) then the Tiger will do it. And since Dan is located in the northeast then high DA is not an issue unless its REALLY hot.
 
Joe Williams said:
The Tiger carries what, 900-950 pounds? With full fuel it can't really carry four real people. But it's certainly worth a look if you really want to carry three, not four, or two adults and two kids. It's way more fun to fly than a 182, that's for sure!!
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All true! My Tiger's usefull load is 941 lbs, and once I pull the Loran, ADF, DME and maybe loose the steps, I'll gain significant useful load.
 
Joe Williams said:
With full fuel it can't really carry four real people.
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Neither can any four seat aircraft, including the C182. "Full fuel" should leave the comparative dialog, to be replaced with "useful load remaining when fueled for x miles".

I'll probably live to regret writing "any" as some horribly limited fuel capacity four seat aircraft will immediately be brought to our attention, but you get the point.
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
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No, no others.
 
Ed Guthrie said:
Neither can any four seat aircraft, including the C182. "Full fuel" should leave the comparative dialog, to be replaced with "useful load remaining when fueled for x miles".

I'll probably live to regret writing "any" as some horribly limited fuel capacity four seat aircraft will immediately be brought to our attention, but you get the point.
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The older Commander 114s, with 68 gallons fuel capacity, can carry full fuel and 700-750 pounds in the cabin. 68 gallons isn't "horribly limited." :)
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
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What is the consensus purpose for carrying four FAA adults? Travel a distance? Carry luggage, too?

What other criteria? Be relatively immune to damage and therefor cheap to insure? Be relatively non-demanding of pilot skill/experience, and therefor insurable with any Joe Pilot?

BTW, if you want to travel distance with luggage, the C182 is not a four seat aircraft.
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
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How much do you want to spend?

Without that limitiation I'd say look at something from the Gulfstream line.

:<)

For club use, a Dakota or a Cherokee 6 - a Cessna 205 or a 206.

Len
 
What are some of the other dynamics? What fleet will it be joining? If it's a fleet of 172s, then a 182 makes sense. If it's a mixed fleet of Cessnas and Pipers and Beeches, you have more options.

Do you care (ie insurance) about retract vs. straight leg? What mission will it be expected to serve? Is this for 4 adults to joy ride or 4 adults to travel? Is there an operating cost (ie rental rate) you're trying to hit? How much do you have to spend?
 
The Tiger is a "true 4-seater" that can carry four average adults and over 3+30 fuel (to the tabs) and a couple of overnight bags. It cannot carry four adults, four suitcases, and full (5 hours) fuel, but neither can a 182 (runs out of baggage area for the four suitcases even if it doesn't run out of gross weight).

But what do your club members really want? If they want a plane to haul four adults and a week's worth of luggage over 400 nm, you need more power than a 182 or 235 Cherokee/Dakota has -- it's time for a 206 or a Cherokee Six/Saratoga. If your members want a plane they can take the family out on a weekend or two couples off somewhere to lunch, the 180 HP birds will do it very nicely for very little more cost than your 150-160HP O-320-powered plane, and the Tiger will do it with the most sportiness. If we're talking four "full-sized" adults on a business trip, the 182/235 can do the job. And if you're in Denver or points higher, just kick each of those descriptions up one notch or add a turbocharger.
 
Carol said:
Or a Comanche.
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Sorry, Carol, I gotta say a Comanche's a bad choice for a club. While an individual owner can work around the insurance and maintenance issues, they are going to eat a club up. Better to stick with a non-complex airplane currently being manufactured/supported.
 
Ron Levy said:
Sorry, Carol, I gotta say a Comanche's a bad choice for a club. While an individual owner can work around the insurance and maintenance issues, they are going to eat a club up. Better to stick with a non-complex airplane currently being manufactured/supported.
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With that I agree.
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
Click to expand...

As noted by others, you trade fuel for passenger/baggage. The funny thing is that with full fuel (have to plan that way, club rules require putting the plane away full) we can put more weight in the cabin of our 180 hp C-172N than in our C-182 or Arrow. Long range tanks (50 gal) in the C-172 and long range tanks (75 gal) in the C-182. Gotta love that Penn Yan conversion...
 
Ron Levy said:
But what do your club members really want?
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I want a Lear Jet!

What can your club/club members afford?

Len

P.S. I actually don't want a Lear Jet...I want a C130.
 
Joe Williams said:
68 gallons isn't "horribly limited." :)
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No, but bordering on it when you have an IO-540 sucking on the other end of the straw and the flat out full bore cruise speed is so slow you have bird strikes on the trailing edge.:rofl:
 
Ed Guthrie said:
What is the consensus purpose for carrying four FAA adults? Travel a distance? Carry luggage, too?

What other criteria? Be relatively immune to damage and therefor cheap to insure? Be relatively non-demanding of pilot skill/experience, and therefor insurable with any Joe Pilot?

BTW, if you want to travel distance with luggage, the C182 is not a four seat aircraft.
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Non demanding of pilots skill/experience is a big one. We have two 172's now. We hoping to do this for 80k to 100K. There is a lot of respect for the Cherokee 6 but it is believed to be too complex for the club average pilot
 
Ghery said:
As noted by others, you trade fuel for passenger/baggage. The funny thing is that with full fuel (have to plan that way, club rules require putting the plane away full) we can put more weight in the cabin of our 180 hp C-172N than in our C-182 or Arrow. Long range tanks (50 gal) in the C-172 and long range tanks (75 gal) in the C-182. Gotta love that Penn Yan conversion...
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Thanks for the info, the devil is in the details
 
corjulo said:
There is a lot of respect for the Cherokee 6 but it is believed to be too complex for the club average pilot
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That's hooey.

But you will be hard pressed to find a decent one for 80-100K.
 
corjulo said:
Non demanding of pilots skill/experience is a big one. We have two 172's now. We hoping to do this for 80k to 100K. There is a lot of respect for the Cherokee 6 but it is believed to be too complex for the club average pilot
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You're looking for a C182.
 
corjulo said:
Non demanding of pilots skill/experience is a big one. We have two 172's now. We hoping to do this for 80k to 100K. There is a lot of respect for the Cherokee 6 but it is believed to be too complex for the club average pilot
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A Cherokee 6 is not too complex for the average pilot. But another option you could look at is an Archer. 180 horse, dirt simple to operate, and about 950 useful load. Of course, fuel takes from that, but it has tabs at 35 gallons, I believe which gives you vfr flexibility, if not very good IFR range.
 
corjulo said:
My club put me on a committee to buy another plane. The general consensus is we want a true four seater. Other then the Cessna 182 is there anything you guys think we should look at?
Click to expand...

Don't know what the other club planes are. If they are Cessnas, the 182 is a logical choice. They are everywhere and so maintenance shouldn't be an issue. Everything I've ever heard about the 182 would make me say this. It's a good four place airplane, good speed and load carrying capability. Stable. High wing for rainy days. A very popular airplane for good reasons.

That being said, I love the Grummans. They are fun to fly and the Tiger would really bear looking at. One man's opinion.

Jim
 
gibbons said:
You're looking for a C182.
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I agree with Chip unless you find a 206 or maybe a 205 being sold dirt cheap by an insane person.
 
I rode in a Dakota with fuel at tabs and 4 men, 3 of which weighed over 200 lbs. Climb was impressive. Standard day at sea level. Tabs is probably 3 hours of fuel.
 
Joe Williams said:
It's way more fun to fly than a 182, that's for sure!!
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my airplane will hate me for saying this....(even tho she is a baby tiger)

it is more fun than the 182.

...but the 182 will take more than the tiger. and there is something about that 20degree flap short field takeoff that the 182 does so well, whereas the grummies tend to levitate off the ground.
 
Steve said:
Forget those wimpy so-called "4-place" airplanes...

This plane will carry four adults and ALL their bags....and a moose...
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I can't recall the number of times I've said to myself, "I love this Bonanza, but where the hell am I supposed to put this moose?" :rofl:
 
I don't know the price, but what about the Airvan??
airvan.gif
 
Ken Ibold said:
I could see a Caravan on floats
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Ken,

I can see them too, I mean jeez they're so big I wouldn't even need my glasses, but buy one, no way.

:<)

Len
 
corjulo said:
Non demanding of pilots skill/experience is a big one. We have two 172's now. We hoping to do this for 80k to 100K. There is a lot of respect for the Cherokee 6 but it is believed to be too complex for the club average pilot
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I just did a search in Trade a Plane using $75K to $95K and model year 1968 to 1980 as the search criteria. 132 aircraft matched those criteria.

25 Skylanes
1 Cherokee 6-260
1 Cherokee 6-300 (+ another one with close to 10K airframe hours)

You could change some of the criteria and see what jumps out at ya.

The Cherokee 6 is a fat Archer with a constant speed prop and cowl flaps. A few hours of dual (several at most) and just about any proficient pilot that has flown a PA28 should be able to fly a Cherokee 6.

Len
 
Steve said:
Forget those wimpy so-called "4-place" airplanes...

This plane will carry four adults and ALL their bags....and a moose...
Click to expand...
Wasn't the punchline of that joke "Yup, and we crashed in almost exactly the same place last year, too"?

Nevertheless, the still-open question is just what sort of uses (range, payload, etc) to which Dan's club members plan to put that "4-place" airplane. Answer that, and the choices will narrow themselves.
 
corjulo said:
Non demanding of pilots skill/experience is a big one. We have two 172's now. We hoping to do this for 80k to 100K. There is a lot of respect for the Cherokee 6 but it is believed to be too complex for the club average pilot
Click to expand...

Operationally, I don't see how you figure outside of the fuel selector.
 
Hey Dan:
Sounds like the 182 is the way to go.
I'm on the board of RFC Dallas Flying Club here at Addison (Dallas area). We have a PA-28; C-177RG; 300 HP Beech Deb; F-33 and an A-36 Bonanza. Question I would ask is do you want to give members the opportunity to step up to high performance/complex? If not, you seem to be on track. If you want to open that door (as we have) look at the C-33 or F33 Bonanza.
I have the performance numbers for our club planes if you want to dig in.

Best,

Dave
Baron 322KS
 
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