Hi All,
I'm looking to buy a plane. After yet another waste of time and money on a rental currency checkout due to FBO specific currency requirements instead of flying the mission or flying the mission I want in slow airplanes that take forever to fly or having to shorten my mission to accommodate scheduling or avoid pricey minimum hour fees or cancel my mission due to the whimsical FBO owner deciding they want to go home for the day rather than take another paying customer so they're going to cancel a rated pilots rental due to "high crosswinds" with a 10 kt wind gusting to 15 at <30 degrees off center line, I've decided its finally time to stop renting.
Recently I've been looking at the Bellanca Super Viking (wood spar, I know). I did tailwheel training in a Bellanca Citabria & Super Decathalon and really enjoyed the flight characteristics. While they are a bit more aerobatic than the Viking, I've heard the Viking is very similarly light in the controls. Plus I've done my research and everything I've read about them suggests they are great planes that are under appreciated because of the marketing geniuses that have convinced people that metal is in some way better that wood and can often be found at a discount to comparable all metal airframes such as the Mooney.
The Viking seems to check the boxes I want: fast, responsive, solid useful load and endurance with 4 seats. It also checks the complex box which I'm not particular on. The only boxes I'm not sure on is the fuel efficiency and other fixed costs comparable to other planes. Which along those lines I go back to the need for a complex; I'd like to own a complex but I dont need to own a complex. The associated risks, higher maintenance and higher insurance costs are naturally detractors but there are only a few fixed gear planes that can match the speeds and usually at the cost of higher fuel burn so it becomes an equation of higher operating cost per hour vs a higher fixed price per year. I dont expect maintenance costs to be significantly higher than another complex aircraft though, especially if I go to someone who knows Vikings and I know one of the foremost Bellanca mechanics out there is based right around the corner from me in KPTW.
I dont know if I'll fly enough to offset the difference in fixed costs against the difference in operational cost, I've only done 25-to-30 or so hours so far in 2017 but that's more due to me trying to save for up for a plane than a time or desire consideration and in 2016 I was tracking 7-8 hours per month in the first 6 months before a job change and the costs associated with a cross-country move dried up the "fun" budget and I eeked out only 2.5 hours a month in the last half of the year. 2015 was my big flying year with 85 hours total and it easily could have been more if I had my instrument rating at the time (SoCal weather is great but not always perfect) and didn't have to worry about schedule/overnight minimums plus I am looking at going into it with a partner who is looking at doing their IFR training in the plane (particularly if I get off my rear and actually do my CFI/CFII) so I am going to assume between the 2 of us, with the ability to do longer cross-countries to more desirable places, we'll come out ahead.
My biggest issue holding me back from buying is that I've never flown or sat in a Viking or Mooney or... well, even though I've flown a wider variety of planes than many renter pilots out there, there's still a much larger list of planes I haven't flown or sat in than the list of those I have.
I've heard comments about Mooney's for example that they're cramped but having never been in one, I cant say from first hand experience what I think so I take that with a grain of salt. Everyone's preferences are different and there are numerous times in the past when I've been told by others I would or wouldnt like XYZ thing and then found quite the opposite and that I hated or loved it. Even when people have guessed correctly, I have found its often times for completely different reasons than the other person would have guessed.
So this is a call out to pilots, owners and those with access to a variety of planes in the areas of Somerville, NJ or Exton, PA (depending on the week closest airports to me are 47N, N51, KSMQ, KOQN and KMQS). I'm hoping you'll at least let me come checkout your plane(s) and sit in the cockpit myself, maybe even go for a shared ride.
I'm trying to get a good idea of what planes I like and dont like so I can narrow my search. While the Viking is my current front runner, I am open to other options and board recommendations. Other planes I've looked at include: Cherokee 6, Comanche, PA28 Dakota/Pathfinder, PA28R Arrow, Cessna C172RG Cutlass, Mooney M20, Bonanza E35 (and other Bonanza varients), Grumman AA-5B Tiger, etc. I've sat and/or flown in some of these but not others.
Thanks!
APR911
P.S. I'm also looking for a safety pilot to do some approaches with to help keep my instrument rating current. I currently have privileges in the Piper Arrow owned by Tri-State at 47N and Chester County Aviation at KMQS. I am also now (re)current in Solberg's (N51) C172SP (N409LP) and current in the trike planes at Brandywine (KOQN).
I'm looking to buy a plane. After yet another waste of time and money on a rental currency checkout due to FBO specific currency requirements instead of flying the mission or flying the mission I want in slow airplanes that take forever to fly or having to shorten my mission to accommodate scheduling or avoid pricey minimum hour fees or cancel my mission due to the whimsical FBO owner deciding they want to go home for the day rather than take another paying customer so they're going to cancel a rated pilots rental due to "high crosswinds" with a 10 kt wind gusting to 15 at <30 degrees off center line, I've decided its finally time to stop renting.
Recently I've been looking at the Bellanca Super Viking (wood spar, I know). I did tailwheel training in a Bellanca Citabria & Super Decathalon and really enjoyed the flight characteristics. While they are a bit more aerobatic than the Viking, I've heard the Viking is very similarly light in the controls. Plus I've done my research and everything I've read about them suggests they are great planes that are under appreciated because of the marketing geniuses that have convinced people that metal is in some way better that wood and can often be found at a discount to comparable all metal airframes such as the Mooney.
The Viking seems to check the boxes I want: fast, responsive, solid useful load and endurance with 4 seats. It also checks the complex box which I'm not particular on. The only boxes I'm not sure on is the fuel efficiency and other fixed costs comparable to other planes. Which along those lines I go back to the need for a complex; I'd like to own a complex but I dont need to own a complex. The associated risks, higher maintenance and higher insurance costs are naturally detractors but there are only a few fixed gear planes that can match the speeds and usually at the cost of higher fuel burn so it becomes an equation of higher operating cost per hour vs a higher fixed price per year. I dont expect maintenance costs to be significantly higher than another complex aircraft though, especially if I go to someone who knows Vikings and I know one of the foremost Bellanca mechanics out there is based right around the corner from me in KPTW.
I dont know if I'll fly enough to offset the difference in fixed costs against the difference in operational cost, I've only done 25-to-30 or so hours so far in 2017 but that's more due to me trying to save for up for a plane than a time or desire consideration and in 2016 I was tracking 7-8 hours per month in the first 6 months before a job change and the costs associated with a cross-country move dried up the "fun" budget and I eeked out only 2.5 hours a month in the last half of the year. 2015 was my big flying year with 85 hours total and it easily could have been more if I had my instrument rating at the time (SoCal weather is great but not always perfect) and didn't have to worry about schedule/overnight minimums plus I am looking at going into it with a partner who is looking at doing their IFR training in the plane (particularly if I get off my rear and actually do my CFI/CFII) so I am going to assume between the 2 of us, with the ability to do longer cross-countries to more desirable places, we'll come out ahead.
My biggest issue holding me back from buying is that I've never flown or sat in a Viking or Mooney or... well, even though I've flown a wider variety of planes than many renter pilots out there, there's still a much larger list of planes I haven't flown or sat in than the list of those I have.
I've heard comments about Mooney's for example that they're cramped but having never been in one, I cant say from first hand experience what I think so I take that with a grain of salt. Everyone's preferences are different and there are numerous times in the past when I've been told by others I would or wouldnt like XYZ thing and then found quite the opposite and that I hated or loved it. Even when people have guessed correctly, I have found its often times for completely different reasons than the other person would have guessed.
So this is a call out to pilots, owners and those with access to a variety of planes in the areas of Somerville, NJ or Exton, PA (depending on the week closest airports to me are 47N, N51, KSMQ, KOQN and KMQS). I'm hoping you'll at least let me come checkout your plane(s) and sit in the cockpit myself, maybe even go for a shared ride.
I'm trying to get a good idea of what planes I like and dont like so I can narrow my search. While the Viking is my current front runner, I am open to other options and board recommendations. Other planes I've looked at include: Cherokee 6, Comanche, PA28 Dakota/Pathfinder, PA28R Arrow, Cessna C172RG Cutlass, Mooney M20, Bonanza E35 (and other Bonanza varients), Grumman AA-5B Tiger, etc. I've sat and/or flown in some of these but not others.
Thanks!
APR911
P.S. I'm also looking for a safety pilot to do some approaches with to help keep my instrument rating current. I currently have privileges in the Piper Arrow owned by Tri-State at 47N and Chester County Aviation at KMQS. I am also now (re)current in Solberg's (N51) C172SP (N409LP) and current in the trike planes at Brandywine (KOQN).
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