Need a plane but which one?

T

Torque beast

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Bryan
Flew my Bonanza for years then moved up to a PII Baron and have enjoyed it for the last 4 years. However, it is now sold as of a couple weeks ago to a great home so needing to replace. Originally had my mind set on going pressurized and have been leaning towards an Aerostar (have lead on a good 602P) for my 757nm trip to PA but also keep looking at a Cirrus since a turbo charged model does have good speed and feel they may have better engine options down the road depending on 100LL situation. Mainly my wife and I with a 5lb dog. Would like to fly non stop on this 757nm trip. Anyone been in this situation or have input on this topic? I understand these are 2 very different planes but are very different to maintain and feed as well. Cirrus would have updated panel vs steam gages in Aerostar. With the dog we are limited on altitude in the Cirrus unless using some type of oxygen for her ect…
 
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No point in a turbo Cirrus if you're taking the dog. I suppose you could always try to train her to breathe through a cannula, but I wouldn't count on it. ;)

Note: I have not owned an Aerostar, but I would sure like to. Aerostar is a great airplane for squeezing the most knots out of a gallon of 100LL. It's the Mooney of the twin world. However, it's not particularly forgiving in single-engine situations. Long-lost PoAer @Aztec Driver lost his Aztec in an engine failure just after liftoff from a short field scenario where they had to put it down on a street near the airport; the instructor who successfully handled that situation was later killed in an Aerostar engine failure. So, be sure to get good training!

Also, if you want new avionics, you can always get them added to whatever plane you buy. You might want to wait until Garmin's new Axis system gets certified for twins, but you could always to a Gx00 TXi instead.
 
If you had a pet bird you wouldn’t need to worry about oxygen. They do make oxygen masks for dogs. Also found oxygen boxes for dogs which might be viable for 5lb one.

I think the more modern plane would be my choice.
 
I did look at the boxes/ tents that plug into oxygen which would probably work. Not sure her or the wife will like it though. From what I read Axis will only be for under 6k planes. Could be wrong on that
 
Torque beast said:
From what I read Axis will only be for under 6k planes. Could be wrong on that
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That's only true right now, and I do not expect it to remain true.

Garmin has started introducing things on the lower end, and then moving them up the line. G5 and GFC500 were experimental only; most of their other current products started on Class I and II aircraft. The higher classes have higher testing requirements, so it makes sense to get things out into the market as soon as the testing is complete for the lower ones, and then move them up the line.

I would be REALLY surprised if Axis isn't on Class III in another year or two.

FWIW, Class I is singles under 6,000 pounds, II is twins/turbines under 6,000 pounds, III is for >6000 and IV is commuter category.
 
I moved up to a Duke a few years ago. Pressurization is a game changer. Being able to fly over (most) weather is huge, plus there's usually little traffic in the high teens/low 20s, you get a pretty quiet cabin, and they're usually air conditioned with good heaters. While the opex can be painful, it's (usually) offset by a substantially lower acquisition cost (esp. if you're looking at 70s/80s Aerostars or Dukes or other similar airframes). $150-200k can get you a nice example of an Aerostar or a Duke (not top of market, but a nice example that would likely be reliable, etc.).

The Cirrus changes the equation a little, but I'm generally also just fond of twins vs. singles at this point.
 
bradg33 said:
I moved up to a Duke a few years ago. Pressurization is a game changer. Being able to fly over (most) weather is huge, plus there's usually little traffic in the high teens/low 20s, you get a pretty quiet cabin, and they're usually air conditioned with good heaters. While the opex can be painful, it's (usually) offset by a substantially lower acquisition cost (esp. if you're looking at 70s/80s Aerostars or Dukes or other similar airframes). $150-200k can get you a nice example of an Aerostar or a Duke (not top of market, but a nice example that would likely be reliable, etc.).

The Cirrus changes the equation a little, but I'm generally also just fond of twins vs. singles at this point.
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I am fond of twins myself but as I get older I starting to think about a parachute for my wife if something happened to me. She tells me if something happened to me she would die of a heart attack so wouldn’t need the chute anyway
 
Torque beast said:
I am fond of twins myself but as I get older I starting to think about a parachute for my wife if something happened to me. She tells me if something happened to me she would die of a heart attack so wouldn’t need the chute anyway
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Now that the auto-land feature has appeared in the piston market, I expect that in another few years Garmin will bring that feature to the retrofit market. In fact, I'd bet a lot of money that part of Garmin's contract with Cirrus is that they get to be the only piston with autoland for the first few years.

The pieces are there - GFC500, Smart Glide on GTN Xi and Axis, the new GHA-15 "height advisor" (radar altimeter)... The only missing pieces are configuration changes, braking, and engine cutoff, which could conceivably be given as instructions on-screen for a human to complete. I could see the installation manual including a process to take a picture of the panel at the end of the upgrade and software to show the location of the gear handle, flap handle, and mixture control to show the human at the appropriate times.
 
Bacho said:
I’m intrigued on what made you get rid of the baron?
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Couple of reasons, tired of dodging weather and need pressurization to go higher with a 5lb purse puppy that needs to travel with us. 136 usable limits us and would like to get rid of a fuel stop.
 
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