eMKay
Pre-takeoff checklist
The club had our newest (to us) plane upgraded from it's original 1977 avionics to a little more modern setup, I do not know the final bill but the parts were $24000 alone, before installation. Installation performed at Dunkirk Aviation in Jamestown (which is very confusing to us locals, because Dunkirk is a city 20 miles north of Jamestown and another busy airport). Anyway I flew my CFII, and the club president down, and they let me fly the Archer back, where we got to test out the new autopilot, Garmin 430, the other radio is new too (I think it's also a refurb) as are the nav instruments and the turn coordinator. This is the first time I got to fly this plane and use an autopilot so I can't really comment on performance of stuff I barely know how to use, but everything we tried worked The autopilot does not have altitude hold, apparently that costs another $10,000? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Point is, if I were even able to buy a low time 1977 Archer like this (I could, but it would be a large financial burden) I would barely be able to afford to maintain it, no way could I put such a sweet nav setup in it. All 4 club planes are fully IFR and all have GPS's (300's and 150's) but this one is now the best one. The club is so reasonably priced that I think more people should look into clubs near them.
This plane has the funky 70's color scheme but it was so lightly used that the interior feels new and the exterior paint is original, and just now showing signs of wear. The club bought this one last year.
Point is, if I were even able to buy a low time 1977 Archer like this (I could, but it would be a large financial burden) I would barely be able to afford to maintain it, no way could I put such a sweet nav setup in it. All 4 club planes are fully IFR and all have GPS's (300's and 150's) but this one is now the best one. The club is so reasonably priced that I think more people should look into clubs near them.
This plane has the funky 70's color scheme but it was so lightly used that the interior feels new and the exterior paint is original, and just now showing signs of wear. The club bought this one last year.