Socata TB20/21 reliability maintenance costs

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skynewbie

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I really like the Socata airplane very stylish aircraft and considering buying one after my private pilot license training to use for instrument and commercial ratings. How much should I budget annually for maintenance costs on on of these planes?
 
Sign up for socata.org and get information from the owners. There are 2-3 TB owners here on POA, one of them iirc in your area.
 
About the same as any other plane in their class (6-seat HP NA/TC complex airplane) so data on a 35/36 Bonanza, C-210, or PA32R would be pretty close, too.
 
I don't know if Kaye and AdamB are around here much these days, but they'd be the best to tell you their opinions.

Engine and prop wise they'll be the same as any other plane with those engines and props. I've been particularly impressed by their cooling, so maybe engine wise a bit better. Airframe wise, I doubt if it's truly any different. It always seems like there are some weird airframe issues with them, but I suppose they seem weird because the airframe issues I'm used to dealing with are different. Not sure they're any more or less reliable overall. Kinda slow for what they burn, but the cabin is also very nice, which is why.
 
I love them too. I might just have to buy one.



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The Socata TB planes remind me of flying Lamborghini with the gull wing doors. I'll have to fly one and see how they compare to Beechcraft Bonanza and Mooney.
 
The Trinidads have a nicer interior, in my opinion. Feels a bit more car-like and has more width. Think like a Cirrus only with worse marketing and made in France, plus retractable gear.

The Bonanza and Mooney will be faster, mostly a function of the fact that their cabins aren't as wide.
 
Well at this point I am doing my research and joined Beechtalk and Socata user groups to get some data points. I've heard that Beechcraft are better made aircraft and that Socata are more luxury but expensive to maintain and hard to find parts and mechanics that can work on them.
 
I flew a friend's 1984 Trinidad for about 8 years and really enjoyed it. It was good looking, fun to fly, and super easy to land. Passengers loved the gull wing doors and roominess of the cabin. The plane was tied down outdoors at Palo Alto airport (KPAO) in Northern CA, and I remember the biggest maintenance issue seemed to be the landing gear actuators getting dirty/corroded whatever and having to be frequently cleaned and replaced. Maybe if the plane had been hangared this wouldn't have been an issue, I don't know. I also remember that getting parts in a timely fashion was sometimes an issue.

During one of my final flights in that plane I lowered the (hydraulic) gear for landing and got green for the nosewheel and right main, but not the left main. I did a few dives with rapid pullouts to try to shake the left main down, and eventually I did manage to get 4 greens (one was my girlfriend, who puked from all the maneuvers). This is one reason I ended up buying a Mooney... if the electric gear motors fail, you can just lower them manually with a hand crank.
 
skynewbie said:
I really like the Socata airplane very stylish aircraft and considering buying one after my private pilot license training to use for instrument and commercial ratings. How much should I budget annually for maintenance costs on on of these planes?
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My 250hp Lycoming 6 cyl four seat complex plane is 50 years old so it could be more expensive than yours. I also have a turbo which adds turbo/wastegate parts, increases maintenance on induction system, hose replacement every 5 years and heat which ensures crack cylinders before reaching 2000 hrs on the engine. That and I flew aggressively the first year.

The annual inspection is about $1000 but I'd say with discrepancies it averages a total of $2500-3500. each year my first 2 years. With that said last year my annual was $200 from a local IA friend and the parts were under $400. Maybe you should reserve another $1000 per year put into reserves towards landing gear and prop O/H and inspections which come about every 5/10 years.

So I think net maintenance might be between $3500-4500 on the high side per year the first 2-3 years or until you stabilize it get it into shape. If you help with maintenance and active then perhaps less. I do not turn a screw on my Comanche. I hate to tell anyone you can have an annual maintenance and inspection for $600 like I did this year but with getting caught up then you get a few good years..>Keep caught up as it is expensive to let things go.

Then you get a year like this one with two new AD's both about $400 each to comply with...

I like to set aside on the high side of what I think it could be and then if it comes in low, I will do some extra improvements. I IRAN'd a mag one year, added new cylinders two years, rebuilt a audio panel with an annoying noise one year, installed a 12V cigar lighter too. When I still have money left over I just take a trip to either the West coast or East coast which is good for burning up $800-900 worth of fuel, bought an O2 system, have the hand held emergency radio or nav/com, new handheld gps.....you name it I find a way to spend it. I don't usually spend it but I try and set aside $5k of cash or credit.
 
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skynewbie said:
Well at this point I am doing my research and joined Beechtalk and Socata user groups to get some data points. I've heard that Beechcraft are better made aircraft and that Socata are more luxury but expensive to maintain and hard to find parts and mechanics that can work on them.
Click to expand...

Owned a TB20 for approximately 5 years/600 hours or so.... If I were looking for a high performance piston single, I would go back to another TRIN.

Great airplane!

Strong airframe, single spar wing, X-wind component I believe is 25Knots, push pull rods vs. cables, lyc io540 derated to 250hp, wide (50") comfortable cabin, great visibility for the pilot and passengers, two doors, trailing link landing gear makes for nice landings, great instrument platform, high wing loading helps alot in turbulence.

Cockpit arrangement at first seems odd, but once you are in it-fly it, you wonder why other airplane mfg's don't put stuff where Socata does.

Never had an issue with parts availability and there is a very strong owner group on Socata.org. Very professional group of passionate owners...

I don't recall what serial number (forward) represents the 28 volt airplanes but it was somewhere around 1990 when they made the switch. I have heard some taller pilots have issues with headroom in the non GT (newer) models. ...and as I recall, your A and P will have to have a set of metric tools for the airframe.
 
Cool well I plan to get checked out in the Socata and Beechcraft at Sundance in KPAO once I have my PPL. Someone told me the Socata flies nice like a large fast Piper Arrow.
 
I flew in AdamB's Turbo Trinnie from Philly to 6Y9er. It was super comfortable although it was a bit of a runway hog. I know Adam had a couple of expensive years. But I don't know that the expense had anything to do with the fact that it was a Trinnie.
 
Checked on used prices for Socata and Mooney and Beechcraft. Looks like a nice Mooney 201 can be had for under 100k but a nice used Socata or Beechcraft will cost upwards 150k plus for one that has not been abused.
 
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