Where can I rent a King Air?

Challenged

Challenged

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Challenged
My parents have their 50 year anniversary this year and we'd like to take a family trip at the end of June to celebrate the occasion. While I've offered several times, nobody in my family (except my wife) has ever flown with me. Of course I'm thinking to myself: "Self, this is a perfect way to show my entire family how fantastic general aviation is."

The reality, however, may not work out as such. I believe we're leaning towards a trip to Scottsdale, AZ, which is going to be 1,050nm from my home airport. There's going to be either 6 or 8 passengers (including myself).

I looked up some prices with a local charter company and the cost will easily be in the $15,000 range to charter a King Air 200, which is a bit out of budget (airline cost is going to be in the $3000 range). I'd be willing to double my cost for airline travel in order to make this happen, but I guess there's no real economically viable solution here?
 
Not unless you can get a 135 outfit to fly you for the price of fuel:dunno:
 
PC-12 is realistic if you live in a major market like Miami or Chicago, but I never heard of anyone renting KAs.
 
zaitcev said:
PC-12 is realistic if you live in a major market like Miami or Chicago, but I never heard of anyone renting KAs.
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I think he means "charter". There are plenty of KA's available for 135.

For $3000 you can charter a KA, as long as you're not planning to go anywhere.
 
I don't believe it can be done within your price range.

Even if you owned a King Air yourself, I think you'd be pushing close to 6k for the trip just one way. I don't have any hard numbers, but based on some of the places that will rent a KA for dual training, I'd suspect it would run you around $1500/hr to operate.
 
The quote I got for a King Air 200 charter was $1550/hr., which really isn't too bad, but our current destination is probably a 3 hour flight. The $700/day for the crew puts me over my financial threshold I think.

Ideally, I'd love to find something I could rent and fly myself, even if it meant getting a fair number of hours in it before June, but the most capable plane that I can find within 120 miles is a DA42.

Realistically, I think I knew the answer to this question before I asked. I don't mind dropping a little money on this, since it's a special occasion, but it's not really worth it to me for $15,000 (that would pay for a number of panel upgrades on my Sierra).

Maybe I can use this to convince my wife I need something larger than a 4-seater, however. :)
 
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With the cabin load you are contemplating, a B-200 won't make PHX non-stop from LA. Fuel alone would cost more than $4,000. My friend from Kilgore (GGG) stops in El Paso when they fly to Palm Springs for our golf trips.
 
Thanks for the info Wayne. I guess I'll just stick to fantasizing that I own a Phenom 300, fantasizing is much cheaper anyhow.
 
Just an idea, but why not fly airlines out there, and rent something to give your parents a tour of some sort from the air? In the end it would still probably be within your budget...
 
And even if it could make LA PHX, a 135 King Air 200 usually has 11 total seats. The regs then prohibit a passenger from sitting in the front. So, you'd have to be in the back.

Sec. 135.113

Passenger occupancy of pilot seat.

No certificate holder may operate an aircraft type certificated after October 15, 1971, that has a passenger seating configuration, excluding any pilot seat, of more than eight seats if any person other than the pilot in command, a second in command, a company check airman, or an authorized representative of the Administrator, the National Transportation Safety Board, or the United States Postal Service occupies a pilot seat.
 
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Challenged said:
The quote I got for a King Air 200 charter was $1550/hr., which really isn't too bad, but our current destination is probably a 3 hour flight. The $700/day for the crew puts me over my financial threshold I think.

Ideally, I'd love to find something I could rent and fly myself, even if it meant getting a fair number of hours in it before June, but the most capable plane that I can find within 120 miles is a DA42.

Realistically, I think I knew the answer to this question before I asked. I don't mind dropping a little money on this, since it's a special occasion, but it's not really worth it to me for $15,000 (that would pay for a number of panel upgrades on my Sierra).

Maybe I can use this to convince my wife I need something larger than a 4-seater, however. :)
Click to expand...


Ray used to rent one out of Long Beach, 3000TT 1200ME and a checkout IIRC for the OPW.
 
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