The Beech Duke

[horacewimp]

Hi all,

Looking for comments on the B60 Duke,

Any pilots care to comment ?
I realise they like a bit of runway.
Payload seems low with full fuel
Realistic cruise figures.
Also how much difference did the Grand kit (winglets ) make

regards
Horace:cool::cool:
.

[Jabawocky]

They are sex on wings so spend all your money on it now.

EOM

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

Not known for their 'economy'...bring ya wallet with ya...

:ok:

[SOPS]

I have read on other forums that parts are hard to get, but it is a sexy beast.

[zlin77]

Have a look at Royal Turbine | Royal Turbine (http://www.royalturbine.com) ...PT-6 re-enginning of The Duke, very impressive take-off performance figures....

[Old Akro]

If you look there are some very good Duke owners web groups. There aren't many in Australia, so real experience is thin on the ground.

Not sure where clearedtoenter got his costs, but I would expect insurance to be $6-8k depending on value and depending on airport hangarage will be $5k to $12k pa. I would be expecting an average annual to be $15k, with the potential for the occasional one to be double that or more.

There is also a conversion that puts Walter (now GE) turbines in it, which may be a better thing.

You could end up putting a lot of money into an aeroplane with questionable parts support and questionable resale.

[VH-XXX]

Love it !



http://members.iinet.net.au/~bc_j400/bkn1.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~bc_j400/bkn2.jpg

[Wally Mk2]

Would be nice to own such a beast but they are for the wealthy who have money to burn!
I wonder why the Allison 250 donk wasn't considered for such a conversion.
Would be lighter, perhaps cheaper & still give you a good turn of speed I imagine & reliability with say 420 gee gee's a side.

Trouble with turbine donks is just one cooked donk means game over unless money is being printed whilst you sleep!

'jaba' move along sonny, too many donks for you to be posting here buddy:E

Wmk2

[tail wheel]

Engine Maintenance $200K every 3,600 hrs $66.00

That cost would be at least 40 years out of date. TBO on the PT6A-35 is 3,600 hours, so that costs relates to turbine overhaul.

A more reasonable provision for two engine time based overhaul over 3,600 hours, including starter generator, fuel nozzels, HSIs and engine overhaul would be around US$580,000, or US$160 per hour.

The rest of the firgures are, in my opinion, rather "optimistic".

[Howard Hughes]

They are sex on wings so spend all your money on it now.
Agreed! :ok:

I have nothing else to add of any value! ;)

[Volumex]

I agree with Jaba :ok:

Note that early B60's have less fuel than later ones.

[mattyj]

Back end internals are magnesium alloy..park it outdoors at your peril

[Jamair]

The rest of the firgures are, in my opinion, rather "optimistic".
Jeezuz Tailie, are you gettin all soft and subtle in yer dottage?? :p

[tail wheel]

Jeezuz Tailie, are you gettin all soft and subtle in yer dottage??

The lies and total garbage I've heard from aircraft sales people over the past 45 years make used car salesmen look like saints!!

I know a fool and his money are easily parted, but surely any potential buyer of a PT6 powered Beech Duke would check the veracity of the operating costs provided, realise they are total garbage and conclude that the vendor has no integrity?

Then again, any one that would buy a Beech Duke probably isn't really all that smart...... As I said, a fool and his money are easily parted! :=

[Valdiviano]

Hey Tailie, go easy on USED CAR salesmen, the game allowed me to retire at 52. It is NOT rocket science, listen to what the customer wants and offer him / her, only THAT. :O:E,
PS My only regret, I never got to fly a Duke or Aerostar

[Oracle1]

Just another under performing overpriced piston twin that wont climb on one. Better off all day and twice on Sunday with a single turbine. Whatcha gunna do when the vendor of the turbine conversion invariably goes broke? Need two turbines, buy a conquest at least you have factory support

[pithblot]

They look gorgeous, and were sold as an owner-pilots aeroplane. So for an owner who wants to fly pressurised with just one or two up, and get noticed on the ramp, then I guess they were hard to beat. I flew them commercially for a few hours and never really liked them. They were slightly better than the A56TC but, in my opinion, not much.

A useful modification (but never applied) would have been to replace the high revving Lycomings with slow turning, geared, Continentals (think C404/421 engines). Of course to get the power the small props would need to be changed.....main gear legs lengthened and moved forward and nose wheel replaced with a tail wheel. Add a few extra pop rivets, certify it as aerobatic, and the Duke would be a winner :)

[bolthead]

Below 10,000' = 170 knots @ 150 lit/hr ( winglets & vg's )

10 to 20 = 180

above 20 = 190

Been told winglets add 5 knots, vg's lose 5 knots, result = 0!

[horacewimp]

thanks folks,
interesting comments,
$476 is a bit off
$600 - 700 more realistic, for oz,
love the royal duke specs,

read somewhere PT6-21 can be had
for $60k ish, ex army pilatus dumped on market,
bit cheaper than-35s.
TBO is usually cycle related around 6000

IO 540 B4 overhaul around $60K.

Cont GTSIO 520 in Cessna 421, i had no joy with them, chewed up lots of cylinders.
remember an overhaul used to cost $58K in the nineties.

HW

[horacewimp]

spot on center,

may have to budget for a spare engine,

citation similar, engines scarce, best having a spare

[Fris B. Fairing]

Might explain why someone attacked VH-ORI with an axe.