Seneca or Saratoga?
Question for any light Seneca or Saratoga owners...
So, I'm tentatively planning a trip for the tail end of the summer (presuming we're not all still in lockdown). I've been asked to fly some friends over to the Scottish Western Isles. I have access to either a (you guessed it) Seneca II or a Saratoga.
I'll be flying from the Midlands solo, picking them up in Dundee and heading over from there. Now, my question concerns the performance for the aircraft in question. There will be 6 up (adult males) and 1 small holdall each in the aircraft. Flight time from Dundee to Destination is approx 1hour. I've ran the performance calculations for both A/C, and given the extensive runways at both Dundee and Destination, I should in theory be able to manage this with enough fuel for the flight over and 45 mins reserve, remaining in the CofG limits etc, however it would be very close to MTOM. I'm looking for some real world experience from owners as to how feasible this actually is. I've never had more than 4 in the A/C before and don't want to end up in the Tay in a heavy heavy aeroplane.
Lastly, if its a no go for either of these options, any suggestions for something would comfortably fly with 6 up?
Thanks in advance,
MIT