My vote is for the 407, but I have no time in a notar. I disagree that earlier SN's should be avoided. The one I have been flying for the past year has in excess of 13,000 hours (1997 model) and never misses a beat. It flies 200 hours a month and the only problem I have had was a trans pressure gauge failure. Most of the other 407's I have flown were older. The MX makes all the difference. They ARE prone to gauge failures and it sounds like they are incredibly expensive. I would think they could be rebuilt, though. The two aft facing seats haven't seem to bother anyone I've flown in 2000 hours. I don't know why anyone cares about the broom closet. I like it that the cabin is separated. It has excellent TR authority and (at sea level anyway) has a ton of power. It may look like a 206L with 4 blades, but any similarity ends there. It looks cool, too. Many operators remove the frahm dampener to make MX easier and save 40 or so pounds.
The baggage is the same size as a 206. It would be nice if it was larger, but you can't have everything. Figure about 1400 pounds payload with an hour and a half of fuel. Get the pedal extenders if not equipped. You'll be glad you did! And I'm in Fl. too if you ever need a pilot!
Last edited by helonorth; 27th Feb 2011 at 15:25.