A thought or five
- The C182 is likely to be a much easier aeroplane to manage than the SR20 with the skills and resources in Russia, as well as far cheaper to buy.
- You might consider looking at the UK market as well (
Aircraft for sale is a good start). Britain will be a much easier flight to most of Russia than the USA. Prices and model availability will be broadly similar.
- Don't expect many 4 seaters to take 4 people with full fuel. Ask for a weight and balance report for anything you're thinking about, and run some calculations for the people and range you are interested in. That said, the C182 should be good, also have a look at the Grumman AA5b Tiger (not the AA5a Cheetah which is a bit short on payload), and the PA32 (commonly called the Cherokee 6).
- I've worked (not recently) in a Russian design bureau - you'll be glad to know that technical aviation English and technical aviation Russian are very similar. So long as your colleagues are familiar with the English alphabet, tell them when they hit anything difficult to say it out loud and it'll probably make sense in Russian!
- Instruction will be interesting! I'd suggest finding a good Russian instructor who speaks some reasonable English, and sending them to get checked out in the aeroplane.
- Russian aeroplanes have altimeters in metres, British and American in feet - because of certification issues, it may be pragmatic to fit a second (or third and fourth) altimeter(s). If you are operating into northern Russia you may also want to retrofit a panel-top GLONASS system, GPS and older fashioned navigation aids are quite unreliable up there. South of 70 degrees N however, you should have no issues.
-Also look at what might be available in the Czech republic. They are again a healthy aeronautical country with relatively easy border relationships with Russia.
- For US$200k, you can get a lot of aeroplane - or four still pretty good aeroplanes in the performance bracket you're looking at. Don't feel you need to spend that much money.
- If you leave it on the US or British register, you'll need to have access to an American certified mechanic, or a British licenced engineer. A Russian technician can only legally maintain the aircraft (or at-least sign for the maintenance) if the aeroplane has been transferred onto the Russian register. That may be extremely difficult and expensive if the type has not been operated on the Russian register before.
G