Buying/Flying an N-Reg: Lots of questions!!!
Advice keenly invited!
SITUATION:
- Last year qualified PPL (SEP/MEP/Night)
- About 200 PIC
- Later this year I want to buy my own a/c - I have a business in Poland which is difficult to reach by scheduled (commercial) flights from UK, so the "pop into my own plane & fly over" option seems very sexy. The "as the crow flies" distance is approx. 1,000 miles, including some safety margin.
MY CUNNING PLAN IS....
- Go over to Florida this spring to get my FAA IR (and build some more hours/confidence of course)
- The FAA IR will effectively give me IMC privilage when flying G-reg in the UK anyway - AND give me full IR privilages when flying N-reg in UK/Europe
- So... I may as well buy a second-hand N-reg over there & ship it here (lots cheaper to buy in USA!) - again my understanding is that there is no reason why I can't fly/base an N-reg in Europe
- I may additionally go for the FAA Commercial Pilot rating (I understand it's relatively easy to get if you have an IR & over 250 hrs PIC), as I have been told insurance will be a lot lower
I am in the process of looking into the details.
My plea for advice is two-fold:
(1) Can you spot any glaring holes in or issues with my cunning plan? Has anyone done something similar? What are the (dis-)advantages of having an FAA IR and/or operating an N-reg over here?
(2) I did not mention this so far, but the other dilemma I have is what to buy - starting with SEP vs. MEP!! MEPs are much more expensive to run, and (personal observation only!) the safety advantage is questionable - esp. as on a given budget one can afford to buy a newer & better-equipped SEP. My current "best choice" is something like a Beech Bonanza - it seems to have (just) enough range to be useful, and has a similar sized cabin (though obviously less useful load capacity) as Baron 58 or Seneca, etc.
Apart from the SEP vs. MEP question, is there a SINGLE PLACE where I could compare different a/c (performance stats., etc.) and read opinions/reports from other pilots - i.e. get impartial advice? At the moment I am looking at many magazines, websites, etc., and it is really difficult to get any consensus of opinion. (Perhaps PPRUNE should have forums focusing on specific a/c models/types? Just a thought).
Phew.......... a lot of questions, sorry! Now over to the PPRUNE community to help steer me through the confusion!