The Beech Duke
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The Beech Duke
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
.
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
.
short flights long nights
I have read on other forums that parts are hard to get, but it is a sexy beast.
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.
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.
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
Wmk2
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
Wmk2
Moderator
Engine Maintenance $200K every 3,600 hrs $66.00
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".
Sprucegoose
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Hughes Point, where life is great! Was also resident on page 13, but now I'm lost in Cyberspace....
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They are sex on wings so spend all your money on it now.
I have nothing else to add of any value!
Moderator
Jeezuz Tailie, are you gettin all soft and subtle in yer dottage??
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!
Duke
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. 
,
PS My only regret, I never got to fly a Duke or Aerostar
, PS My only regret, I never got to fly a Duke or Aerostar
Last edited by Valdiviano; 27th Jul 2013 at 10:29.
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Tired Design
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
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
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
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deflated
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
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
