To upgrade or not to upgrade?
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A great read from beginning to end.
Such a refreshing change to see others sharing knowledge and experience instead of sniping and willy waving at each other found in many other forums.
I reckon maybe a book in your exploits somewhere?
Thanks again Adam
GGR
Such a refreshing change to see others sharing knowledge and experience instead of sniping and willy waving at each other found in many other forums.
I reckon maybe a book in your exploits somewhere?
Thanks again Adam
GGR
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Don't have a wife or family, so that makes things a little easier. And I do always start my relationships with saying "You can never ask me to sell my plane". Maybe that's why they never stick around?....
Thanks for well wishes.
Thanks for well wishes.
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So, I'm finally here in clammy and insanely hot Alabama to learn how to become a safe driver of an Aerostar as well as a responsible owner. I'm both very excited and at the same time have that slight lump in my stomach you get when you've bought something a bit too frivolous...
Four days of ground school started three days ago, but we've only covered about two days of stuff as Don also has to attend to his business when things come up. I don't mind - it gives me lots of time to go through maintenance logs, logbooks, performance charts, drink coffee etc. Not to mention just hanging around the hangar asking the mechanics annoying questions and nerding out. Today we covered Electric Systems, Engine Systems and yesterday we covered Control Systems and Fuel Systems. Tomorrow is Pressurisation - a biggie.
Don's knowledge of all systems is actually a bit intimidating - not only does he know all the systems inside out, but he worked for Ted Smith in Santa Maria, CA when they built them so there's even anecdotes and reasonings from the design and test phase. It's all very informative, although I did almost nod off when the electric flow charts/diagrams came on the board....
Ground school lump and theoretical test. Ask me anything.
A gaggle of Aerostars waiting for new owners on the ramp. In fact, the blue obscured fin in the back belonging to 78PA has a new owner who is a gentleman named Oscar Taylor and might sell me his much newer props as he plans on.....
A gentleman by the name of Oscar Taylor dropped by yesterday to have a look at N78PA, another 601P, this one from 1978. She's in pretty poor cosmetic shape having sat outside without an annual for over 7 years. But that didn't stop Oscar - he plans on gutting it and using it as a base for yet another one of his turbine single conversions, so he got it cheap. The previous conversion he did is absolutely gorgeous and a minimalistic masterpiece. I'm floored by what he achieved to make just one guy with some help. He bolted a Garrett 850hp turbine on the front and did some major re-design. It burns 36gph up high and goes almost 300kts. He called it the Speedstar 850. The new one will be shorter, a true 4-place, and have a more powerful PT6 up front. He wants to go fast and is aiming for 350kts. Speed is his thing. Best of luck to Oscar, who's 77 years old. I hope I can start projects like that when I'm his age.
Oscar wanted to sell me his more or less brand new props on the Aerostar he plans to gut. I told him I might be interested, but that any check I write is most likely to bounce as I've now spent all my money purchasing mine. He said he was a millionaire, so it didn't matter.
...stripping the airframe out completely and building yet another single turbine Aerostar/Speedstar (as he calls it) with a PT6 engine instead of the Garrett.
Slide (old school) of the Aerostar's wet wing fuel system. 65gal in each wing and 44gals in the main fuselage tank. The Commander and the Aerostar have some similarities when it comes to fuel systems having both been designed by Ted Smith.
In the evenings I have plenty of time to go through the log books as well as floss my teeth. So far so good with the logs. Teeth I'm not sure about.
Tomorrow we'll probably break up the ground school and go flying a little even though the grunt of the training in the aircraft will come after the ground school. There are quite a few things we need to cover during that portion. Obviously the usual stuff such as stalls, single engine work and all that, but also systems management in the air and such trivial things as learning how to land the damn thing without my teeth fillings coming out! That would ideally be covered early on in the flying part I would assume.
Soon we will meet again, dear cockpit.
After all that is done it's time to face the long journey home. It's a good 1650nm trip, so needs to have the WX gods on my side. Just north of Alabama there have been tornadoes and thunderstorms all week - so bad it even made the news. But they will be gone by the time I set off and I'm not worried in the summer months going west. Going east through the northern states would have been a different thing. If everything goes like a dream it should take about 8-8,5hrs flying with no headwind, plus at least two stops for fuel/food adding 2hrs. Going with the light, this is doable in one day, but a stretch. Depends on how tired I feel and if the weather cooperates. This trip would have been impossible to do in one day in the Commander.
If it's clear skies/few clouds I plan on cruising at 16500ft going west now that I have pressurisation. It's nice and calm up there and almost no traffic. Might get nailed with some headwinds up high, but even so it normally pays off to go high with the higher TAS and the lower fuel consumption. We'll see.
Will the new hatchling make it back to California in one piece with its inexperienced new owner? Time will tell.
Even though Don's course is a pre-requisite/approved for the insurance companies, I will be flying her back to California uninsured (legal in the US, just don't crash on someone's property...). I don't have the time to shop around and fill in tons of forms and arrange insurance beforehand, so it will have to wait until I'm settled in back home. Plus, I have a suspicion they might want me to get a few more hours with an instructor experienced in type locally as well.
I'll let you know how it goes..
Four days of ground school started three days ago, but we've only covered about two days of stuff as Don also has to attend to his business when things come up. I don't mind - it gives me lots of time to go through maintenance logs, logbooks, performance charts, drink coffee etc. Not to mention just hanging around the hangar asking the mechanics annoying questions and nerding out. Today we covered Electric Systems, Engine Systems and yesterday we covered Control Systems and Fuel Systems. Tomorrow is Pressurisation - a biggie.
Don's knowledge of all systems is actually a bit intimidating - not only does he know all the systems inside out, but he worked for Ted Smith in Santa Maria, CA when they built them so there's even anecdotes and reasonings from the design and test phase. It's all very informative, although I did almost nod off when the electric flow charts/diagrams came on the board....
Ground school lump and theoretical test. Ask me anything.
A gaggle of Aerostars waiting for new owners on the ramp. In fact, the blue obscured fin in the back belonging to 78PA has a new owner who is a gentleman named Oscar Taylor and might sell me his much newer props as he plans on.....
A gentleman by the name of Oscar Taylor dropped by yesterday to have a look at N78PA, another 601P, this one from 1978. She's in pretty poor cosmetic shape having sat outside without an annual for over 7 years. But that didn't stop Oscar - he plans on gutting it and using it as a base for yet another one of his turbine single conversions, so he got it cheap. The previous conversion he did is absolutely gorgeous and a minimalistic masterpiece. I'm floored by what he achieved to make just one guy with some help. He bolted a Garrett 850hp turbine on the front and did some major re-design. It burns 36gph up high and goes almost 300kts. He called it the Speedstar 850. The new one will be shorter, a true 4-place, and have a more powerful PT6 up front. He wants to go fast and is aiming for 350kts. Speed is his thing. Best of luck to Oscar, who's 77 years old. I hope I can start projects like that when I'm his age.
Oscar wanted to sell me his more or less brand new props on the Aerostar he plans to gut. I told him I might be interested, but that any check I write is most likely to bounce as I've now spent all my money purchasing mine. He said he was a millionaire, so it didn't matter.
...stripping the airframe out completely and building yet another single turbine Aerostar/Speedstar (as he calls it) with a PT6 engine instead of the Garrett.
Slide (old school) of the Aerostar's wet wing fuel system. 65gal in each wing and 44gals in the main fuselage tank. The Commander and the Aerostar have some similarities when it comes to fuel systems having both been designed by Ted Smith.
In the evenings I have plenty of time to go through the log books as well as floss my teeth. So far so good with the logs. Teeth I'm not sure about.
Tomorrow we'll probably break up the ground school and go flying a little even though the grunt of the training in the aircraft will come after the ground school. There are quite a few things we need to cover during that portion. Obviously the usual stuff such as stalls, single engine work and all that, but also systems management in the air and such trivial things as learning how to land the damn thing without my teeth fillings coming out! That would ideally be covered early on in the flying part I would assume.
Soon we will meet again, dear cockpit.
After all that is done it's time to face the long journey home. It's a good 1650nm trip, so needs to have the WX gods on my side. Just north of Alabama there have been tornadoes and thunderstorms all week - so bad it even made the news. But they will be gone by the time I set off and I'm not worried in the summer months going west. Going east through the northern states would have been a different thing. If everything goes like a dream it should take about 8-8,5hrs flying with no headwind, plus at least two stops for fuel/food adding 2hrs. Going with the light, this is doable in one day, but a stretch. Depends on how tired I feel and if the weather cooperates. This trip would have been impossible to do in one day in the Commander.
If it's clear skies/few clouds I plan on cruising at 16500ft going west now that I have pressurisation. It's nice and calm up there and almost no traffic. Might get nailed with some headwinds up high, but even so it normally pays off to go high with the higher TAS and the lower fuel consumption. We'll see.
Will the new hatchling make it back to California in one piece with its inexperienced new owner? Time will tell.
Even though Don's course is a pre-requisite/approved for the insurance companies, I will be flying her back to California uninsured (legal in the US, just don't crash on someone's property...
). I don't have the time to shop around and fill in tons of forms and arrange insurance beforehand, so it will have to wait until I'm settled in back home. Plus, I have a suspicion they might want me to get a few more hours with an instructor experienced in type locally as well.I'll let you know how it goes..
Last edited by AdamFrisch; 14th Jun 2013 at 05:49.
Great stuff, Adam.
The rest of us can read your posts and get (some of) the thrill of flying the Aerostar by proxy, with none of the expense.
The rest of us can read your posts and get (some of) the thrill of flying the Aerostar by proxy, with none of the expense.
Last edited by India Four Two; 14th Jun 2013 at 06:25. Reason: added brackets
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Adam, she looks fantastic, and another thrilling adventure begins
I loved the bit about insurance, in fact and idea, why not fit a BRS whilst you are down in Alabama, must do something for your premium, and would start another Pprune BRS thread
I loved the bit about insurance, in fact and idea, why not fit a BRS whilst you are down in Alabama, must do something for your premium, and would start another Pprune BRS thread
. Im not jealous at all, you lucky g1t
Adam
Congratulations and good luck with your new ride. Just remember always fly on double crossfeed, wait until you are in an uncoordinated turn before putting the gear down, never return the flap handle to neutral, and leave the top cabin door open with your arm hanging out when you taxi
What are you going to do with the Aero Commander ?
Congratulations and good luck with your new ride. Just remember always fly on double crossfeed, wait until you are in an uncoordinated turn before putting the gear down, never return the flap handle to neutral, and leave the top cabin door open with your arm hanging out when you taxi
What are you going to do with the Aero Commander ?
Last edited by Big Pistons Forever; 15th Jun 2013 at 16:09.
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Thanks gentlemen. Glad you enjoy reading about it. Wasn't sure it was of any interest.
Ha, BPF! The dreaded double cross feed! I'll make sure to always fly that way.
Just a small update.
Yesterday I had asked an avionics guy to install a 24V power outlet I can power the iPad with. Don was delivering a Superstar 700 to the next state, so I spent pretty much the entire day annoying this avionics guy as he was installing. After he left, I powered up the avionics master - and nothing happened. Obviously he'd left for the day. I finally got a hold of him again and asked if he'd tied in correctly, but he said he'd wired it to the aux avionic backup switch and that the master had never worked. Long story short, turns out the 30amp fuse had not only blown but welded itself into the fuse holder. Now this fuse holder is tucked up behind the panel in the worst possible place and now we'll have to remove the entire right side of the panel to get to it. Everything's so cramped in these planes behind the panel. Sooo, plane isn't even in my posession yet but has already managed to cost me a cool $500...I hope this isn't a trend.
Don was delivering this sweet Superstar 700 to the next state to a gentleman who just bought it, so I had the place to myself for most of the day.
On to air work. Today me and Don hit it early. Started with some basic handling, but we soon migrated up to 15500ft to check the pressurisation and how the turbo's and engines felt. The turbos need overhauling as it's been a good while since last time (they recommend to do it about every 1000hrs), so she kind of lost steam around 15-16K. Climb rate was down to about 300-400fpm there and the MAP's were coming down almost 1" per 1000ft. Without the turbos done she'll never get to her certified ceiling of 25K as it is now. I think she'd run out of steam at 20K, max. Pressurisation was working fine, though. This is of course nothing that comes as a surprise to me as it's exactly what the pre-buy said - that's why she was cheaper to buy.
I got stuck a bit with the Century IV autopilot and the Garmin 430 - both are new to me and it's a lot to learn and how they interact. I must be the only person on earth who's never used a 430. Or an autopilot. I'll have to read up and immerse myself in those as I get more comfortable, but for the trip home I'll just use the 430 as a radio, the press HDG on the Century and stick with my iPad.
Wheeling out my new bird for our first bits of air work. Don is a gentleman, even inviting me home for dinner with his family one evening. Won't let any sloppy flying slide in the cockpit, but that's how it should be.
After that it was time to do some pattern work and get the landings nailed. Was a bit overwhelming at first as it has a few things going on that I'm not used to. I've been spoiled by the simplicity of the Commander. No enriching mixtures, no props forward, none of that on the Commander. But I soon got into it and after about 3 landings I was doing it more or less unassisted. You drive her down, aiming just shy of the threshold, and then just walk the throttles off as you level out. If you flare too high, that racy wing will just stop flying and reward you with an almighty bone shaker. Ask me how I know. It's almost like you just level her off and she'll land on the mains by herself. Let the nose down gently, fly it on, as the mains roll. In fact, she rewarded me with at least three greasers, something I can not replicate on the Commander with any consistency even after over 300hrs on it. That airplane is hard to grease.
Speeds in the pattern: 120kts on the downwind with 20 degree flaps, 110kts on base and no slower than 100kts on final. Very light ruddered airplane and just like a Cessna 172 the aileron is bungee connected to the rudder, so almost no inputs are needed. I overcomtrolled the rudder until Don told me to ease up on the pedals. As you drop to 40 degree flaps, she really slows up and pitches down, so you need to add power to keep from planting her short. So the last stages of flaps can come out really late, otherwise you'll be dragging her in at almost full power. I did that mistake a few times until Don gave me a b**locking. That thin fast wing really doesn't like to fly slow, so the 10 degree and the 20 degree flap settings are more like high lift devices. Wing loves it in that config and there's no speed limit on 10 degree (and a high 176kts limit on the 20 degree) flaps, so it can be dropped early to slow you down. Almost like having a combined flap/air brake.
C-17 taking off with - yeah you guessed it - Aerostar vertical in the foreground...
One the last approach of the day we did a no flap landing and let me tell you - that was sobering. Coming in at shallow 120kts on final I felt like I was flying a damn Tomcat approaching a hangar deck in the ocean! It was scary how fast it felt. I walked the throttles off and just let her coast down as she finally stopped flying. Man - did we use some rwy. Asked the tower and it turned out to be 6500ft to our turnoff! Granted, I floated forever and we didn't do max breaking, so it could be shortened considerably by someone experienced, but I wouldn't want to go in to anything below 5000ft with no flaps that's for sure. Wow.
Single engine work turned out to be very straightforward. Don't think we're done yet - Don is probably gonna throw me a few hairier ones tomorrow, but today it was all very controlled. Yes, she'll climb fine on one. It's about 300fpm if everything is stowed and done correctly. Blue line is 109kts. However, takeoffs have novel feeling for me as a Commander flyer with a high lift wing. The Commander just pops right off and you can climb at a very high deck angle at Vx. The Aerostar not so much. Rotate at around 80-85kts and she'll be on the mains for a little while. Gear up, and flaps halfway up and it takes a little while before she accelerates up to Vxse (109kts). Key is to lose the flap as soon as you can do so safely, contrary to many other airplanes. It comes right after the gear. This is the proverbial "death zone" between Vmca and blue line where one needs to be on the ball to get it to climb. You spend a little longer there than feels comfortable and if you want to get past it quick, you really need to push the nose over and almost not climb at all. After 110kts she picks up speed quickly and you can pull an easy 2000fpm climb after that. However, Don points out, rightly so, that losing an engine on takeoff is really a no brainer as all your levers are already in the right config. Your throttle's at max, your props are full forward and your mixture is full rich. All you need to do is pitch over, step on the rudder and get rid of flaps and gear. He might have a point, but I still hope I don't have to try it for real. Don's had a few and he's still here to tell about it, so I guess it can be dealt with with good training.
Venting after heavy perspiration from new owner stunk the place up. As you can see the pilots seat is slid forward to allow access into cabin/co-pilots seat. That's how Ted Smith designed it, for some reason.
Will see what curve balls tomorrow brings. All I can say is that, so far, I absolutely love the airplane! It flies like a little fighter. Feels young and firm (not in that way, you perverts) - no squeaky noises and funny things going on. The torque tube direct controls makes it feel different to anything I've flown before. It's so direct, has that solid feel. Even the landing gear has that big airplane thump and firmness as it arrives. It's fast, it's economical (at least on fuel), it's got great visibility etc, etc. Which leads me to BPF's question: What to do with the Commander? Well, I've been thinking about that all week and I'm none the wiser. After this, I realistically won't be quite as excited about flying the Commander as I've been. It's just a completely different thing. On the other hand, I will not get very much for her with her over TBO engines and peeling paint. And she does things the Aerostar can't do. She can take me camping (like I did last year in the Idaho mountains) - an Aerostar can't do that. But I also don't want her to sit on the ramp and not get flown. Airplanes need to be flown and loved, or they start falling apart. I'd hate to see that happen to the old girl. She's given me so much joy and all things considering it's been a great and reliable plane for her age. So, maybe I'll try to sell her and hope she can come to a new home. And if she doesn't sell, well, then I'll just have to keep her like an antique car and make sure she flies at least once every two weeks and keep the blood pumping in her veins. I don't know what will happen yet, I'm afraid.
But....how can you not love a face like that? Be a sad they day at the household when she has to go.
Standby.
Ha, BPF! The dreaded double cross feed! I'll make sure to always fly that way.
Just a small update.
Yesterday I had asked an avionics guy to install a 24V power outlet I can power the iPad with. Don was delivering a Superstar 700 to the next state, so I spent pretty much the entire day annoying this avionics guy as he was installing. After he left, I powered up the avionics master - and nothing happened. Obviously he'd left for the day. I finally got a hold of him again and asked if he'd tied in correctly, but he said he'd wired it to the aux avionic backup switch and that the master had never worked. Long story short, turns out the 30amp fuse had not only blown but welded itself into the fuse holder. Now this fuse holder is tucked up behind the panel in the worst possible place and now we'll have to remove the entire right side of the panel to get to it. Everything's so cramped in these planes behind the panel. Sooo, plane isn't even in my posession yet but has already managed to cost me a cool $500...I hope this isn't a trend.
Don was delivering this sweet Superstar 700 to the next state to a gentleman who just bought it, so I had the place to myself for most of the day.
On to air work. Today me and Don hit it early. Started with some basic handling, but we soon migrated up to 15500ft to check the pressurisation and how the turbo's and engines felt. The turbos need overhauling as it's been a good while since last time (they recommend to do it about every 1000hrs), so she kind of lost steam around 15-16K. Climb rate was down to about 300-400fpm there and the MAP's were coming down almost 1" per 1000ft. Without the turbos done she'll never get to her certified ceiling of 25K as it is now. I think she'd run out of steam at 20K, max. Pressurisation was working fine, though. This is of course nothing that comes as a surprise to me as it's exactly what the pre-buy said - that's why she was cheaper to buy.
I got stuck a bit with the Century IV autopilot and the Garmin 430 - both are new to me and it's a lot to learn and how they interact. I must be the only person on earth who's never used a 430. Or an autopilot. I'll have to read up and immerse myself in those as I get more comfortable, but for the trip home I'll just use the 430 as a radio, the press HDG on the Century and stick with my iPad.
Wheeling out my new bird for our first bits of air work. Don is a gentleman, even inviting me home for dinner with his family one evening. Won't let any sloppy flying slide in the cockpit, but that's how it should be.
After that it was time to do some pattern work and get the landings nailed. Was a bit overwhelming at first as it has a few things going on that I'm not used to. I've been spoiled by the simplicity of the Commander. No enriching mixtures, no props forward, none of that on the Commander. But I soon got into it and after about 3 landings I was doing it more or less unassisted. You drive her down, aiming just shy of the threshold, and then just walk the throttles off as you level out. If you flare too high, that racy wing will just stop flying and reward you with an almighty bone shaker. Ask me how I know. It's almost like you just level her off and she'll land on the mains by herself. Let the nose down gently, fly it on, as the mains roll. In fact, she rewarded me with at least three greasers, something I can not replicate on the Commander with any consistency even after over 300hrs on it. That airplane is hard to grease.
Speeds in the pattern: 120kts on the downwind with 20 degree flaps, 110kts on base and no slower than 100kts on final. Very light ruddered airplane and just like a Cessna 172 the aileron is bungee connected to the rudder, so almost no inputs are needed. I overcomtrolled the rudder until Don told me to ease up on the pedals. As you drop to 40 degree flaps, she really slows up and pitches down, so you need to add power to keep from planting her short. So the last stages of flaps can come out really late, otherwise you'll be dragging her in at almost full power. I did that mistake a few times until Don gave me a b**locking. That thin fast wing really doesn't like to fly slow, so the 10 degree and the 20 degree flap settings are more like high lift devices. Wing loves it in that config and there's no speed limit on 10 degree (and a high 176kts limit on the 20 degree) flaps, so it can be dropped early to slow you down. Almost like having a combined flap/air brake.
C-17 taking off with - yeah you guessed it - Aerostar vertical in the foreground...
One the last approach of the day we did a no flap landing and let me tell you - that was sobering. Coming in at shallow 120kts on final I felt like I was flying a damn Tomcat approaching a hangar deck in the ocean! It was scary how fast it felt. I walked the throttles off and just let her coast down as she finally stopped flying. Man - did we use some rwy. Asked the tower and it turned out to be 6500ft to our turnoff! Granted, I floated forever and we didn't do max breaking, so it could be shortened considerably by someone experienced, but I wouldn't want to go in to anything below 5000ft with no flaps that's for sure. Wow.
Single engine work turned out to be very straightforward. Don't think we're done yet - Don is probably gonna throw me a few hairier ones tomorrow, but today it was all very controlled. Yes, she'll climb fine on one. It's about 300fpm if everything is stowed and done correctly. Blue line is 109kts. However, takeoffs have novel feeling for me as a Commander flyer with a high lift wing. The Commander just pops right off and you can climb at a very high deck angle at Vx. The Aerostar not so much. Rotate at around 80-85kts and she'll be on the mains for a little while. Gear up, and flaps halfway up and it takes a little while before she accelerates up to Vxse (109kts). Key is to lose the flap as soon as you can do so safely, contrary to many other airplanes. It comes right after the gear. This is the proverbial "death zone" between Vmca and blue line where one needs to be on the ball to get it to climb. You spend a little longer there than feels comfortable and if you want to get past it quick, you really need to push the nose over and almost not climb at all. After 110kts she picks up speed quickly and you can pull an easy 2000fpm climb after that. However, Don points out, rightly so, that losing an engine on takeoff is really a no brainer as all your levers are already in the right config. Your throttle's at max, your props are full forward and your mixture is full rich. All you need to do is pitch over, step on the rudder and get rid of flaps and gear. He might have a point, but I still hope I don't have to try it for real. Don's had a few and he's still here to tell about it, so I guess it can be dealt with with good training.
Venting after heavy perspiration from new owner stunk the place up. As you can see the pilots seat is slid forward to allow access into cabin/co-pilots seat. That's how Ted Smith designed it, for some reason.
Will see what curve balls tomorrow brings. All I can say is that, so far, I absolutely love the airplane! It flies like a little fighter. Feels young and firm (not in that way, you perverts) - no squeaky noises and funny things going on. The torque tube direct controls makes it feel different to anything I've flown before. It's so direct, has that solid feel. Even the landing gear has that big airplane thump and firmness as it arrives. It's fast, it's economical (at least on fuel), it's got great visibility etc, etc. Which leads me to BPF's question: What to do with the Commander? Well, I've been thinking about that all week and I'm none the wiser. After this, I realistically won't be quite as excited about flying the Commander as I've been. It's just a completely different thing. On the other hand, I will not get very much for her with her over TBO engines and peeling paint. And she does things the Aerostar can't do. She can take me camping (like I did last year in the Idaho mountains) - an Aerostar can't do that. But I also don't want her to sit on the ramp and not get flown. Airplanes need to be flown and loved, or they start falling apart. I'd hate to see that happen to the old girl. She's given me so much joy and all things considering it's been a great and reliable plane for her age. So, maybe I'll try to sell her and hope she can come to a new home. And if she doesn't sell, well, then I'll just have to keep her like an antique car and make sure she flies at least once every two weeks and keep the blood pumping in her veins. I don't know what will happen yet, I'm afraid.
But....how can you not love a face like that? Be a sad they day at the household when she has to go.
Standby.
Last edited by AdamFrisch; 16th Jun 2013 at 04:03.
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Commanders look good to me, too. The later 500B's and S's are great planes and pretty much close to perfect. If they'd just made them pressurised, I would have gone down that route.
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Well, a few years have passed and now I'm selling the Aerostar, unfortunately. We flew all over, I did my IR in her and she was a great plane. I would never have sold ever if it hadn't been for this sucker:
New moneypit object of desire!
Yes, I'm moving back to Commanders! By pure chance, I should add. The ultimate goal was always a Turbo Commander and this old first generation 680V ad caught my eye. I could just about afford it on paper. So I'll be slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to!
Unfortunately, can't keep both. Time to say goodbye to this great plane. Spent a lot of money on her doing the engines, so someone will get a great deal. Not a good time to sell piston twins. Will it ever be?
Here are some more pics of the new steed:
Panel from hell.
Pink leather interior from hell.
Fuel bill from hell.
Repairs from hell.
She's getting de-squawked as we speak. Only flown her about 1hr beginning of year. Probably another 2 months before I get to fly her properly and train in it. Had some pressurization problems previous owner had bizarrely neglected (like a 10000ft cabin at 13000ft ALT max diff?????) and some other smaller problems here and there. Except for pressurization, door not sealing properly and all window seals leaking, no major things...
Burns about 60-65gal/hr. But since she's faster and Jet A1 is cheaper, the price per nm is about the same as the Aerostar. Does about 240-250kts. Got good range at 1200nm. Needs none of the recurring inspections (wing spar, gear overhaul, pressure bulkhead) of the later 690 models.
Basking in the sun at Jackie Cochran airport in front of an ubiquitous American flag. They love their flag here.
So as far as turbines go, should be on the cheaper side to run, ehm…... Exciting times ahead.
New moneypit object of desire!
Yes, I'm moving back to Commanders! By pure chance, I should add. The ultimate goal was always a Turbo Commander and this old first generation 680V ad caught my eye. I could just about afford it on paper. So I'll be slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to!
Unfortunately, can't keep both. Time to say goodbye to this great plane. Spent a lot of money on her doing the engines, so someone will get a great deal. Not a good time to sell piston twins. Will it ever be?
Here are some more pics of the new steed:
Panel from hell.
Pink leather interior from hell.
Fuel bill from hell.
Repairs from hell.
She's getting de-squawked as we speak. Only flown her about 1hr beginning of year. Probably another 2 months before I get to fly her properly and train in it. Had some pressurization problems previous owner had bizarrely neglected (like a 10000ft cabin at 13000ft ALT max diff?????) and some other smaller problems here and there. Except for pressurization, door not sealing properly and all window seals leaking, no major things...
Burns about 60-65gal/hr. But since she's faster and Jet A1 is cheaper, the price per nm is about the same as the Aerostar. Does about 240-250kts. Got good range at 1200nm. Needs none of the recurring inspections (wing spar, gear overhaul, pressure bulkhead) of the later 690 models.
Basking in the sun at Jackie Cochran airport in front of an ubiquitous American flag. They love their flag here.
So as far as turbines go, should be on the cheaper side to run, ehm…... Exciting times ahead.
Adam , thanks for a wonderful story . Just like The Archers.... an everyday story of aviation folk . Keep 'em coming and enjoy 't T'props . ..................
Hesitate to suggest , but Hat ,Coat , Door at the ready...... didn't Aero Commander do jets ? ......long heritage through Israeli ownership up to today ... Gulfstream 150 ..... dreams might be made of this .
VBrgds and blue side up always ,
condor
Hesitate to suggest , but Hat ,Coat , Door at the ready...... didn't Aero Commander do jets ? ......long heritage through Israeli ownership up to today ... Gulfstream 150 ..... dreams might be made of this .
VBrgds and blue side up always ,
condor
Adam , you're a consummate story teller ; but what a tree , branches everywhere ..... just found the one with a conversion to PW mini fans ..... from the front has a passing resemblance to a Me 262 !
So I see the jet idea seed has already been sown . Just needs watering .
Great stories , great story telling ; please keep 'em coming .
rgds condor .
So I see the jet idea seed has already been sown . Just needs watering .
Great stories , great story telling ; please keep 'em coming .
rgds condor .
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Yes they did do jets. The 1121 Jet Commander. Later bought by IAI, re-engined and lovingly referred to as the "Jew Canoe". Westwinds are perhaps the best bang for the buck for anyone buying an older jet. Cheap to get in to ($300K gets you one), built really tough, no major AD's and have great range. The Westwind II will do 3000nm, no problem.
Most people think they look weird, but I think they're sexy as hell with that low slung fuselage and mid wing. The twin front wheel is the icing on the cake. Looks like a hot rod to me.
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../2/1246233.jpg
Most people think they look weird, but I think they're sexy as hell with that low slung fuselage and mid wing. The twin front wheel is the icing on the cake. Looks like a hot rod to me.
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../2/1246233.jpg
Adam , don't forget that the Westwind is probably much easier to fly with an engine out that the conversion of the T/prop .
Engines very near the centre line , and not much pitch up or down with power changes . Tridents were much easier to handle with a side engine out than any of th subsequent 73s, 75s, 76s, 74s, L1011, ATPs.
Blue side up ,
rgds condor .
Engines very near the centre line , and not much pitch up or down with power changes . Tridents were much easier to handle with a side engine out than any of th subsequent 73s, 75s, 76s, 74s, L1011, ATPs.
Blue side up ,
rgds condor .
