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FRUMY
Trad climber
SHERMAN OAKS,CA
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Very nice.
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Bob Culp
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Excellent! Now you need to fly it down to Boulder.
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Kath...the Commander had a monthly payment almost equal to the payments on the airplane. Just a money management strategy..
So what do you cruise the ranch in now?...a Smart Car? Herdin' them steers in a two seater!
Susan
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2012 - 12:57pm PT
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Susan-
No "smart car"--just my Dodge Dakota pickup. Can haul anything I need to haul--feed, hay, barbed wire, fenceposts, etc.
Bob-
That's on my agenda as soon as I take delivery of the airplane in California this next week.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Congrats on getting it! :)
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Good choice except that it is gonna bring you new 'friends'.
But you won't haveta remember to lower the gear. :-)
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2012 - 05:58pm PT
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Reilly-
For what I paid for this one, I could have had a Turbo Arrow with retractable gear. It would have been marginally faster, too.
Instead, I opted for good load carrying capacity and a lower insurance premium, as well as far less expensive annuals and maintenance costs.
To quote some unknown sage: "There are two kinds of pilots who have retractable gear airplanes: Those who have landed with the gear up, and those who are going to land with the gear up."
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AndresPelaez
climber
Austin, TX
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If it flies, floats, or f***s, it's better to rent!
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Jonnnyyyzzz
Trad climber
San Diego,CA
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Can we jump out of it?
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Bob Culp
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Well you know - - John Fort had this sleek twin-engine Cessna. He had just spent a small fortune getting some new engine parts, a new paint job, and new seat covers. Before taking the family on an extensive trip he took it up for a trial. Worked perfectly except the gear stuck half-way down. After hours of talking to techs at Cessna and doing various aerobatics to no avail, he exhausted his tanks and landed without gear. All went well until at the end of the landing he skidded off the runway and ended up with the plane standing on its nose. Didn't look so bad in a photo, but it was totaled. At least that's something you don't have to worry about.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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What are the pros and cons of retractable gear.
Speed vs cost?
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2012 - 10:07pm PT
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Ron-
Retractable landing gear is absolutely mandatory for faster airplanes; that said, it's more expensive to (1) buy new, (2) maintain, (3) insure.
The Dakota I'm flying can cruise at 137 knots under normal conditions; upstairs in calm conditions it can be pushed to 146 knots (that's nearly 170 mph). The retractable landing gear version of this airplane is the Piper Arrow. But it also has a smaller and less powerful engine, unless a turbocharged version is purchased. This offsets several things: additional weight of the gear retraction mechanism erodes the useful load of the airplane by at least 200 pounds. The TBO (time between overhaul) is reduced from 2000 hours to "maybe" 1800 by the addition of a turbocharger. The "maybe" qualifier represents the ferverent wish of the owner to get 1800 hours; usually requires some extensive engine work after only 1100-1200 hours.
The comparison is similar to that between a sports car and a SUV. I selected the SUV version in order to haul all my camping gear, a rope and rack, additional passengers, and full fuel. The operant word there is full fuel; the most frequent cause of unplanned and off-field landings is engine stoppage, due to fuel starvation. Don't. Run. Out. Of. Gas!
Another statement from that wise sage of aviation: "The only time you have too much fuel on board the airplane is when it's on fire."
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2012 - 10:17pm PT
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One more comment:
Insurance is a major consideration in buying an airplane. I looked at, and drooled over a beautiful piper Turbo Aztec E based in Broomfield, CO. It was a 6 seater, and a turbocharged twin. The price was right on the airplane, but the insurance was, for me, unaffordable at $9,000 a year. Yep! It was fast, it was beautiful, and had been owned for 14 years by a United Airlines Captain who flew Boeing 747's for >10,000 hours. It had been professionally flown and superbly maintained. I wanted it, but couldn't afford the insurance premiums.
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philo
Trad climber
Somewhere halfway over the rainbow
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Well now that's a sight. A beautiful sight. Congratulations Rodger, I am so happy for you.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Broke, I'm just curious whether you considered a 206. Roughly the same speed
and payload but better for sightseeing.
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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Sweet racing stripes.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2012 - 12:52am PT
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Reilly-
There were 2 considerations: (1) cost of a Cessna 206 is probably double for the TTAF (total time airframe) that's on the Dakota, which has just a shade over 1800 hours; (2) the wind situation in Wyoming makes the low wing more attractive in it's ground handling characteristics.
My DE, who performed my Private Pilot checkride flew a beautiful turbocharged 206, but that was a $300,000 airplane.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Yes, I figured both those things were part of your decision. I'm sure you
two will have many happy hours together! Enjoy!
ps
Wow, that is a low-timer! What a find!
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2012 - 10:39am PT
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Reilly-
This airplane was being sold to settle an estate, and had several "extras" that were not listed in the Controller advertising: Strobes, and a Century 21 Autopilot with an S-Tec altitude hold. Perfect logbook records, No Damage History, etc. made this a no-brainer when I plopped my hard earned $$$ down. It was a 2 owner airplane, and the second owner had expired before flying it.
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