[hharney]

Dan

I was great to meet you at Batavia during the SOAPA event. Hope you can join us in the future. You must have the itch to stay with the benefits of a Skymaster if you are contemplating the scenario above. I have been flying my current normal aspirated Skymaster since 1985. I was based in Idaho for the first 15 years and now reside in the flatlands. Here is my opinion on your questions.

First and foremost I always ask, What's the mission? Sometimes that is hard to determine because it can always change down the road. Specifically your main question is Turbos or Non? I learned to fly in the mountains without turbos but if I had turbos I can see that it could have some advantages. Remember, turbos will increase some maintenance costs. If you fly and manage the engines correctly you should be able to achieve TBO and beyond. I have seen P model flyers go way beyond TBO because they are the only pilot and they fly smart.

When looking for a Skymaster I would be more inclined to look for an aircraft that has been treated right than just a specific model. The aircraft has to be priced right, configured right (avionics, mods, engine times), mid to low total time and corrosion free. You mentioned in your message above that you don't plan to fly much IFR and didn't know if boots would be a good idea. Remember, the Skymaster is not certified for flight in icing. Therefore boots are not a go or no go requirement for flight into icing conditions. If the right aircraft had boots and my mission was frequent flights in IFR conditions then boots would be a bonus. But having boots is another maintenance burden.

As far as performance Skymasters just don't really have the ability to be the fast twin engine cruiser that everyone wants. It is slow and uses a lot of fuel but it is safer than most and flies so stable. It is strong and like you we love them. So you deal with the cons to appreciate the pros. My Twin Comanche will pass the Skymaster with an extra 5 to 10 knots and burns 3 to 5 gallons less each hour. I just don't feel as comfortable in the TwinCo as I do in the Skymaster. I don't like the fact that I have to pour myself to get in the TwinCo off the wing, I don't like the fact that I can't see nothing under me and I don't like the limited power on one engine in the TwinCo. But there are a lot of TwinCo pilots out there that just love their airplane and they spend huge dollars in upgrades to make their Comanches look brand new with all the new technology.

Bottom line, if you can find the right turbo model out there go for it. i don't think you will be disappointed. The turbos are more rare so the task of finding one might be a little harder than say a normal aspirated model where there are more to choose from. All the straight turbo models will be mostly late 60's vintage. Nothing wrong with that but it will be really rare to find a straight turbo with an air stair door if that is what you want. Something else that is really important is the Pre-Buy inspection. I highly recommend that you use a qualified, referred, mechanic that knows the airplane but is NOT the sellers current mechanic. Too many times I see a mechanic hired for a Pre-Buy that is the sellers good buddy. I just think you need a good non-biased inspection. Remember the inspection isn't the deal breaker, it's the ammunition to negotiate the best price. Most anything can be repaired so knowing what the aircraft needs is the deciding factor. Good luck.