Quote:
Originally Posted by 6498w
Here are my questions:
1.The anti-337 crowd bashes the horrible maintenance costs and downtime of the plane, and the owners seem to generally report just the opposite.
Very common. People love to hate the Skymaster.
With the understanding that most of my maintenance would require a trip to the mainland (about a 30 minute flight to several airports and a lot more IA's), do you think a 337 is a reasonable choice - or would you be concerned and get something a bit more common, like a Seneca so the local IA's can work on it. I recognize there is wild variability based on each planes condition/history, so I'm really asking for your personal experience and knowledge. I understand I could end up with a lemon (and yes, I will be calling on an expert to do a very thorough pre-buy) and my reliability might be worse than average. Maybe even a more specific question - assuming I purchase a 337 in reasonably good condition with reasonable times, fly it conscientiously, and partake in preventative maintenance and don't defer items in annuals, how many "surprise" visits to the shop would you expect in an average year?
It's not so much a yes/no answer. Any airplane is expensive these days but YOU MUST remember that the fleet is getting OLD. Textron and Piper don't want the old birds around. Every year they will keep increasing the parts prices.
As far as your question about dispatch reliability? There's no answer. You're dealing with a 40 - 60 year old airframe...anything can get worn out.
2. Are the 5th/6th seats reasonably comfortable for "petite" adult women, or are they really just for very small children? My wife and daughter are in the 5'5" range and weigh around 120lbs. and they would probably be relegated to the aft (chivalry is dead!), since the rest of us are in the 6 foot range. How is C.G. with passengers in those seats? Finally, can 6th seats be added to 4 seat models, or do I have to make sure to buy one that already has 6 seats?
It's fairly tight back there.
3. This is the questions that always draws the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" comment, but I have to ask! I can afford it. I know there's no way of justifying cost of ownership, but would like to get an idea of just how unjustifiable owning a 337 is! I am thinking of budgeting 25-30k all-in per year for 70 hours of flying time based on my research. I understand and can shoulder the occasional and awful "surprise" overhaul etc. Just to give you an idea of my local costs - fuel $4/per gallon with EAA discount. Tie down -$150/mo. Insurance looks like it will be around $3500 for a hull value of 75k since I don't have any ME time. With that in mind, and from your experience, is my estimate of 25-30k high, low, or pretty close?
40 - 60 year old wiring/plumbing/hydraulics. Complex retractable gear. 4 mags. 12 cylinders. 24 plugs and wires. 2 constant speed props. Lots of rigging. Horribly expensive cowl flap motors and power packs, etc.
This isn't a stab at Skymasters...it's just commentary on the entire legacy general aviation fleet. You have to be hands on with maintenance and you MUST have a patient mechanic that's willing to work with you.
As I said before, the fleet is getting older and companies like Cessna don't want any light planes flying except 182's and 172's flying.
It's still fairly cheap to fly an older Cherokee/Arrow/172, etc but I have to warn you that there's never really been a cheap to own twin. You've gotta go into this with you eyes wide open.
Also, every airplane owner in the history of airplanes has had a rough first year. Doesn't matter how diligent your prebuy is...year one is hard on the wallet.
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My comments above in red. Not trying to be alarming but everyone underestimates the cost delta of owning a fixed gear/fixed pitch single vs a high performance retractable twin.
As Ed mentioned above, Skymasters don't like to live outside. They leak like a sieve and older Cessnas are susceptible to corrosion.
Also keep in mind that I've not mentioned turbos, deice, pressurization, etc. That brings another whole set of maintenance requirements into play.
They're GREAT planes. I absolutely love my Skymaster but I fully understand the potential expense.
Your mileage may vary; good luck with your search.
