Quote:
Originally Posted by hharney
What is the primary mission for the aircraft?
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Thanks Herb. You ask about the mission:
I fly between KSNA (John Wayne airport in Southern California) and a few other places that are each 300 - 350 nm away:
Phoenix, AZ
Carson City, NV
Palo Alto, CA
Usually alone or +1, occasionally +3
I wanted to be able to do those trips in 2h or less, and land with an hour's reserves. I assumed payload of either 400lbs (me +1) or 700lbs (me +1 + 2 teens). I prefer pressurization, and turbocharging is a must, since my trips are most often over the rockies, where putting several thousand feet of altitude between the mountains and the aircraft helps significantly with turbulence.
I looked at Mooneys and Malibus and various 210's, and many of them would do the job. Then I remembered the comfort of having the extra engine. My last airplane was a Cessna 414, which was a wonderful - if somewhat demanding - platform. But that was way back then when I flew more regularly than I do now. Most twins are very demanding, and significant recurrent training is required to maintain proficiency. The Pressurized Skymaster seemed to give me the performance I wanted while providing the extra safety of the second engine, without the drawbacks of asymmetric thrust twins.
But ... oh, the old wives' tales about this aircraft! Wading through each of those, trying to find the truth of the matter, that took some doing. But having done that, I'm very glad to have ended up with my P337 platform, and look forward to all the living and learning she will provide.
Dan