Would you buy your Skymaster again?

At least I spell my name oddly enough to be distinguished!

Seriously, great to have you. I got a 1966 337A model for an extremely reasonable price about a year and a half ago. But it wasn't without doing a number of exhaustive searches, and having the patience and discipline not to buy one which didn't pass an A&P's prepurchase inspection threshold minimums. I spent about $700 in prepurchase inspections (with 3 different A&Ps in different parts of the country) and it was probably the best $700 I spent in my search. If the mechanic says it has a bunch of problems and hints of corrosion, he's probably not kidding Listen to him!

I tried to go through the "broker" route, but found that they priced the birds out of the market once they put their mark up on the price. So I ended up doing the leg work myself, which is probably a good exercise anyway.

My plane also had only flown 100 hours in the past 5 years, which was one of my biggest concerns (seller lost his medical and kept trying to get another one). However, the maintenance records were so meticulous and the prepurchase inspection came back so strong that I took a chance and it has paid off pretty well. The first annual was only a few months after my purchase, and I made sure it was pretty detailed. Be cautious of recent low time use, but don't let it be the final decision criterion.

Concerning partners, I considered it at first, but couldn't get anyone really interested in my neck of the woods because it is not a well-liked bird around here. People wanted to buy into a "real twin" not an ugly, slow, gas guzzling twin. Like I said, they're not real popular around here. Now, I'm happy it has worked out that way because I use it enough that having a partner would probably cause a conflict.

Anyway . . . if you get a 337, I'm sure you'll love it as much as most of the folks on this board. Especially if you've ever had an engine go out on you in a single or other twin. That event was my deciding factor on this brand of bird.

Keven
________
DAKOTA