Quote:
Originally Posted by sonyalex
The reason why I’m thinking of one again is because I met a mechanic that absolutely loves them and the 3 or 4 he maintains are in great condition he said. Once you have the bird up to snuff he said it’s no different from anything else he said. With good maintenance you will be fine.
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Alex, after 6 yrs of 337 ownership I agree with your mechanic. My 337 is the first plane I ever owned, prior to that I did clubs and rentals. My instructor with 30000 hrs in everything thought I was nuts because he had heard all the 337 "stories" regarding maintenance. But after flying mine he really likes it.
It is a complex twin and maintenance will be as costly as most other complex twins. The only thing that was more difficult or costly on mine compared to other twins thus far was replacing the rear mags which was difficult due to lack of firewall clearance (there is a firewall maintenance door mod for that.) My annuals have been in the $3500 range, except the last two have been high due to a prop overhaul at each one.
Took a trip last weekend to Yellowstone, got about 10 mpg LOP, (135-140 KTAS, 13-14 gph), and all the time flying over the moutains was glad to have the peace of mind of the extra engine as compared to a 182 or 172 etc. Also, I appreciate having 420 hp performance when needed. Mine has STOL and routinely take off and land in 1200 feet.
Find a good 337 with good maintenance history and with a mechanic who is familiar them you will be fine.
Brian