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Hello all!
I am a fledgling pilot and am enjoying my journey very much. Suprisingly, my wife is backing this adventure much more than I had ever dreamed and even is willing to discuss purchasing our own aircraft. I have always loved the skymaster and think that it would be a great aircraft to own. However, being relatively new to aviation I have a lot of questions and hoped that you could provide me with some answers.

#1 Is this a good cross-country aircraft???? (I know, dumb question :-})
#2 Is maintanence a major issue with this type of aircraft?
#3 For a begining pilot is it safe and easy to control.
Finally what is the best way to transition to this type??? I have been flying 152's and 172's during my training.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Drew