low priced skymaster....

[Ernie Martin]

Roger has some valid points that I can't quarrel with. But let me play devil's advocate for a moment.

First, James is not just starting to fly. He's a helicopter pilot and instructor, and a single may not fill the bill.

Second, there may not be that much of a financial difference. If a Skymaster costs substantially less than a single (and I don't know that to be true), if one is cautious about adding avionics goodies (isn't a Garmin 396 around $2,000 now?), and if maintenance costs can be moderated by his A&P friend, it may be that you can fly a 337 for 5-10 years for the same outlay as a single. And get the extra safety and higher performance of the 337.

Food for thought.

Ernie



PS. Although I have a Master's degree in engineering, I've spent most of the past 20 years on the business and finance side of things -- not the technical side. And others on this board (like Jerry De Santis) are seasoned businessmen. So I think that the views expressed in this forum are broad-based.