337 or 337p

[JamesC]

Hi Greg. The P337 pressurization is very easy to operate, but these birds get leaky with time, especially if they have had some damage like this one. I would take it for a test flight and among other things see what the pressurization diff is at altitude. The bird doesn't have to be perfect but you would still like to have no wing drop in the power off stall (take your instructor) and see if she flies straight and level hands off. Turbo management is obviously critical and takes more planning ahead. Also you have to see how much your insurance is going to be and even if you can get it depending on eg. how many hours retractable time etc. you have. One more thing – this model is actually a T337G (ie not a P337 even though its serial number begins with P) so the Flint tip wing spar AD could be an issue. There are some great bargains out there but be careful. My first Skymaster seemed like an awesome deal but had plenty of costly hidden nightmares. My mechanic did an import last year for a new Skymaster owner and things were so bad he would not could not see ever signing it off as airworthy. The owner had to get a special flight permit and took it to another shop for lengthy repairs – I don’t think it is flying yet.
Take your time!
Jim