337 ownership

[sonyalex]

That's good to here Brian.

My wife has informed me once again that she never wants to goto a commercial airport again so I better figure this out, and that's the reason why I'm here. ur comments r a big help 2 me.

Ty,
Alex

[Ernie Martin]

I'm a strong supporter of Skymasters, Alex, and also of LOP operation under the right circumstances, but I wanted to caution you that those circumstances don't apply to all, and Brian's mpg may not be achievable by you. I won't bore you here with details, but there is a lengthy discussion on LOP in this Message Board that you can find using the Search feature. Still, even in ROP operation with 20gph consumption (which is what I do), you're doing 8 mpg, and it's FUN! Can't say that for a long car trip or for flying commercial and dealing with TSA.

Ernie

[loy53]

Alex,

I may be selling my 337 in the future.
65 model
2500TT
120 smoh on both engines
430 garmin with wass
king md 150
stec 50 ap with gpps
nice p & i
stol kit
I live about 90 mi. south of Chicago
let me know if you would like to talk about it or look at it some time?

Howard

[sonyalex]

Yes Howard i would like 2 talk 2 u about it. i'm in the future as well i'm going 2 try 2 sell my share in the sr20 soon & don't know how long that would take or if my partners would buy me out. will c. l'd like 2 c photo's of ur aircraft if u can email me at akottoulas@comcast.net

[Mark Hislop]

Hi Alex.

I've been away for a while, and I just saw your posting.

Like Ed, I am based at the Aurora airport. I have a P Skymaster, and I do most of the work on it myself (under supervision of my IA). If you ever have any questions about the pressurized models, I would be happy to talk to you about it. 630-926-5804

I'm probably too far away from your home to make this a vialble idea, but we lost one of our partners last April. He perished in plane crash. We are trying to sell his share in our plane and hangar on behalf of his widow. If you have any interest in it, please let me know. But as I said, we're probably too far away to make it practical for you.

Mark

[sonyalex]

Thxs Mark I will contact u this week.

Ur right ARR would b 2 far 4 me but would love to talk about the plane. I know Ed is out by u as well and would like to come out there one day to c the planes.

Alex

[Jim Smith]

Alex, I own two Skymasters, a '69 turbo D model and a '71 normal F model. The D came with one new engine and 2600 hrs TTAF and the F came with one new engine and only 1270 total hrs. TTAF. The D was a one owner, always hangered Arizona plane with beautiful paint and interior and the F could use a paint job but came with a full IFR GPS panel and beautiful interior. Both planes were out of annual when I bought them. I got great deals on both planes leaving plenty of money left for annuals, repairs and upgrades to make them both mechanically and cosmetically tip top. The Skymaster is typically a 'love it or hate it' airplane, which narrows the market and demand. Those of use who know and love what a fantastic plane this is enjoy our 'secret', while the 'haters' pretty much just base their opinion on a falsely given reputation. I've never met anyone who actually owned a 337 that hated it. Like any plane, if you neglect them you will eventually pay one way or they other. My point is, there are some great deals on Skymasters right now that would leave plenty of money left over to make sure it's tip top and still have way less invested than you would have in a conventional twin. Me owning two of them is a testament to my experiences and what I think of this plane. My best advice is to find a mechanic that will work 'on the side' for way less than a shop would charge and also let you assist in repairs or annuals if you desire. Good luck with your search for a great plane. Jim

[sonyalex]

thxs 4 ur thoughts Jim, it is great 2 here the experiences that all u folks have w/ur 337's & there r alot of "haters" out there as u say, guys that really do a good job of scaring the hell out of u. none of them own a 337 either of course.

Alex

[Mayhemxpc]

You want to talk about costs and maintenance nightmares? Try keeping a Baron!

(The only advantage there is that Baron parts are easier to find.)

Do Skymasters cost money to maintain? Yes -- much more than a Skyhawk or a Skylane, but that is a comparison of apples to apple pie (they both have apple -- or Cessna, but otherwise not comparable.) You want two engines? They cost. You want retractable landing gear? That costs, too. Pressurization and turbo (which I do NOT have), more money again. Is the landing gear system, well... weird and irrationally complex? Yes, but if you want high wings AND retractable landing gear, it is not going to be mechanically simple. The issue is whether the cost is worth the benefits of those systems -- and that analysis is unique to each owner.

The only issue about a Skymaster, as far as I can tell, is when someone who should be flying a 172 is flying a 337. Systems management is everything.