Cessna T207A thoughts? (also other Cessna 2xx types)

Peter wrote:

One well known long-term twin owner, on EuroGA too, has posted that he spends upwards of 20k a year on scheduled maintenance. For an SEP owner that would be completely nuts.

NickP95 wrote:

The P.68 is not that great of a tourer in my experience. Sure, it seats six, but it’s payload allows you to take people or fuel, not both (at least on ours). Speed-wise 125KTAS at FL80 using 18USG/hour is what I see, roughly. It does have a 7.5 hour endurance with LR tanks, so there is room to trade fuel for payload.
They’re also a bit of a pain to get into as you have to squeeze between the seats to get to the cockpit, not unlike getting into your car from the back seat.

I tend to disagree.
Yes, you need to be a bit athletic to get into the cockpit and it is not fast but as an aircraft it is a very easy aircraft to fly. I used to fly one from Elstree, 6 men and full fuel never had a problem. The biggest issue with the aircraft is the fuel flowing from one wing to the other if the aircraft is parked on a slop.

Mooney_Driver wrote:

Personally I have been window shopping for a P210, but it is not an airplane I can ever afford

Yes you can.
Just don’t buy an EASA reg’ed P210.

Antonio sums it up.

With GAMI’s, Engine monitors and a wealth of shared knowledge on the internet on how to keep the P210 performing, it has somewhat been reborn.
Where else do you get pressurised comfort and 1000nm range for that price??!

There is a VERY good mechanic in the Czech Republic that has several P210 clients. His attention to details has smoothen out a lot of “known” issues.
Engine temps are a thing of the past after he does his magic on the baffles.

If you want climb rates in excess of 1000 FPM, go buy yourself a turbine.
It only takes 30 minutes to FL160 anyway. Im ok with that.

cessnatraveller wrote:

Can you show us how the airplane looked inside after loading all baggage?

Not the same flight but the return with a slightly larger amount of luggage after Sant Nicholas’ presents.

The kids’ small backpacks were at their feet, some other small items were under the seats and my flightbag was on the floor. This time all coats were in the cabin with some o f them on the suitcase+backpack+liferaft on the seat.
Nothing too pressing. The seat can be removed for extra space but we needed it for some of our local flights with 6POB.

This time we did tanker a lot of fuel (enough for about 6.5h) but there was still around 100kg margin to MTOW.

I’ve parted out a P210N and I know every single item in there. If you pick up the door of the P210N and then pick up the door of the U206 it tells a big story. The P210 is built like a tank and weighs accordingly. The fuse is all assembled wet with sealant and its got some very tight access for a lot of tasks. There are some incredibly expensive parts like rotary actuators, power pack, inflow/outflow valves, pressurisation controller, gear doors. There are some really particular SB’s – example being the plastic spring guide in the NLG which can cause the NLG to fold up if not upgraded. It did so on my friends Silver Eagle. The regular 210N when loaded to the max can pitch up dramatically on initial flap application in the circuit. Another friend is on alternator number 16 since new. They have nuances in maintenance and operation, requiring some time to get up to speed with. Because I’ve sold parts off a P210 for years I have a fair idea what breaks on them. My U206 is now assembled and will be making noise next week.

Getting back to the OP, the aircraft in question appears to be a prime condition airplane in far better condition than other 206/7’s. It has all the hall marks of an airplane that is costing the owner more than the asking price. Importing anything similar from the USA, paying the VAT and getting it on a local register would make the asking price seem modest. Buying a really nice aeroplane can be the cheapest way to get what you want.

WilliamF wrote:

There are some incredibly expensive parts like rotary actuators, power pack, inflow/outflow valves, pressurisation controller, gear doors. There are some really particular SB’s – example being the plastic spring guide in the NLG which can cause the NLG to fold up if not upgraded.

With exception of the inflow/outflow valves, pressurisation controller, all the parts and SB’s you mention is the same for all the 182RG and 210 series.
So you ownership cost wouldnt be more than when owning a C182RG.

The pressurisation parts you mentioned is the Achilles heel of the P210. No more available from Cessna, and expensive to fix.
Any owner with plans off keeping their P210s for the future normally has a set of valves and a controller on the shelf. First thing that gets sold when one is parted out.
They can be had for a reasonable sum on Ebay or from scrap yards.

WilliamF wrote:

example being the plastic spring guide in the NLG which can cause the NLG to fold up if not upgraded. It did so on my friends Silver Eagle

This sounds just incredible. The world normally stops spinning every time we hear about any 210’s with still the plastic part installed. That means that these aircrafts owners and mechanics have overlooked this very obvious flaw for decades. It’s unheard of.
That O&N has released a Silver Eagle with the plastic piece still installed seems even more incredible. They normally do any upgrade to these P210’s before they come out of their hangar as they know them inside out. But I guess shit can happen.

WilliamF wrote:

Buying a really nice aeroplane can be the cheapest way to get what you want.

Right on. Most of the P210’s are now 35 years or older.
So either you pay now, or you pay later. A lot of the aircrafts for sale is actually restoration projects. Flyable ones. So you can do one upgrade per year.

Mine was as follows:

Year:
1. Replace all hydraulic fluid lines with new (Old ones was factory. 35 year old. Scary)
Re-seal all gear actuators.
Seal up cabin and make sure that all pressurisation parts working as intended. (had to readjust the Safety valve)
Re-align turbo and exhaust system, and adjust proper turbo pressure at controller.
2. New seat rails (Gets worn down and has an repetitive AD note inspection)
3. Rebuild tail with new mounts according to SB’s. Replaced foam filed elevator and trim tab due to inside corrosion.
Re-rigged and controlled all flight controls and cables.
4. Overhaul of complete fuel control system. From new Tank lids to new hoses.
Full Firewall forward overhaul.

So I bought a project and paid later.
Was lucky buying in a marked low, but probably come out as if I bought a properly maintained bird.

Unfortunately buyers try to compare apples to apples, when in fact they are looking at a lipstick pig.

Proper Prebuy from a well trained Cessna mechanic is key.

WilliamF wrote:

Another friend is on alternator number 16 since new

Tell him to stop buying crap from Kelly/Hartzell. I did the same and it was dead on arrival.
Had mechanic overhaul my old one and it has been no problem ever since.

I fly with a spare in the bag compartment.

You get a lot of naive people who assume their opinion of value is the only one in the market. I’ve played that game thinking, sure if I don’t buy it who else will? You go back to ask the seller about the aeroplane only to find out someone paid closer to what the seller wanted and it’s gone, sold. If that airplane is really owned by the CEO of Grob the chances of it being a mess are pretty slim. Here is a page describing a company in America who went to the other side of the world to buy a fine T207A.

https://www.flyjacksonhole.com/media/custom-craft/

The TSIO-520 when set up right is a great engine. TCM SID 917-3E on the fuel set up is your guide, and they run great after that. Lots of people run two of these engines on their P Barons etc and they are low fuss once set up correctly. Leaving aside the easa time life maintenance requirements, a fixed gear non pressurised airplane should not break the bank on the items likely to crop up. If you read the advert in detail you can see they have put new windows in, re wired the whole plane. That airplane is probably like new you will find. The quality of the work in the photos looks first class, and the cost of doing that work in a 145 shop in that part of the world is not insignificant. If you don’t buy it someone else will. If Cessna made that airplane new imagine how much it would cost…..