So, If I want to go somewhere fast – I buy an airline ticket. Otherwise, the trip is part of the adventure, and I enjoy the scenery – slowly!
Agree, lo cost airlines switched me to slow and simple :)
Not that I had the necessary funds (well, there’s always hope, I guess…), but leaving that aside, for me it’ll be a PC12 and a little flexwing (or powered chute) that can go in the back of the Pilatus ! Go somewhere in comfort and then get out the little guy for a bimble. Best of both worlds….
Replace my Arrow 200 with a Bonanza A36 and an RV7 for fun times
Peter wrote:
mpressive work after being, presumably, completely smashed up
So long as the dataplate is still reasonably straight, just rebuild everything around it :-)
(That’s quite a common thing with Cubs, I believe).
AdamFrisch wrote:
P180 Avanti is a forever dream. I will have one before I die at some point.
JasonC wrote:
I gather the Avanti is better to desire than actually own.
Spoke with a service center recently. With the company in receivership, it’s difficult to get parts. To the point where they were buying a scrap plane after hail storm as part source.
loco wrote:
Spoke with a service center recently. With the company in receivership, it’s difficult to get parts. To the point where they were buying a scrap plane after hail storm as part source.
I think this is the service centre I recently started working at. If so, two P180’s have been parted out there. Do you have your TBM serviced there too? I saw an SP registered TBM a few weeks ago and wondered if it could’ve been you!
As for me, an RV8 is my pipe dream. If that’s unachievable then a more modest RV4 will also do me fine. Despite flying a four seater I’ve never flown with more than one passenger and I adore tandem configurations. Something that can do aeros and cross country flying as well as being low wing, with a stick and can handle short strips is the dream, and the RV4/8 ticks all the boxes.
Piaggio will come out of it at some point. And parts availability should resume.
It’s just a very compelling ride. It’s a business jet that doesn’t require a type rating and gets better MPG than anything else out there. It’s cabin is bigger than almost all jets in same class and it has never had a fatal accident. You’re also not tied to a monopoly engine maintenance program, you can chose to be on or off it without penalty. And it will keep up with jets.
loco wrote:
I hope so. Some nice offers out there. Only 1200 hours. But what if something fails? Wouldn’t want to be left with a $2M brick.
It’s gonna be a little in the balance for now until company comes out of administration or gets sold off and things settle down, for sure. But most aviation companies have been through this phase, and almost all of them emerged. Most items on a plane can also be repaired, rarely do you need full replacement, which should carry most operators over this period. But let’s say company won’t get sold, then what? Well, my thinking is, if they can keep the Starship flying, the Avanti should be a piece of cake with 200 airframes flying versus 5, right?
The early Avanti I (although it was never actually called the I) are now down to sub $1 million in some of the higher time airframes. It’s a tiny bit slower up high (66 vs -66B engines) and has a very early steam/CRT panel, which is gonna take a few bucks to upgrade to ADS-B. I’m hoping the uncertainty of the company and a recession will bring those prices don to where I can afford one! 
AdamFrisch wrote:
It’s gonna be a little in the balance for now until company comes out of administration or gets sold off and things settle down, for sure.
That is probably wishful thinking. This is Italy we are talking about, but of course if you see that Alitalia has been bancrupt for ever and is still there, it may be they also bail out Piaggio just because it is beyond their imagination that this traditional company bancrupts, but who knows.
I suppose in Europe people will divest themselfs of these airplanes. In this environment where in some places even gliders are objected to due to noise the Avanti is a very loud airplane. It is easiest the loudest in Zurich now and that includes all the Jets which are allowed to fly in there. While I hardly hear the jets anymore at work, an Avanti will catch my attention from far away. One is owned by a soccer club owner who’s made it his life’s ambition to piss off as many people as possible, so that is very fitting.
If I would go in that region of price, I’d look for a F44 equipped Citation 501 or something like that.
