I do nearly all of my business travel with the Bonanza. Although I have always to be there in time, it works out. But to be honest, I do normally fly to the destination the evening before to have the opportunity @peter has mentioned before, to fly in the early morning or drive by car, if there are some weather related restrictions.
Before owning the Bonanza it was more tricky with PA28, because of the weather (icing conditions f.e.). But even in this time I have had to cancel only a small amount of flights. I think in 15 years it’s counting up to ten.
I made the experience, that the small airfields (with grass strips also) take me so close to the customer, that sometimes it is possible to walk the last mile.
As we also fly regularly for leisure, the percentage of business flight hours during the year is about 45%. This relative small number is due of Germany being such a small country. Everywhere I need to go to is not more then maximum 2 hours of flight. To get to our house in Brittany is for example around 3:45. 
Hello Everyone,
My boss is thinking about buying an aircraft for his professional activity. He is a big fan of GA. We both have a CPL license with IR. He wants us to use the aircraft for the commercial team travels and deliver some urgent packages to our customers (max 450NM from home base). He is considering to buy a 10 years old SR22/SR22T or DA42 for around 300 hours per year. The home base is located center of France, LFLC.
Without speaking about finance, I do not know if it is a good idea. I am wondering about the dispatch rate that we can have with this kind of aircraft specially during winter time with polar front even with TIKI?
Do you have any kind of experience with flying this kind of aircraft with some professional constraints?
I have seen a company called Fly Aeolus using SR22 for Air taxi. I don’t know if some of you have any experience with them…
Thanks !
Hi
the answer to your question very much depends on how critical dispatch rate is. With a 10 yo airframe and engine you are going to have issues several times a year and will need to find alternative means of travel. And depending on whether you are trying to cross the Alps or Pyrenees once or twice a year weather is going to be a problem.
The only way to improve dispatch rate is spend more on a plane – newer, turbine and or pressurised.
I have tried similar. First with a Beech F33A. That did not work due to lack of deice, no on board radar, no data link weather, not pressurized, no turbo engine. Then went to a PA46 Mirage which did have everyhing listed and it made all weather operations possible. But the piston engine proved far too much trouble. You get a rough engine here, a bad cylinder temperature there, an oil leak somewhere else, some induction icing out of nowhere. All manageable if the weather is overall nice but if you fly in hard IMC all the time it is just too much. Then we went to a PA46 Meridian which finally ticked all the boxes but it took much more time and money than I could have ever anticipated to get to this point.
The piston class is not high dispatch equipment if sectors are long (say more than 400 nm). In northern Europe you will run into weather where the equipment sort of copes, until it doesn’t.
@AircraftLog of the suggested choices, a de ice DA42 NG with relatively fresh engines is a viable candidate (although the weeping wing de ice tends to run out of effectiveness towards the wing tips) for sub 400nm sectors. Operate on tarmac, keep it hangared and have a maintenance shop that understands the type (basically keeping on top of timed life items and getting them into stock from Austria), and don’t plan on a lot of useful load beyond three people. Nice flying aircraft, and if well managed, more reliable than it is given credit for.
My experience is that keeping them outside tends to cause the famous electronic gremlins to emerge.
There are several businesses with customers and installations in other parts of France which do exactly what you are suggesting.
I know of 2 with Seneca V 3 with DA42s 1 with a DA62 and 1 with a Mooney M 20K .
Other than normal downtime for annuals etc. they all have despatch rates in the upper 90%s.
The Mooney owners even flies regularly to Belfast.
The only thing they would all say is that in order to reach those despatch rates, all necessary parts are ordered, where possible, ahead of time and ordered new. I think I mentioned previously the Seneca owner paying €200,000 for 2 new engines.
Based where you are in the middle of France, I can see the argument for a company airplane. To achieve the desired dispatch rate, I would suggest going with a de-iced twin. What you need to be mindful of, though, is the payload. You want to fly your sales team and packages. This prob90 calls for a 6-seater.
SEP: this could be a C210 (although AFAIK there are very few de-iced ones around), C206/207, Saratoga
SET: PA46 or C208 if you need to haul heavier stuff (both of course much more expensive)
MEP you’re looking at a Seneca, Baron 58 or a DA62. I would also consider a Partenavia/Vulcanair.
Buckerfan wrote:
The only way to improve dispatch rate is spend more on a plane – newer, turbine and or pressurised.
@Buckerfan, sorry, have to disagree. The best way to improve dispatch rate of a proposed DA42 is not to go for turbine but to buy TWO PLANES! :)
On a serious note – two DA42 aircraft appear to be cheaper than almost any turbine in terms of:
- CapEx
- Fixed running costs
- Variable running costs
@AircraftLog I’m afraid if you want it for business with a good dispatch rate, then you need a fleet. And 2xDA42 will provide:
- de-icing
- (some provide) radar
- second engine (you can fly at night).
And if don’t like one a/c before the departure, then you use the second one.
Two people I know who do this, one used a PA-31-310 and the other a B58P. Both are absolute tanks, able to handle very rough conditions. The Navajo can deal with the grass and almost anything you can throw at it. The 58P can easily do FL220 which is great for getting up and over stuff.
I know some Saratoga owners who would regularly do 12-1400nm days multiple times a week. Mostly in the summer.
WilliamF wrote:
I know some Saratoga owners who would regularly do 12-1400nm days multiple times a week
@WilliamF I admire their resilience and fortitude!!
