Hi guys,
This is my first post in this website.
We are a company in northern Europe that have plans to invest in an airplane for our use. Our missons would be around 300 – 450 NM trips with 2 people onboard (including the pilot). We believe we will fly around 150 – 170 hours a year.
We have not decided what aircraft we are going to invest in but it surely leans toward a piper jetprop (N-REG). The pilot flying it have both FAA ATP and EASA frozen ATPL.
I would like to ask the following questions to experienced owners or operators in this website:
- Is it an advantage to have an N-reg airplane? (operation cost)
- Is it possible to register the piper meridian below 2000kg in europe to skip paying the airways fees?
- Is it possible to Dry lease the airplane to other companies or private people? (we believe that during certain periods we will not use the airplane at all and the airplane will sit in hangar, so it is not a bad idea to make some money on it).
We have many more questions but I will start with these first.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post
ABCD wrote:
- Is it possible to register the piper meridian below 2000kg in europe to skip paying the airways fees?
AFAIK there’s STC that enables this. However, this gives you (legally) close to zero payload with full fuel but for 300-450 NM you don’t need full tanks.
ABCD wrote:
- Is it possible to Dry lease the airplane to other companies or private people?
or to anybody else I (as company owner) decide to rent it out. No problems in Croatia as long as all taxes are paid.
For 300-450 NM and 2 POB, Jetprop looks like a huge overkill. You can get a fully IFR-equipped aircraft for 1/10 of Jetprop’s price that would happily haul 2 people and 150 kg of luggage for 450 NM.
ABCD wrote:
Is it possible to register the piper meridian below 2000kg in europe to skip paying the airways fees?
If I can humbly suggest that offering a comment like that on an open forum, in line with looking to invest in a Jet Prop, perhaps is not the best, or cleverest way to get into aviation. Google is your friend when it comes to owning and operating an aeroplane 
.
Is it possible to register the piper meridian below 2000kg in europe to skip paying the airways fees?
I don’t have a reference for this but recall reading that it is possible only on the N-reg, because EASA refuses to accept the 1999kg STC. On the Jetprop and the Seneca, EASA accepts the 1999kg STC and does so even on AOC ops (on the Seneca) according to a post here some time ago.
However (and there are past threads here with the numbers – do a search) the 1999kg Meridian is not legal to even stand on the tarmac, with nobody inside, and with full tanks!
a comment like that on an open forum
There is nothing covert about this
I did not suggest it was. Jet Prop operation and cutting costs do not go hand in hand. I will expand, aviation and cutting costs do not go hand in hand. Unless, of course, I am missing something.
Damn; I thought flying would save me money
But, tell you what…. my friend and I have just booked a ski trip to Austria and by the time we paid for the tickets, plus luggage, plus “sports equipment”, plus €220 on taxis from Salzburg, it would cost no more (about GBP 700 actually) to take a TB20 to Zell am See. Not kidding. GA does have it’s uses.
For 300-450 NM and 2 POB, Jetprop looks like a huge overkill.
It depends on the desired despatch rate.
With a JP you get
With a clever pilot, the despatch rate is probably 98-99%.
A 421C would be similar but at a much higher operating cost (albeit at a much lower purchase cost).
You could also do 90%+ with a Seneca with radar and solid steel balls, or perhaps any turbocharged/de-iced SEP too, with larger balls.
ABCD wrote:
Is it possible to Dry lease the airplane to other companies or private people?
You would only do this if you held a $200k deposit in case they hot started the engine or over torqued it through lack of experience
or didnt care anyway.
BeechBaby wrote:
Jet Prop operation and cutting costs do not go hand in hand.
Engine overhaul aside, it costs not more to operate a Jetprop than a Beech Bonanza (of similar value).
Engine overhaul aside, it costs not more to operate a Jetprop than a Beech Bonanza (of similar value
Not to get into an argument, however, on a straight fuel burn perhaps, but factor in maintenance, insurance, and then look at a fair comparison, I think not.
