Yes, and that thread bemoans the actual scheduled downtime, which frankly cannot be avoided. It is the balance, where for a million reasons, the plane, and you, sit on the ground. We all spend a lot of hot air attempting to justify it, but it is in reality, unjustifiable. So, the OP takes his 200k, pretty much useless in the bank anyway, and throws it at his best shot of the ideal aeroplane. Now everything kicks into action, to PREVENT, him utilising the aeroplane. Rating/weather/aeroplane/health/family/work etc. In the end, Easyjet wins by a mile, all the time. I flew to Malaga, return, from Glasgow last weekend, Easyjet. £298.00. The Bonanza, which of course would have been far greater fun, and much more satisfying, could have got me just North of Blackpool for that money. And that I am afraid, is the problem.
That’s true, but piston GA has never been like dropping your BMW at the BMW dealer with the key left on the seat, and picking it up the same day or – for a major repair – a few days later. And the unscheduled downtime is minimal on the major brands.
One can approach that “paradigm” in certain areas of the new aircraft marketplace but then one is liable to get ripped off, so that’s suitable only for owners who just pay any bill, or who are lucky to be using a decent firm.
Everybody else has to get pro-active and do a certain amount of “micro-management” of their maintenance situation. Or they end up with a shagged plane with a lot of downtime, due to improper maintenance – probably extending back to previous owner(s).
I appreciate the compliment about me getting a lot of use out of my TB20 
but that’s because I get very involved in the maintenance and I have a very good guy (A&P/IA) working on it with me. Also the TB20 is a very simple plane to work on, with mostly very good access for inspection. I still have serious problems (for example I am not allowed to do anything at my base) but my A&P has sufficient hangar contacts, and I fly it there while he drives there. I lost the Biggin Hill hangar recently (it got sold) but have found a new one for the Jan 2016 Annual.
Unfortunately there is no easy way around these options, and there is no easy way to discover a reputable maintenance company who could look after your plane without you getting involved. And if you fly high altitude IFR then you need the stuff to be done 100% right e.g. the right lubricants used which don’t freeze up at FL150
@Peter One option sometimes used is to do scheduled maintenance at the factory. For this the factory has to be fairly close (the closer the better). If the plane is grounded, this is obviously a last resort option unless you have a contract with them for AOG service or it’s grounded on the same airport (PS: or they are willing to work on it there).
I sense another story looming about the lubricant…..it can be a long, very long journey to get that maintenance nirvana, and unfortunately, the new to ownership, owner, more often than not learns the hard way. As we can all pretty much testify
Before you get all sexed up about buying a TKS equipped aircraft, you need to do a few real IFR trips in some weather. It may be that the real life experience modifies your view, but in any case anti-ice equipment on a single is not a panacea, Hard IMC in a single is not everyone’s cup of tea. It isn’t mine, but I know there are pilots on here that do all sorts of stuff in SEPs very professionally.
Bit late to this thread, but regarding doing the IR in an aircraft without an ADF, this is straightforward to do in the UK.
The test usually involves the non-precision approach in the enroute sector so will either be a VOR approach, RNAV with suitable missed approach (eg. Alderney) or an RNAV approach with modified missed approach (it’s common to have radar vectors to your actual destination aerodrome).
EDIT: new thread here
One option sometimes used is to do scheduled maintenance at the factory. For this the factory has to be fairly close (the closer the better). If the plane is grounded, this is obviously a last resort option unless you have a contract with them for AOG service or it’s grounded on the same airport (PS: or they are willing to work on it there).
Indeed. However, I am informed by people who took their TB20 to Tarbes that they got billed GBP 8000, which is at least 2x the normal going rate. OTOH, maybe the ticked boxes were actually done rather than just ticked? 
A lot more people do this with TBMs, however.
Hard IMC in a single is not everyone’s cup of tea
I think one should differentiate between the risks of flying SEP over terrain, water, etc, and the risks of icing itself.
An SEP with full TKS is every bit as capable in icing as an MEP with full TKS. (And a TB20 with full TKS is like an SR22 with full TKS).
A turbo SEP with full TKS is every bit as capable in icing as a turbo MEP with full TKS. (And a TB21 with full TKS is like an SR22T with full TKS).
There is no free lunch. You either have the equipment or you don’t. An Aztec can (reportedly) carry six inches of ice but who wants to take risks like that?
Twins tend to de-ice with rubber boots while singles tend to de-ice with TKS, but I have never heard anything suggesting boots are better than TKS, and many saying TKS is far better (no runback, etc). Until the TKS fluid runs out
The MEP has more redundancy but that’s just attitude to risk It doesn’t make it more capable in the sense of withstanding more adverse wx before it crashes.
You want to say if Socata had a MEP, you would get double simultaneous engine stoppage in icing conditions?
Yes; engine stoppages are good for building your character
achimha wrote:
ou want to say if Socata had a MEP, you would get double simultaneous engine stoppage in icing conditions?
Not impossible if you get icing in the air intake (filter). That’s probably why 4 engines is better than 2.
