Eal …. how do you mount the camera under the wing on the Jetprop ?
I use the NFlight GPro mount
It is designed to mount via one of the inspection plate screws for which an elongated version of the screw is supplied.
E
Having flown in eal’s plane, I can confirm it is a little rocket. An amazing bang for the buck!
He is also a very good pilot and is very current on type.
quatrelle wrote:
You wont regret it, you would just wonder why you didn’t do it earlier
eal wrote:
I highly recommend the conversion, it will give you a whole new ownership experience to an aircraft you already know well.
Hey guys, I just stumbled over this old thread which I had forgotten.
Thanks to your enthusiasm for the Jetprop in late 2021 I took the plunge and traded in the piston Mirage for a Jetprop DLX. As many have said, your only regret is that you didnt do it earlier.
I operate out of 750m grass strip, year round, and it works superbly. Admittedly, I keep the strip in top condition with frequent mowing and rolling etc. As eal reports, with half tanks the Jet Prop rotates at about 300 m and on landing I hardly ever have to use the brakes.
Thanks very much guys,
I have followed your posts with interest.
Can’t imagine affording a Malibu, but would love one. Great to hear that the JP is fulfilling your needs and putting a smile on your face (which is one of the most important things we can do).
Hi GA_Pete.
I know I am extremely fortunate that I can afford such an aircraft.
What surprises me though is the incredible, almost blind, devotion that Cirrus flyers have for that aircraft. I know, or know of, very many who buy new SR22s, and every three years trade them in for the latest model. I used to own an SR22, and it is a great plane. But lets be real, for the same price as a new SR22 you can buy a Jetprop in great condition, with 1,500 hrs left before any need to overhaul the turbine, and with good avionics. There is simply no comparison between the two aircraft. The Jetprop:
Why oh why are Cirrus fans so blinkered??
Buckerfan wrote:
Why oh why are Cirrus fans so blinkered??
No chute on JetProp? :)))
I know, I know…
How do the fixed & variable costs compare, for example at today prices?
When you put it like that, they appear silly.
But maybe some of them are partially intimidated by the Cirrus, and at that point the JP or Meridian appears ‘Too much aircraft’ for them. Perhaps not everyone just jumps in the Cirrus, straps in and feels ‘all over it’
A Cirrus is a very posh version of something everyone is familiar with and the PA46 is one step to much? Size, weight, single pilot ground handling, hangarage requirements, maintenance risk. They are all just a tiny step further.
Don’t know but that’s my best guess.
Yes, no chute on the JP – but if I feather the prop my gliding range from cruise altitude is over 60 NM. I can get to an airfield almost anywhere in Europe.
Fixed costs in the JP will be more – mostly insurance.
In terms of variable costs, fuel is equal or less on a per mile basis (depending on where fuel is purchased).
Powerplant maintenance on the JP is much lower than on a Cirrus or piston PA46. I had to totally rebuild the engine on my Mirage at 1300 hrs, cost over £120K. And this is pretty normal for any big bore turbocharged engine, they never make it to TBO. And there were always other problems with the piston engines -leaky gaskets, crakced cylinders, bad spark plugs. The maintenance costs on the turbine engine are practically zero. Another huge advantage for the JP is I dont have ti worry about cold starts any more. It used to drive me crazy in the Mirage when flying to the Alps – “will the engine be warm enough to start without causing damage when I want to leave”. Not an issue with a turboprop.
Other maintenance costs will be higher on the JP, simply because it is more complex – radar, pressurisation etc.
Hull cover on a £1M+ SR22 won’t be cheap. We did this before e.g. around here.
Cirrus marketing is highly successful, in all the relevant areas: the chute, easy transition from any SEP, vastly enhanced wife/family acceptance (due to the chute), well organised (and very expensive to participate in) meet-ups, a strong brand loyalty and community spirit, etc. Of course a Jetprop outclasses an SR22 in every department related to flying, but the two audiences are totally different. If you posted this in COPA you would be hung drawn and quartered and made into tomato soup in about 5 minutes
I’d also say that the number of experienced GA pilots – the principal Jetprop potential new flyer community – has shrunk quite dramatically during covid. We did that one before, too. Many just packed it all in.
Buckerfan wrote:
Yes, no chute on the JP – but if I feather the prop my gliding range from cruise altitude is over 60 NM. I can get to an airfield almost anywhere in Europe.
Hi @Buckerfun, yes, I know – hence me putty all the smiley faces in the message! :)
It is all a question of perseption. Chute? Yes, but if you fly at FL250, you could glide to some runway in most cases – not the case of the channel in most places for Cirrus.
Re: costs – I think this is part a question of perception, part – real concern.
Fixed costs – insurance, annual, parking
Variable costs – cost of 50hr/100hr/… calculated per hour + engine reserve (not cheap!) + fuel costs.
And what if you have to fully rebuild your TP engine on a JP? Not cheap either.
Don’t get me wrong – for me a choice between unpressurised SEP and pressurised SET is obivous (if I had money!), but it is all a question of perception.
And about the SR22 refresh every two years – I don’t know how much it costs to the customers, but there could be some really sweet deal and good savings (like free maintenance etc).
