Timing an Aircraft Purchase

DMEarc, I have a G-reg aircraft with all the kit you want that fits both your budget and your mission profile, which I may be selling fairly soon, though not right now. You can write to me at: anton at my username dot com.

I'd suggest you consider paying for an aircraft with all the avionics you want already installed. I put significant amounts of cash into an major avionics fit on my last aircraft I owned (in the States) and I would have come out way ahead buying a good example with what i wanted already installed.

-Jason

DMEarc,

I'm curious... what a/c type were you originally intending to purchase? And What was wrong with it? Guessing that there was serious corrosion.

This may be more feasible with an N-Reg. probably better range of lower priced aircraft if you prepared to buy one in the US

I'd say (at the sub 100,000 part of the market), the costs of an N reg are actually more attractive in Europe than in the US, partly due to the lack of clarity about the 'operator' requirements. And partly due to the state of the economy. I think its a buyers market right now. My group estimate that the valuation of our PA28-181 (which is IFR equipped, though not with a HSI), has decreased by about 40% since the economic downturn and the uncertainties about owning an N reg outside of the US.

Trigg TT31 which, btw, is ADS-B capable

The TT31 seems to conform to ETSO-C166a (version 1 ADS-B). NPA2012-19 (which should come into force end of year AFAIK) requires ETSO-C166b (version 2).

So you probably have to wait until Trig gets a firmware upgrade ready and approved...

ADS-B to me resembles more and more the avionics version of Patch Tuesday

Now I just need to move it to the N register so i can use my FAA IR!

Problem is that from April 2014, if the "operator" is EU resident, EASA shafts you into needing an EASA IR also, for which the only option currently on the table is the full JAA IR (15hr conversion route available). The proposed CBM IR is very much not likely to arrive before April 2014...

Nobody knows what will actually happen in April 2014. There may be another postponement, e.g. April 2016.

There are areas of Europe where light IFR is practical with airways at around FL70~FL100, and an Archer, for example, would be able to cope. How many times do you plan to cross the Alps? in IMC?

I would not say that the "FL150 requirement" is anything to do with flying in IMC. It is driven by

• Eurocontrol routings being generally poor below FL100 (exceptions: France, and to a lesser extent Germany)

• Problems with IFR ATC service (IFR clearance) continuity when transitioning between UK and other airspace, below ~FL100-120

• Tops of "mid-level" cloud often tending to lie ~ FL100-140

• Temps in cloud usually below 0C even in the summer, so prime icing conditions

• Desirability to be in VMC (on top) for safety (visibility of convective wx) and comfort, especially "non-aviation" passengers

The last thing you want to be doing is flying at ~ FL150 in solid IMC for long periods, unless you have deice and radar.

A PA28-181 can do ~FL140 which is actually pretty good, but a lot of the time it won't be enough.

The downside of this type of flying is that you need oxygen.

There is a sizeable "PPL/IR" community who disagree with the above, avoid using oxygen, but I would not like to be in their shoes on my typical long trip, and I suspect their despatch rate is awfully low and many are probably in the 50hrs/year category.

So you pick your price level and your mission capability

probably better range of lower priced aircraft if you prepared to buy one in the US

A serious Q: how do you organise a prebuy in the USA? The obvious answer is that you fly out there with an engineer/pilot competent on the exact type and who knows all the installed avionics. The cost of that is not insignificant, for a 50k purchase budget - especially as the majority of planes which a savvy buyer looks at carefully turn out to be dogs, offered for sale by people who either don't care about wasting your time or they are such inept owners they don't even know half the stuff doesn't work. I've seen a few myself. Doing that doesn't cost much in the UK but you don't want to be jetting all over the USA looking at one dog after another. Probably worth doing for a 2002 TB20GT, as a baseline, say €150k, and obviously more so for say a Jetprop and above.

Find one that has been hanagared it's entire life if you can. Difficult...I know. I lucked out and found my 1977 Piper Archer II that is a three owner aircraft and hanagred it's entire life. I paid mid £40's and it has a 430, DME, ADF. Mode-S and simple two-axis autopilot. It can be done but there is a lot of junk out there. You might look at some of the brokers/dealers as some tend to deal is slightly more refined aircraft.

Now I just need to move it to the N register so i can use my FAA IR!

-Jason

This may be more feasible with an N-Reg. probably better range of lower priced aircraft if you prepared to buy one in the US.

There are probably a few FG out there with a Garmin and Mode S, but will definitely not meet Peter's FL150+ requirement. I would query a 30 year old HSI/Slaved compass fit as it is probably past its sell by date with parts availability an issue. There are areas of Europe where light IFR is practical with airways at around FL70~FL100, and an Archer, for example, would be able to cope. How many times do you plan to cross the Alps? in IMC?

Once you are crossing mountains in IMC you will develop an appetite for: turbines, pressurisation, radar and serious FIKI - ie not of the twin training piston variety.