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Looking to possibly upgrade to a turbine. Just wondering what the consensus was concerning a/c of this type that have not flown for a few months maybe longer. Are there hidden possibly significant costs mainly concerning the engines in getting them running again?

J-31?

Having been there and done it for a single engine piston, underused plane is not good. Don't know anything about turbines.

2 months doesn't to me seem like a long time, but the "maybe longer" would concern me.

It took me two years to get everything that turned, pulled pushed and toggled working in my Sundowner. My plane was only flown 10 to 15 hours in the prior two years of me purchasing the plane

Engine for me, was high time (1960 hours), and I had it overhauled when I had an exhaust valve bite the dust in flight and a second cylinder started acting up while on the ground after cylindar was replaced..

Informal probable cause was from the lack of useage doing all sorts of nasties internally in the bottom half of the engine engine as compressions were 75 and higher for all cylinders.

Equally and probably more expensive part to getting fixed will be the avionics and flight instruments. Lack of movement doesn't bode well for parts that require lubrication for shelf life.

Can't stress the importance of a good prebuy.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Allen

Allen makes some good points.
In general turbine engines will run longer between heavy maintenance cutting your "day in day out" costs but when a hot section or overhaul does happen they are quite a bit more expensive.
They are generally more reliable as well so the surprise maintenance factor is quite a bit lower. Check into MSP for the Garrett engines, basically an insurance policy that pays for almost everything. Pay a per hour charge every month and Garrett takes care of it. Engine removal, minor inspections and FOD are the main things not covered under MSP. Your regular insurance policy should cover FOD. (foreign object damage)
Sitting for a while, well, if the airplane was airworthy and just parked for some reason other than maintenance then a good pre-buy inspection done either by a shop not related to the owner, or by someone who specializes in pre-buys should be enough to get back in the air. I would also suggest a compressor wash just to wash all the dust and grit that may have accumulated while sitting.
Any engine should be turned over once in a while if you plan on parking it. Hoses, crankshafts and bearings don't like to sit still.

John

As noted by previous replies, a good prebuy is gonna be the make or break in this instance. Depending on the time already on the engines and the location they were sitting, corrosion could be a major factor. Turbine blades on a relatively high time engine, which probably already had some corrosion, wear, etc.... are going to be more succeptible to corrosion than brand new engines. Also, the seals on the engine could be a problem area if they've been in one spot and with no lubrication for a while. Basically, find a good shop with lots of experience on that type aircraft and engine, and have them go the whole nine yards; borescope and all.

Thanks for the imput, the a/c in question is hangared but hasn't flown for abt 8mos. Would be nice to move up but I don't know the way these friggin gas prices are going.

What do you fly now? What kind of stage lengths do you fly? How many passengers/flight?

Chris

Atlantis Aviation
http://www.atlantis-aviation.com

Own a baron, 400nm up to 5passengers

I'd consider a TBM700.
On 400 mile legs a new 850 isn't going to be that beneficial.


But it's FRENCH.

I would agree with James that a TBM700 might be a good option for you. The real question is what are 80% of your flights in range and pax loading. You ideally should purchase a plane for what 80% of your trips are going to be.

If are you against the single engine turbine, I would recommend a C90. It would be a fairly easy step up for you as you are flying a Baron currently. If all you are going to do is fly 400NM 80% of the time, I wouldn't worry too much about a C90A or B -- a straight C90 or C90-1 will do the trick for you.

You can pick one of those up fairly cheaply as compared to what a TBM700 goes for.

You could also get a -5 engined Commander 690; however, the Garrett engines are more sensitive to how they are operated compared to Pratts. Differences in operation can lead to maintenance issues that will ultimately drive the cost of operation beyond that of the Pratts. Another issue is the noise -- they are extremely noisy for the passengers as the prop line passes very close to pax seats 1 and 2.

If you are interested in talking more, feel free to drop me a line.

Take care,

Chris

Did we ever determine what kind of plane OP: FLAP is talking about buying?

nope....that is why I was asking questions



Chris

While the front end cost for an old C90 may be lower than a TBM700, the operating costs will catch you up pretty quickly if you are flying much.



If you are getting a French beauty, that new glass panel on the TBM850 is important eye candy.

More of a two engined guy myself and was looking at the commander, also entertained the thought of a merlin but from what I hear they realistically a two person plane. Timeline is to hopefully have a new bird by summer.