What airplane should I buy??!!

WHAT AIRPLANE SHOULD I BUY??!!

Contact information:
Eagle Aviation Group
Wes & Heather Francis
P.O. Box 1073
Port Richey , FL 34673
727-863-0419
Website: www.eagleaviationgroup.com
Email: eagleaviationgroup @ eagleaviationgroup.com

Step 1: First, before anything, count the cost.

Luke 14:28 states, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.” Of course, you need to know what price range of airplanes that you are shopping for. But other costs can affect how much that you really have available to spend, otherwise, you could end up purchasing a plane that is too expensive to upkeep and operate. So, research and know these costs before purchasing a plane:

Pre-purchase aircraft inspection fee by a FAA licensed aircraft mechanic
Liability insurance costs per year
Aircraft hull insurance costs per year
Hangar rental fees per year
Landing fees per year
Fuel costs per year
Fixed-schedule maintenance/parts costs per year
Routine inspection labor fees per year
Non-routine maintenance/parts savings fund needed for engine replacements and high cost parts
Pilot salary, training, and benefits costs per year

Step 2: Are you going to be your own pilot?

If you are purchasing a plane in which you plan to fly by yourself and don’t need a lot of passenger or cargo room, there are a few single piston engine and twin engine aircraft that could be suitable. For instance, the Piper PA-34 Seneca V, which was introduced in 1997, is a twin piston engine, that seats 3-4 passengers. Another example would be the Raytheon Beechcraft Baron 58, another twin piston engine that also seats 3-4 passengers. There are also some new smaller jets that can be flown with only pilot, such as the Citation CJ1, Citation CJ2 and the Raytheon Premier. Keep in mind that most aircraft larger than these will require two pilots.

Step 3: How many passengers will need to fly in the plane per trip?

Aircraft that are capable of 2-4 passengers include:

Cessna 210 Centurion (1 piston engine, requires only 1 pilot, built 1959-1985) - $100,000 to $200,000 avg.
Piper PA-34 Seneca V (2 piston engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1997) - $400,000 to $800,000 avg.
Raytheon Beechcraft Baron 58 (2 piston engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1970) - $175,000 to $750,000 avg.
Raytheon Beechcraft Bonanza 36 (1 piston engine, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1968) - $150,000 to $500,000 avg.

Aircraft that are capable of 4-6 passengers include:

Bomardier Learjet 36A (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1974-1994) - $1.3 million to $3 million avg.
Bombardier Learjet 40 (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, new for 2004) - $6.9 million new
Cessna 421 (2 piston engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1967) - $300,000 to $900,000 avg.
Cessna Citation II (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1978-1994) - $1.3 million to $3 million avg.
Cessna Citation III (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1982-1992) - $2.7 million to $4 million avg.
Cessna Citation CJ1 (2 jet engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 2000) - $3 million to $4 million avg.
Cessna Citation CJ2 (2 jet engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 2000) - $4 million to $5.5 million avg.
Gulfstream G100 (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 2002) - $10.5 million to $11.5 million avg.
IAI Astra (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1986- 2001) - $5 million to $9 million avg.
Pilatus PC-12 (1 jet turboprop engine, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1994) - $1.9 million to $3 million avg.
Raytheon King Air 200 (2 jet turboprop engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1973) - $800,000 to $4 million avg.
Raytheon Beechjet 400A (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1990- 2003) - $3 million to $5 million avg.
Raytheon Beechcraft Premier I (2 jet engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 2001) - $4.5 million to $5.5 million avg.

Aircraft that are capable of 6-8 passengers include:

Bombardier Learjet 31A (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 1988) - $4 million to $6 million avg.
Bombardier Learjet 45 (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 1998) - $8 million to $10 million avg.
Bombardier Learjet 60 (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 1993) - $7 million to $11 million avg.
Cessna Citation Bravo (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 1996) - $3 million to $5 million avg.
Cessna Citation V (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1989-1994) - $2.9 million to $4 million avg.
Cessna Citation Excel (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 1998) - $7 million to $10 million avg.
IAI Westwind (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built 1976-1987) - $1.8 million to $2.5 million avg.
Raytheon King Air 350 (2 jet turboprop engines, requires only 1 pilot, built since 1989) - $2 million to $3.5 million avg.
Raytheon Hawker 400XP (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 2003) - $5.5 million to $6.5 million avg.
Raytheon Hawker 800XP (2 jet engines, requires 2 pilots, built since 1995) - $6 million to $9 million avg.

Step 4: Will you need to fly transcontinental?

Aircraft capable of flying transcontinental require 2 pilots and include:

Bombardier Challenger 300 (2 jet engines, seats up to 9 passengers, built since 2003) - $14 million to $17 million avg.
Bombardier Challenger 601 (2 jet engines, seats up to 19 passengers, built 1982-1996) - $6.5 million to $14 million avg.
Bombardier Challenger 604 (2 jet engines, seats up to 19 passengers, built since 1996) - $18 million to $22 million avg.
Cessna Citation X (2 jet engines, seats up to 8 passengers, built since 1996) - $15 million to $20 million avg.
Dassault Falcon 2000 (2 jet engines, seats up to 8 passengers, built since 1995) - $16 million to $20 million avg.
Dassault Falcon 50 (3 jet engines, seats up to 12 passengers, built since 1979) - $5.5 million to $17 million avg.
Dassault Falcon 900 (3 jet engines, seats up to 15 passengers, built since 1986) - $15 million to $26 million avg.
Gulfstream G-IV (2 jet engines, seats up to 14 passengers, built 1987- 2002) - $20 million to $29 million avg.
Gulfstream G-V (2 jet engines, seats up to 15 passengers, built 1997-2002) - $31 million to $35 million avg.
Gulfstream G200 (2 jet engines, seats up to 8 passengers, built since 2000) - $13 million to $17 million avg.

Step 5: Will you be using the aircraft for any specialty mission work or service?

The Cessna Citation II is an aircraft capable of being configured as an air ambulance with one or two stretchers and able to carry up to four medical attendants. The Dassault Falcon 10, Falcon 100, and the Falcon 50 are also aircraft capable of being configured as an air ambulance. The Falcon 50 can accommodate three stretchers and two medical attendants in a medevac role. The Cessna Caravan and Grand Caravan are very popular light duty, utility workhorses to carry cargo, medical supplies, and food into the mission field and can land on unpaved fields and runways. Examples of medium duty cargo aircraft are the Shorts Skyvan, Shorts 330, and the Shorts 360, which all have a box-like fuselage and a rear loading freight ramp. For heavier duty cargo work, the De Havilland Canada Dash 7 and the Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8 are designed for short takeoff and landing capabilities, so they can land on landing strips as short as 3000 feet in the mission field and still carry a significant load of supplies.

Step 6: How often will you be using the plane in a year? Have you considered and researched what it will cost to charter vs. fractional ownership vs. owning a plane?

Fractional ownership is purchasing from 1/16 to 1/2 time shares of an aircraft. You don’t actually own the aircraft, but only a time share of the aircraft, which alleviates you from the maintenance costs and responsibility, aircraft insurance costs, and pilot costs. You are responsible for your initial acquisition cost of your time share, your monthly management fees, and for direct flight costs, such as fuel. A 1/8 share is equivalent to 100 hours a year of flight time available for your use. Aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing, Citation, Bombardier, and Raytheon offer fractional ownership. There are other companies that offer fractional ownership as well, such as NetJets, FlexJet, and Flight Options.

Step 7: How old or new is the aircraft that you are considering to buy?

If you decide to purchase a plane, older aircraft may be cheaper regarding initial purchase price, BUT you must consider that since the aircraft is older, then it may have older engines with high time usage that may need major overhaul work or replacement sooner than a newer model that costs more initially. If you were to replace engines soon after purchase, your might be outlaying the same amount of money if you had bought a newer aircraft with lower time usage on the engines. Also, avionics (i.e. radios and navigation systems) must be considered on older aircraft. You may need to replace and update these electronics for better quality communication and navigation, which again, may out weigh the lower initial cost of the older aircraft when you have to purchase new electronics. You may find that purchasing an older aircraft may not be such a good deal as you had originally thought when you factor in possible avionic upgrades and/or engine replacement costs, plus the lack of use of the aircraft while it is being repaired! So, before purchasing any used aircraft, ask the seller the following questions:

How much total time is on the aircraft for both the airframe and engines?
When was the aircraft last inspected?
Have the engines been replaced with new engines from the factory, replaced with a rebuilt engine from the factory, overhauled to “factory-new tolerances”, or overhauled to just minimum acceptable “service limits”?
If overhauled, how much time is on the engines since the last major overhaul?
How often have the engines been overhauled?
If the aircraft has propellers, have the propellers been overhauled or replaced?

Step 8: Research the aircraft value of the specific aircraft models that you are considering to buy.

There are aircraft appraisal services online, but since there are so many factors in a true aircraft appraisal that you really need a physical person to inspect, hire a professional aircraft appraiser instead. Check for a local appraiser in your area by contacting the National Aircraft Appraisers Association at 248-758-2333 or at www.plane-values.com.

Step 9: Check the damage history of each aircraft that you are considering to buy.

An aircraft that has been repaired significantly can still be air worthy, but pay accordingly. Just like if you were buying a car that had been in an accident, you wouldn’t pay top dollar for it. Likewise, don’t pay top dollar for an aircraft that has had significant structural repair from a major accident or crash. The aircraft logbooks should have records of such repairs per FAA regulations.

Step 10: Check that both the aircraft and engine logbooks are up-to-date for each aircraft that you are considering to buy.

Make sure all maintenance and inspections have been complied with and recorded in the logbooks. Also, make sure that all applicable “Airworthiness Directives”, called “ADs”, have been complied with and documented in the logbooks. Airworthiness directives identify areas that are or could be potential unsafe conditions in a particular aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, or appliances, and as appropriate, prescribes inspections, conditions of limitations on how a particular aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance can continue to be operated, and modifications that must be complied within a certain time period outlined in the AD in order to continue operating the aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance. The FAA’s website, www.faa.gov, will list all applicable Airworthiness Directives per aircraft model. If you find ADs that have not been accomplished on the aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance, then negotiate a lower price accordingly for the aircraft for you to have the AD accomplished after the purchase of the aircraft, or negotiate that the aircraft be brought up to compliance with the AD in order to complete the sale of the aircraft. If you do not have an aircraft mechanic already available to you that you would consult with about the AD or use to accomplish the AD, then do not buy the aircraft unless the ADs have all been complied with.

Step 11: Research the product support record of each plane that you are considering to buy.

Both Professional Pilot magazine (www.propilotmag.com) and Aviation International News magazine (www.ainonline.com) publish a corporate aircraft product support survey each year. For 2004, Gulfstream Aerospace was rated the highest, followed by Cessna, in the jet category, and Pilatus was rated highest among turboprop aircraft by both of these magazines. Keep in mind that there are excellent older aircraft available to purchase, but obtaining parts for some of these older aircraft may cause a delay in repairing the aircraft, which would cause a delay in how quickly the aircraft can be returned to you. For example, if you are waiting an extended period of time for replacement parts to repair an older aircraft and still needed to travel, you may have to buy commercial airline tickets or charter another aircraft while your aircraft is out of service. For these reasons, you could have a possible increase in operational costs of owning older aircraft. Before purchasing an aircraft that is no longer in production, please be aware that parts availability and technical support for these aircraft are issues to consider.

Step 12: We highly recommend that you hire a FAA licensed aircraft mechanic to perform a pre-purchase inspection of all aircraft that you are considering to buy.

Eagle Aviation Group is owned and operated by Christians. We provide inspection, maintenance, and repair of ministry aircraft only. The President of Eagle Aviation Group, Wes Francis, has over 15 years of experience in commercial aviation maintenance as a FAA licensed aircraft mechanic. We can help you in your decision process in purchasing a plane through our pre-purchase aircraft inspection service. We check the aircraft logbooks, check for damage history, inspect the aircraft and engines, and report back our findings and recommendations to you regarding the aircraft that you are considering to buy.

Contact information:
Eagle Aviation Group.
Wes & Heather Francis
P.O. Box 1073
Port Richey, FL 34673
727-863-0419
Website: www.eagleaviationgroup.com
Email: eagleaviationgroup @ eagleaviationgroup.com

“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust”…..Psalm 91:4