In the current copy of ‘Go Flying’ there appears an article on the state of the aircraft market. As one might expect, basic singles are still selling, but the sentiment seems to be that demand for ‘traditional’ avgas burning twins is no longer there, to such an extent that dealers will no longer stock them.
If nobody wants to buy them now, and they are too expensive for most people to operate, what will become of all these aeroplanes? There are over 50 Aztecs on the register, and 115 Senecas, not to mention Barons and all the others like the Cessnas.
It is very costly to hangar and maintain any aeroplane which is providing little utilisation and so many owners must be wondering what to do. Perhaps there is still some demand in the USA, or Africa, where fuel is cheaper, and longer journeys makes a twin a more reasonable prospect. However, there must be a limit on the number of aeroplanes which could be absorbed overseas.
Maybe some could be broken for spares, mainly avionics and engines, since there will not be much need for airframe parts. Or maybe sell them so cheap that they are almost a ‘throw-away’ aeroplanes, ie buy it for ,say £10k, fly it for a year or so, cough up for the fuel, and accept it will have almost no resale value when the next annual comes round.
Many of these machines are over 30 years old, and maybe the reality is that their time has finally come, and the changing economic landscape has no meaningful place for them. Like typewriters and cassette recorders, just redundant technology now.
By: J Boyle - 11th September 2008 at 14:57
It doesn’t look good here in the USA for the planes either.
I don’t have access to the used aircraft sales data…and such a thing does exist…but for years the reputation for GA twins has suffered from:
-the advances in SE aircraft
-fuel & insurance costs
-even the perception of the safety provided by an extra engine is/has been questioned.
Long-time GA journalist & author Richald L. Collins of Flying always said singles have a better safety record.
Back in the old days, it was assumed that a financially sucessful pilot would trade up from a Bonanza to a Baron, or a 210 to a 310.
Not any more…a lot of guys are buyng SE turboprops (Caravan,TBM, Pliatus, Piper)…they carry six, have radar, and are faster than a piston twin. Plus the PT-6 engine rarely breaks and has a long TBO.
It’s no coincidence that Cessna no loner makes any piston twins…and most of Pipers seem to go to training organizations.
I don’t know how many Barons Beech makes these days, but it can’t be too many. And the Beagle 206s, Aero Commanders, Aztecs, Queen Airs, Cougars, Wing Derringers, Skymasters, and the Family of Cessnas 303,310, 401,402,411,414,421 are all out of production.
Still there is some market for them here…I see a 400 series Cessna taking off every morning while driving to work. Probably a mail or cheque flight. Locally, a mail outfit has several Beech 18s as well.
And there is some good news on the historic side, recently I saw an 50’s early 60’s Areo Commander (the kind with the curved nacelles, not the later, flatter “Shrike” types from the 70s) restored to new condition with the peiod paint/polished scheme.
An antique aircraft restorer friend was offered a FREE Beech 18 with a couple of spare engines. He said “no, thanks..”
I wish they were cheap enough for guys like me to buy to have as a occasional flyer or even a static display. But alas, they’re too expensive for that so they’ll rot in the weeds before becoming scrap.
By: flyernzl - 11th September 2008 at 11:21
Fellow I know bought a 1972 Cessna 402 in 2006. He flew it for some months and then found that the running costs, maintenance costs and mandatory upgrades were unsustainable. He tried to sell a 50% share in it but found no takers.
The aircraft is now being dismantled and the parts sold.
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September 11, 2008 at 10:45 am