Hello,

Pleased to introduce myself: I am not yet a Beechcrafter although I have had some exposure with Pilatus P3 and PC7, which were strongly "inspired" from the Beech Mentor... I am flying in Switzerland since 1981 and teaching since the nineties - gliders, motorgliders and SEP's.

I own a DR221, which is a European tail dragger making a solid 115 kts out of a Lyco O-235 with a payload of 755 lbs...

My interest in joining this forum is of course to learn more about Beech aircraft, but also to get some feedback about engine overhaulers in the US.

Peter,

Welcome to BeechTalk!

I bet a bunch of us would love to hear about flying in Switzerland.

Welcome Peter. Nice airplane. Would love to hear about flying in Switzerland.

What info WRT engine shops are you looking for. I highly recommend Zepher Engines in Florida and there are several other very good ones in other parts of the country.

Peter,

Welcome to BT. What is driving the desire for a bigger/faster plane?

Tim

Welcome Peter!

Welcome Peter!

Welcome, Peter.

You have an uncommon last name, at least for us in the US.

Welcome Peter!

Where in CH do you live? I absolutely love Switzerland!

What kind of engine are you looking to have work done on? That may help guide opinions and answers. For Continentals, I am a big fan of Victor Black engines in California.....but they come at a premium.

Starting with a decent core can make a huge difference. There are many opinions and options and it will be fun to see this zany crowd weigh in on your question.

Pro Aero in Kamloops, British Columbia does a great job. They are not well-known in the States but their shop is excellent. And there is a price saving in that you don't have to pay US$. The C$ is worth 10% less so think of a 10% discount.

Thank you all for your kind welcome, and sorry for my late answer as I was travelling in sunny California. :-)

I fly out of Ecuvillens (Fribourg, LSGE), a smaller airport close to Bern, roughly in the middle between Zurich and Geneva.

We are close to the Alps and also not far from all other places in Switzerland. The Mediterranean Riviera (Cannes) is at about 2h flight with my DR221, and also Germany offers good places to visit by air.

My plane makes about 115 kts on a Lycoming O-235 with 3 persons, which is also quite efficient and sufficient for most of my flights. However, during high and hot days, I would like to be able to take-off with 4 people, and this drives my interest in an overhauled O-320 with straight mount (B2B). A good path to get there is to find an O-320 B2C from a rolled-over Robinson and change the magnetos.

Any inputs appreciated!
Peter

Definitely, but nothing else than "Copper smith" in "old English" (Swiss german)!

Welcome aboard Peter !
Opinions, no shortage of them here!

Welcome
Neat place, long to visit.
Mark

Wilkommen, Peter!

And I thought this was funny, with my warped sense of humor:

IF I only knew the answer....I don't remember a time in my life that I didn't want a "bigger faster plane". I'd like a 767, but G-5 will do for now....