Hi Baron 55 Shoppers,
I have been officially given the task of marketing this aircraft for my good friend and former KDTO neighbor.
Despite a tremendous amount of time and effort spent on bringing this “Unicorn” back into top shape, it no longer fits his life plans for time in Alaska where gravel runways are common. For that mission he has a Maulle with tundra tires for those types of surfaces.
John is an MEII and provided ME training for his daughter and new son-in-law in preparation for careers in the airline industry, so I can understand why he put so much of his own sweat equity (under A&P/IA supervision) into making it a very nearly no excuses aircraft.
In N111TX’s flight history you will see travel from Denton, Texas to Bellinham, WA in preparation for the crossing on up to Alaska today through the Canadian interior. You can infer what you will regarding the dispatch reliability of the plane to travel these distances. Additionally, the plane is currently flying in Alaska and is based near Anchorage, AK, in Palmer, AK at 4AK6, about 35NE of Anchorage (PANC).
https://www.airnav.com/airport/4AK6I’m told that the aircraft was owned by a USAF Colonel from 1974 until John’s purchase in early 2017.
Serious inquiries can be emailed pdfs of the complete logbooks from Day 1 as well as an Excel W&B spreadsheet.
The image files for some of the logbook entries during John’s ownership and all the photos and flight videos of the plane are here at this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MukbdvHJMQ9Az7GU7The AFTT is approximately 2700hrs (truly a creampuff airframe time) and continues to accumulate as the plane is currently flying.
See N111TX flight history here:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N111TX/historySN: TC-283
No known or logged damage history!
LE: ~600SFRMN December 1999 (IO-470-L)
RE: ~220 SMOH by Custom Airmotive in 2016 (IO-470-L)
2 New Hartzell 2-Blade Props
STEC-55 A/P
Paint & Interior 2004
N111TX EW: 3271 UL: 1609
Beech rated the A-55 with a Gross Weight of 4880# whereas, the B55 has a nearly identical airframe (A55 struts are tubular vs cast strut components on later models) and power plants with that have a 5100# GW.
The LH engine is a FRMN of 1999 vintage (same as one of my FRMN engines) and was soon found to have the dreaded pitted lifter curse (just like mine) and was then fitted with a top overhaul using a balanced/matched set of Superior Millennium Cylinders and all new Superior lifters at about 483 SFRMN in July of 2019.
Highlights from the airframe/engine logs since John’s ownership include:
Fuel Selector valves overhauled
6 New Engine Control Cables
2 Boost Pump overhauls
2 OH Un-feathering Accumulators
2 Cygnet Airboxes
2 OH Cowl Flap Actuators
Garmin 345 xponder w/ADS-B Out
Garmin 430W
Dual G5s installed
JPI EDM 760
Shadin FF Totalizer
Brake M/C’s resealed
Shimmy Damper Replaced w/O/H unit
You’re likely to see other items in the logs that I may have missed.
Known Squawks:
1. Heater Inop
2. Missing Long Chord Boarding Step (a search for one is currently underway).
Suffice it to say, it has taken me nearly 15 years to get my B55 Baron to the dispatch reliability John has gotten this A55 in his 4 years of ownership. In my ownership experience, this plane has had nearly all the BIG $$$ items for a 55-Series Baron knocked out. Not to mention the amount of shop downtime one would experience getting these items done.
Asking Price of $138,000 will include the original Nye IO-520 STCs for Engines and Airframe and the Sidewinder Tug.
John purchased the Chuck Nye (now Cygnet) STC for both engines and the airframe near the closure of the Nye operation to convert these engines to IO520 power plants. All the paperwork and data plates are included in the STC package that will be sold with the plane at the asking price. So, if this is going to be the last plane you’ll own and plan to fly it to TBO on these engines, you’ll have the STC’s to make this a real homesick angel come overhaul time.
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to get you answers.
Thanks,
Mike