I've been toying around with the idea of moving out of my Stearman to something a bit faster and burns JetA. L39/S211 were high on my list but would involve basing at a different airport due to the 3900' runway.

Curious if anyone has experience owning/operating the Tucano? I have scoured the internet trying to learn as much as I can but the information is fairly limited. Seems like an amazing machine that balances speed, maneuverability, and fun. On the flip side, seems like the size of the fleet might make maintaining challenging.

Anyone have any real world experience with the Tucano?

I would grab a PC-7. More support, less to break, easier to sell...they fly great and the -25A or C Pratt is easy and efficient. But I am a random dude on the internet trying to spend your money. If you want me to spend more of your money get one with the higher HP -25C....they rip.

PC-7? Harumph.

PC-9 is what you want.

I've got a guy.

An acquaintance of mine has had a PC-7 for years. Flew it several times a week. Then he got a PC-9 as well. Flew it some, then sold it. He didn’t like the hot seats and the limitations that put on carrying passengers. And the demand it placed on passengers as well. I believe he said the hot seats were mandatory in the US.

Same guy has an L-39 and he flies that quite a bit, too.

But through it all, he has kept the PC-7 and he loves it.

Zeke

I flew in a Tucano once. It was amazing.

Okay, forgive my ignorance, but help me connect the hot seats to a passenger limitation

Hmm I get it…but me thinks the “Pain in the @$$” factor of owning a 9 with all of the extra gizmo’s and seats and big engine would detract from the ownership experience….same with the Tucano/Super Tucano. The 7 with the -25C is light, powerful, and simple. I think this is why the prices on the 9’s and Tucano’s are generally less because you need to buy a couple to keep one flying. Unless I own and operate a small Air Force and I have an arms deal with the OEM I think the 7 is more than you need. You can pull a 7 out of the hangar in your flip flops and have the thing airborne in a few simple steps. If you feel like being a war-lord you can always hang rockets and guns to do counter insurgency ops on Vector User Fees. There is a size-able difference between ones with the -25A and -25C. We have flown them side by side and the 25C makes it a different plane…with a different price tag.

I know Experimental Exhibition can be thought of as a positive but it is kind of nice that you can fly a 7 with a Standard airworthiness cert. There are some that are Experimental but there is a road to make them Standard if you feel the need.

From Wikipedia:

Powerplant: 1 × Garrett TPE331-12B turboprop, 858 kW (1,151 shp)

Boy, howdy!

It was such a cool plane!!

He felt very limited by who he was comfortable having in the back seat. And he likes to give lots of rides to friends.

He didn’t like the mega-briefing and training required to give passengers if they flew with a hot seat. I’m not talking about any FAA requirement, I’m talking about his concern having neophytes in the back seat sitting on a hot seat.

He simply wasn’t comfortable having people sitting on hot seats who weren’t highly trained in their operation. Right or wrong, that was his belief.

Last week’s excursion by a well trained back-seater in an F-15 exemplifies the problem.

Zeke

He felt very limited by who he was comfortable having in the back seat. And he likes to give lots of rides to friends.

He didn’t like the mega-briefing and training required to give passengers if they flew with a hot seat. I’m not talking about any FAA requirement, I’m talking about his concern having neophytes in the back seat sitting on a hot seat.

He simply wasn’t comfortable having people sitting on hot seats who weren’t highly trained in their operation. Right or wrong, that was his belief.

Last week’s excursion by a well trained back-seater in an F-15 exemplifies the problem.

Zeke

Don’t tease me like that, details!