I looked a little at C310s. Make dang sure you check for spar corrosion and the exhaust AD. There are some C4xx birds that are also just as cheap and IMO a better value. If I were in the market for a Cessna, I'd get a handle on the corrosion AD that I keep hearing about before I plunked my money down.

Have some time in the turbo and NA 310Q and Q2. It's a decent plane. Nothing special, but it will get the job done and is reliable.

If you're looking for a basic twin to build time in, have you considered an Apache? As long as you're OK with absolutely ZERO SE performance, it'll do the job...slowly...and burn 80/87 doing it! Don't fly over water or mountains without an escape plan though!

EDIT: Larry mentioned a Seneca II. That is a fantastic airplane! I've never flown an NA Seneca, but the Turbo II would carry a load of freight, a fair bit of ice, and still fly reasonably well (read: I wasn't looking for Direct > Nearest). If a Seneca falls within the budget, take a look at them!

ISTM that a Twin Comanche fits the low-maintenance 200-mile time builder mission better than anything except maybe an Aztec. 33% fewer cylinders and 165kts still catches my attention. I don't know about the family hauling aspect of it.

BUT, this isn't what you asked........

The 310 is a good twin to do what you are looking to do and it carries a good load. I would suggest you talk to Jerry Temple and he can give you a well rounded opinion (http://www.jtatwins.com). The spar AD's mentioned are not a big deal if the airplane has been looked after and you get a good pre-buy from a shop that knows twin Cessnas. As with any airplane, catch up maintenance can be very expensive.

My vote would be the Twin Comanche. Probably the cheapest twin out there as far as fuel burn. If I remember correctly at 65% power you are burning 16gph doing about 160-170 kts. It also has a useful load of around 1400 lbs as far as I can recall.

I'd have to agree with Sean about the Twin Comanche. We previously had a customer that had several of them (at different times) and kept coming back to them. He ran them anywheres from 300-700 hours per year. They are very efficient, fast (200 MPH), and relatively low cost to maintain. Tip tanks are nice on them as they can fly very long ranges if needed. Fuel burn is similar to a 550 powered Bonanza at similar speeds.

I just looked and the rental that I did instruction in a couple years ago in mid-Michigan had a useful load of 1105#. The newer models had individual seats in the "middle row", and it felt roomier inside than the older model with the large bench seat.

The fuel system was somewhat complex, but not unmanageable. If you're operating in colder temperatures (i.e., below freezing at altitude), make sure to run Prist in the fuel as water sat in low areas and would freeze enroute. I can't remember now if that was only on the tip tanks, or included the aux tanks.

Landings take a bit to get used to as it likes to land on its nose wheel. It flies like any other airplane, but it's not a Beech.

Myself, if I had your mission, and wanted to go deep into CSOB mode, I'd look at the Twin Comanche or Travelair long before the 310. The Travelair will operate near the same cost as a Twin Comanche, similar speeds, but much more comfortably.

I have about 100 hours in a 310R, was comfortable in it, but the cost was much more than the Twin Comanche or Travelair. In the 50-75 hours in the Travelair, it was as close to enjoying the B55 Baron I had, on a Bonanza budget...

Jason

Is that the Twinkie out of Charlotte? I see it all the time coming into Mason for the cheap fuel we have.

I see you are from Owosso. I fly up there from time to time in the summer for that great little restaurant.

Sean

Yea Sean, that's the one. The Flight School owner wasn't a MEI when he started the school, so I filled in until he got another instructor. The insurance company wanted someone with a lot of multi time to start it online.

When your at the cafe, just ask Steve or Rita if I'm around. They usually know if I am there, especially if my dad's there. I'm not there much on the weekends, but I am from time to time. Even have a Stinson -1 (conversion to -2) in the hangar that were about finished up for a customer.

I just looked, I acquired some paperwork from your oil cooler installation on the Stinson as a sample for the one that were installing..

Sometime, I've got to get down to Mason and give a friend and his kids rides in the 182... I'll let you know when I finally get down there..

Jason

Cool. It would be great to hook up sometime. I see you fly the MD-11. You fly for FedEx or UPS maybe?

Cool. It would be great to hook up sometime. I see you fly the MD-11. You fly for FedEx or UPS maybe?

I've got about 3 hours in a twin Comanche so I know not of what I speak but Jason is right when he says the fuel system is complicated.

I would throw up the caution flag on any older Piper products as airframe parts are getting hard to find. Even something as simple as a door handle can ground a plane indefinitely.

I'm not sure I would completely trust this information. It says in his description of the Colemill concersion that "Colemill “tweaks” the engines to produce 300 HP for five minutes, thus providing the extra punch for take-off and initial climb."

The truth is Colemill dooesn't tweak the engine; they put in an IO520E that from what I understand is or was only made for Colemill. To me saying Colemill tweaks the engines is likely intentionally trying to leave the reader with the idea that the engine is post production messed with.

In fact here is a downloadable operators manual for the IO520 series (http://www.redskyventures.org/doc/cessn ... Manual.pdf). Go to the graphs on the 520E and you'll see what's actually allowed from Continetal on the engines; not from Colemill.

Whichever airplane some ultimately chooses should be made as it meets their own specific needs based on facts.

Twinkies are pretty cool. I got my ME in one. I know that parts are a real problem.

A travelAir would be the ideal 200nm machine.. cheap to buy and operate.

Is Rocky still selling his?

Now, if you could get one free..