You are only the third person notice. I leave it to provide the proper irritant to the two previous Latin spellers in our group. Give Ciholas some homework, he needs it. Im busy flying my jet around wasting money on the engine program.

Nice fast plane that's single pilot approved. But not nearly enough range (1,100 nm max?) for Mike. Or me, even if I could afford it.

Nathan

The lack of range makes it a slow airplane in the end.

The lack of a ready pool of day pilots also makes it harder to put to use in certain situations.

Mike C.

Let's recall, the cruise missile these engines were originally used on was only designed for one way trips . Seems 59 one way trips last night to a Syrian air base.

(The Tomahawk Block IV missile is powered by a Williams International F415 cruise turbo-fan engine and ARC MK 135 rocket motor. )

Turns out that 60 were fired off and one failed.

Turns out that 60 were fired off and one failed.

Correct, and with the 150 minimum hours per year it's a fair balance.

Andrew

I'm surprised this hasn't been brought up here yet. A lot of engine programs are overpriced and a lot of operators don't realize it. Some programs are better than others. JSSI for instance is a joke. It's more of a ponzi scheme than an engine program.

One example of how an engine program doesn't make sense: TFE731-2-2B. A lot of them are on MSP. Current MSP pricing is $286 per hour per engine, minimum 75 hours per year. There's also a $3,500 transfer fee when the aircraft is sold. When you go somewhere like Dallas Airmotive for a CZI at 4200 hours, they will give the owners of the aircraft a $25,000-$50,000 'incentive,' pay for relocation expenses of the aircraft, give the crew each a free iPad, etc. That's how much fat is built into the overhauls and MSP. The shops will fight each other for your business.

Now, anyone can LEASE those same engines, from a number of companies. Current pricing is $175 per hour per engine with a 150 hour per year minimum. The same items covered by MSP are still covered/paid for by the Lessor.

So, you can have $500k of your capital tied up in a pair of engines and pay Honeywell $572 per flight hour OR you can put up a $20,000 refundable security deposit and lease someone else engines for $350 per flight hour.

And the lessor is making money on top of that, so the expected value for owner paid engine servicing is even less than the $350/hour.

The alternative plans such as leasing or owner paid are enabled by having choice for TFE731 service.

This plan would not work for FJ44. All service strategies run through Williams. Williams makes sure the off program pricing is HIGHER than the program.

Mike C.

Turns out that 60 were fired off and one failed.

Chute didn't work after the shoot; sh##t.

Proparts has a balance associated with it that is the difference between all that you have paid in and the cost (full retail) of all the parts you have used.

If this balance is negative, you pulled more parts than you have paid for, then Textron requires you to pay for that if you go off program or sell the plane. You will eventually pay for everything you use.

So why do think you are saving money on Proparts?

It seems to me that Proparts saves no money and is simply a cost leveling tool for budgeting reasons. This is much like the cost leveling plans for utilities.

If the balance is positive, that can be transferred to the next owner.


Since Proparts requires buying parts through the Textron official sources, usually at higher cost than other sources, Proparts actually costs you money in the long run by negating any ability to shop around, and always costing you full retail for the part. Additionally, there is a tendency to replace/exchange parts on planes on Proparts rather than overhaul your own part, further driving up costs.

Mike C.

Would they have wiped the balance clear if you weren't buying an M2? Not being snarky, honest question.

Would they have wiped the balance clear if you weren't buying an M2? Not being snarky, honest question.