Lol

Pilots are abundant? Ba ha ha ha

Go tell that to everyone in the industry right now

Not many pilots who have the experience that you’d want for them to fly your family around, who would be willing to fly a old clapped out light jet for low six figures when most every airline would nearly start them at your highest pay, have benefits and a retirement he probably can’t afford and pay, after year 2 or 3 is going to be near 200k with less responsibility, and they can count on it being a career retirement level position

A fair number of the 500 series pilots are older, could fly for the airlines but don't want to, like the corporate pilot lifestyle. That was the case for my mentor. Not everyone wants to fly for the airlines.

I think the 525 series demographic might be younger and they may have more trouble finding pilots in some cases. It varies.

In any case, it doesn't matter what anyone says, you have to check out your local scene and see what you can find. I'd be really surprised if you can't find pilots around Indy.

Mike C.

Man, it’s fun to spend someone else’s money when they have a $2.5M budget. There are at least a half dozen real options that will work and make sense.

It’s so much better than the posts on other boards. “I need to fly my family of six from New York to LA every month. I have $100,000. What should I buy?”

But the answer to that is so easy...American, Delta, and United would all love your business.

If you want to try a Legacy Citation on for size . Steiner Aviation based at CAK does private charter work in a Citation II . Ask for Kevin 330-499-9790.

Indy to KSRQ is ~800 nm with routing, and descend moderately early usually happens.

Mustang is not particularly fast. 340, 350 knots? That means headwinds hurt more. In a strong headwind, I could see needing a fuel stop.

The route is mostly north south which usually avoids being directly into the wind, but it can happen. So I wouldn't assume the Mustang is a 100% non stop on this route.

The Mustang is kind of a unicorn airplane. Its own type rating, fewer pilots out there to hire, and it is made from unique parts not shared with the rest of the 500 or 525 series which can lead to some issues.

Mike C.

Lol

Pilots are abundant? Ba ha ha ha

Go tell that to everyone in the industry right now

Not many pilots who have the experience that you’d want for them to fly your family around, who would be willing to fly a old clapped out light jet for low six figures when most every airline would nearly start them at your highest pay, have benefits and a retirement he probably can’t afford and pay, after year 2 or 3 is going to be near 200k with less responsibility, and they can count on it being a career retirement level position

Spirit Airlines tickets

Chip, this is not my experience at all.

Any CE500 typed pilot can fly a 501 and the pay is generally the same for a 500/550/560. Most contract pilots don't really care if it's a 501 or 560 - The money is all the same.

Also, it's not that common for a pilot to be typed and current in both a 500/525. It's kinda a pain to be "insurance qualified" on two jets simultaneously since insurance wants annual school (vs the FAA which lets you alternate annual 61.58s).

I also don't think there's more contract work in the 525 world, but that may vary market to market.

Robert

A fair number of the 500 series pilots are older, could fly for the airlines but don't want to, like the corporate pilot lifestyle. That was the case for my mentor. Not everyone wants to fly for the airlines.

I think the 525 series demographic might be younger and they may have more trouble finding pilots in some cases. It varies.

In any case, it doesn't matter what anyone says, you have to check out your local scene and see what you can find. I'd be really surprised if you can't find pilots around Indy.

Mike C.

It’s always nice to hear real world experience from owners.

Chip, this is not my experience at all.

Any CE500 typed pilot can fly a 501 and the pay is generally the same for a 500/550/560. Most contract pilots don't really care if it's a 501 or 560 - The money is all the same.

Also, it's not that common for a pilot to be typed and current in both a 500/525. It's kinda a pain to be "insurance qualified" on two jets simultaneously since insurance wants annual school (vs the FAA which lets you alternate annual 61.58s).

I also don't think there's more contract work in the 525 world, but that may vary market to market.

Robert

I'd suggest a CJ/CJ1/CJ2, based on personal experience. Obviously, I want to fly mine, which you may not want. But they easily fit your mission & budget, are ubiquitous for parts, planes and pilots, and are (or will soon be) available to upgrade to the latest in avionics.

I considered a King Air, which would have a been an easy'ish step up from my Baron E55. However, at the end of the day it's too loud, doesn't fly high enough to top all the weather, and it's too slow.

I considered legacy Citations (501, 650 etc) but in the end I wanted something newer, and I wanted to easily be able to find pilots. You know how many 525-typed pilots there are? A lot.

I never really considered a PC 12. I hear they are great planes, but I don't need the seating capacity, I prefer a twin, and it's too slow. I just did KPTK-KCRW-KPTK, arrived at the airport at 7:30am, in the air by 8:00, back by 10:15am and I was in my office working by 10:40am. Time is money.

I'll be the 441 advocate here, there aren't many of us so it's often left out of the conversation.

Range and opex are non-issues. It has a nice enclosed potty area in the back, and it approaches slow jet speeds. It has a very roomy single club plus 2 extra seats in the back when you need them. There is no type rating needed, and it's single pilot. You have a good specialist maintenance facility nearby (Kubik @ KIMT).

The biggest ding against it is a very nice one can bump up against $2M, which in your case is not an obstacle. There are several nice examples on the market. Fringe benefits for you are it can make the rare 1,800nm trip if you need it to, and it has an enormous nose baggage area which can be convenient and make the cabin feel bigger than it is since you'll never have oversized bags in there. Like other turboprops it's also happy down low on short trips.

A Blackhawk C90B would be great, and I wish I could own one, but in a perfect world I would try to find a KA200 with -52 engines. Higher purchase price, but not much more operating expenses than a C90B and hard to beat the additional room.

My business partner has a Mustang and he loves it, but his wife cried when they sold the C90B, so nice and comfortable. Plane was solid and great for passengers. I think it once flew a water heater to Colorado.

If the 425s, 441s and MU2s were any good, they would still be making them.

If faster was always better, we would all drive Mustang GTs.