I'd just add that I find the C&D stuff to be wildly off. Agree on differential for fixed vice variable costs. In my mind fixed (hangar, insurance, etc.) need to be calculated and compared. I was surprised at (relatively speaking) how cheap my insurance was on the MU-2 compared to quotes for other types of airplanes (I'm told this is the result of the mandatory training).

My approach (and there are many) is to look at certain costs as required no matter how many hours I fly and then the variable cost becomes fuel.

For example, in my MU-2:
Hangar: ~ $12k/year (obviously this varies wildly depending on where you are based, what you get...I get free 24/7 pull in/out, fluids, O2, N2, deicing, and GPU
Insurance: ~$7.5K/year for $1M smooth, $500K hull value (in turbines the value of the plane is all in the engines)
GPS database updates: $650/year
Maintenance: ~$12K/year (this is a good average number which covers the scheduled main and the nitnoid fix type stuff. Note the plane is so darn reliable that you just don't deal with all the day-in/day-out maint issues you get with a piston engine plane (and this is generally true of all turbine planes)
CAA membership: $600/year (gets me HUGE fuel discounts...my average fuel cost (all fuel purchased) for 2014 right now is running just around $4.30/gal)
Recurrent Training: 3K/year

So this totals up to fixed costs around: $35.7K/year
Fuel averaging $4.30/gal, 80 gal hour for say 100 hours equals $34,400/year

total cost of ownership is thus right around $70K year.
I realize I'm not including things like engine reserves, cost of capital, etc. There are a million ways to slice and dice the numbers. My heaviest annual total maintenance cost was just under $14K (first year of ownership). Lowest was $8K. I use the $12K as a planning number. I can plan for major scheduled maintenance events (they are driven by time). As some mentioned, with a plane like this, you can go on an engine hour program that covers the overhaul, but the times are so long (my engines are on the 2500 hr HSI, 5000hr OH) that it really becomes pointless. When you get to that point, you can sell the engines and buy used ones with more time, overhaul/HSI, sell the plane, get a note for the main activity, etc. I don't expect to overhaul these engines in my lifetime even if I fly until I'm 75 (and I'm rapidly approaching the big 50), so I personally choose not to reserve for that.

As some have pointed out, in the turbine world you get increased reliability and utility (power, ice, etc.) but at higher cost. My calculations when I made the purchase (and I looked closely at a 421) was that the fuel was damn near a wash due to increased speeds and lower fuel prices. Result is that you just don't fly as many hours in the MU-2 as you do in the 421 (for the same missions) because of the speed delta. No question that OVERALL, the costs are higher, but they are far more predictable.

Just my 2 cents' worth.

Dave

That's just crazy low for an average. I'm not sure my average cost in the T210 was that low!

Where are you getting your maintenance done?

Robert

12k is unreal low... I'm on the board of directors of a local flying club and some years the 172 runs that much. I'd expect some whoppers around the corner!

No, that's pretty typical mu2. At least from my experience stalking and drooling over them

Built like a tank. Turbines had a much more generous weight and cost budget for systems and the engines are not trying to shake everything apart. They generally just don't break.

Geeze..........I might be drinking that MU-2 koolaid also!

Just FYI, another MU-2 owner who is active on some of the boards has a $30k or so annual maintenance expense.

Still, pretty cheap.

Robert

Pulled from another forum (by a poster who's signature says "all posts are in the public domain"

---------------
2012 annual
Parts:

Igniter gaskets: $7
New main tires: $976
New set (2) main batteries: $4,592
ELT battery: $57
Flap jack nut: $1,048
Door spring roller: $58
Turbine engine oil: $272

Total parts: $7,010

Outside services:

Fuel nozzle cleaning: $1,873
Oxygen bottle hydrostat check: $125
SOAP oil analysis kits: $491
Transponder (2), static, altimeter checks: $650

Total services: $3,139

Labor:

100 hour, 200 hour, 1 year inspection items: $3,575
600 hour, 3 year inspection items: $6,500
Fuel nozzle R&R labor: $600
Mounting main tires and balance: $150
Clean left tip tank fuel qty sender: $38
Treat minor corrosion on nacelle: $113
Replace o-ring in LH baggage door: $75
Remove corrosion on electrical parts: $150
Change both engine oil: $75

Total labor: $11,276

Grand total: $21,425

Going in, I knew I was due for heavy 3 year inspection, tires, batteries, oil change, fuel nozzles, oxygen bottle, transponder check, ELT battery, and SOAP samples. The inspection and the expected parts and services came to $19,943. The big cost was the new batteries, I am trying out the Concorde sealed batteries which cost ~50% more than the flooded Gills I had previously bought. My mechanic says the Concordes will be worth it, so I'll see if he is right.

The "surprises", squawks found during inspection, came to $1,482. The big one was the flap jack nut. All the "surprise" squawks required only 5 hours labor to address.

This was a heavy maintenance cycle with a lot of things falling on the same inspection. The 3 year inspection should last, curiously, 3 years. Batteries should be a 3-4 year item. Tires similarly. Oil change is every 900 hours, so maybe 6-8 years. Nozzles every 400 hours, so ~3 years. Transponder check every 2 years. Oxygen bottle every 5 years. They all just happen to hit this inspection, so the cost now will be amortized over multiple years.

It is conceivable I won't spend any more on maintenance the rest of the year as I typically have little to no problems between inspections. If so, that would be $214/hour for a 100 hours of flying. Considering this inspection should be an above average event, that's not bad.
-----------------
2013 annual


Just got it out of inspection:

100 hour, 200 hour, 1 year, 2 year, 10 year inspection: $5,525
SOAP kits: $401.10
3 flap rollers worn, replaced: $225.06
Gear down relay: $562.21
Rotate main tires: $75 labor
Reseal master cylinders on brake pedals: $750 labor
Adjust cable tensions: $122.50 labor
Battery relay: $125
Broken solder joint on caution light: $75 labor
Rework entrance door seal: $225 labor
Misc small parts and consumables: $126.73

Total came to: $8,202.60

A little over $2K in actual squawks when you take out the routine stuff.

Last year was a heavy maintenance year due to alignment of many things. I was hoping this year would be light and so far it is looking very promising.

SOAP kits came back normal. Turbine oil stays really clean, no wear metals over 1 ppm even after the oil had been in the engine for 900+ hours and 11 years.

The averages go up if you got back to 2009. Still, his numbers are cheap compared to a piston twin.

I do keep coming back to the short body MU2, but the lack of space, the potential for larger expenses, and the Inhoeff crash keep me in check.

Robert

Yeah, he bought a semi-dormant plane with $60K of squawks. Hard to say over how many years that should be amortized.

Yeah, he bought a semi-dormant plane with $60K of squawks. Hard to say over how many years that should be amortized.

My experience with the Merlin in terms of costs is along the lines of what has been posted here on the MU2 numbers. I looked long at the 421 but figured fuel was about the same and whatever the cost difference for the rest would be (so far has not been much) was affordable. Another factor was if I was ever going to get a foot in the turbine world the time was now.

On turbines the MX meter runs while you sleep. On a 421 the MX meter only runs when the props go around.

Negative. You do an annual on the 421 whether you fly 10 hours or 150 hours.

Negative. You do an annual on the 421 whether you fly 10 hours or 150 hours.

You mean there are no calendar inspections like the king air's?