...hard to believe, but it's nearly 3 years since I brought the 310 (a 1964 310I) home from the snow in Kansas.

I love this plane more than I loved my previous 8 planes. I may keep her forever..

My experience so far has been excellent: I've flown her 345 hours with very little trouble of any kind. I've been through 3 Annuals with no surprises, and the IO-470's have been strong and steady.

This plane is a strong performer: consistently more than 180 KTAS on 11-11.5 gph per side, and 1000 lbs payload with full fuel...

Now, I do have that continuous improvement disease of airplane ownership (although not as bad as Jesse J. has it!!): I added shoulder harnesses, sheepskins, and Rosen visors immediately, then ADS-B In/Out, then a PS Engineering PMA8000G, and I'm in the avionics shop again now completing a dual G5's panel upgrade.

Oh, and I have a BIG appointment coming up on March 1 too. I just can't help myself.. It's only money!

What I love:
-- low relative cost to get into an old twin like this.
-- there is just not a better looking twin than the 310!
-- big, comfortable cabin.
-- great and fairly economical traveling machine: we've been to Colorado, Wisconsin, New York, Bahamas, and everywhere in between.
-- my friend/A&P/IA/CFI/310 expert ...is right here on my field.
-- I have to admit that I've grown to love the redundancy of 2 engines and 2 generators (but I no longer need the 2 vacuum pumps).

The downside?
-- 310 owners who don't have access to an expert have to worry a bit about Twin Cessna idiosyncrasies (I don't have that problem).
-- 23 gph costs more than the 11-12 gph that my Bonanza used.
-- the training and currency maintenance is not a downside to me, as I love doing it.

I put together a little 2-minute "tribute" video to celebrate 3 great years:
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[youtube]https://youtu.be/m9AKTs-sWV8[/youtube]

Arlen, she was meant for you guys! I’ve seen her up close a few times and she is indeed all that!
Cool video!
With a new grand baby on the way..... I suspect there will be a few Colorado trips in you’all’s future.

Fantastic Video Arlen I love 310s, as a Kid Growing up, there was a 320, at our Airport, never once saw the Person who owned it, always was hoping for a Ride in it!

A lot of value there. Just being able to move around cockpit is a huge plus. Nacelle lockers also valuable. IO470 engines also as reliable of an engine that Continental makes.

Great vid. Just took the right gal to get you to settle down.


That airplane is VERY photogenic.

I'm envious Arlen. The 310 was the first twin I flew, getting my multi-engine rating, multi-engine ATP, and multi-engine instructor, going on to give about 1000 hours of dual in the type.

It's a solid single-engine performer, and everything else you said about it. I could buy any number of them that are valued at the price my 182 is worth, but as we all know, the purchase price is just the down payment on the operating costs.

Excellent! I always wanted a Bonanza for our company traveling machine. But a 310B appeared here on BT, bought it, and have been very happy with it. For us, it was/is the best bang for the buck.

Yep. If you can buy an older model for 60-80k and then keep the uograde boogeyman away...the difference in purchase price vs an A36 buys an awful lot of extra fuel and maintenance over many years.

Even at 10k additional fuel and maintenance cost per year (probably not quite 10k on 100 hours per year) it's almost 10 years to break even on an A36. So with a good bird and no surprises it's a great value!

The 310 is what I would like to have!

-E

Arlen - nicely done, my friend. In another life, I might just have to get a 310. It’s a classic beautiful design that’s always caught my eye. Now just what were you guys listening to while bopping along in the cockpit?

Arlen,

I love the 310 too, and agree that your plane is one of the prettiest. I had dreams of owning a 310 someday when I owned my Cardinal, but I wanted to do a 5 year stint with an A36 for my growing family. I somehow ended up with an E55 while A36 shopping, and it has been 9 years since my purchase of the Baron.

Congrats on the 3 year anniversary!

Arlen,

You have a great airplane. I love mine nearly as much as you love yours. We just went over 5 years of ownership and over 600 block hours from purchase and upgrades.

Yesterday a friend and I flew to PBI from Tampa about 3:00 pm, attended a charity event and flew back to KTPF and landed at 11:00 pm. 1.0 block hours down 1.2 block hours home, 11,000’ down and 10,000’ back, smooth as silk.

Having that second engine makes all the difference! Plus an engine monitor and updated avionics suite makes these kinds of flights routine.

Dave at Massey told me that once you get these airplanes up to speed, it easy to keep them that way.

Butch

Arlen:

As a fellow Owner/operator all I can say is that you clearly out kicked your coverage with your wife. Good for you man. 310’s will do that.

Specific to the plane...I had a field mod done on mine. Dropped the exhaust stacks down several inches. Gets rid of exhaust stains on the belly and the gear. You should consider it.

I fly my friend's T310P once in a while and it's a very different animal than the 310's I flew at the flight school. It's got the RAM 325 horse engines and is a real performer with a 225 knot cruise speed and an 18,000 foot single-engine service ceiling.

But like any other plane that goes fast because of it's power, one look at the fuel flow gauges will tell you the cost; 34 GPH.

Arlen, what is your all in cost to run it? Exclude any upgrades or engine reserves. My 58 Baron and E55 are/were right at $350/hr for 100 hrs a year.

Love the N number (N4AS).