When is your next 1-5 due?

Remind them when they send you the total bill!

I will give a full report on the inspection expenses. These are simple airplanes with not much to break; a lot of these reported outrageous expenses involve getting taken advantage of. Hopefully I can avoid this!

It will surprise what is broke that you did not know about.

That report is not consistent with the direct operating costs published by Business and Commercial Aviation. According to B&CA, the Citation I costs $4.59 per nm for a typical 600 nm trip, while an Eclipse costs $1.60. The Citation I is almost 3 times as much per mile to operate.

My own direct operating costs (fuel plus maintenance) over 10 years for an Eclipse have been $1.59/nm, averaging about 40,000 nm per year. It's been a very cost-effective, very reliable aircraft for me.


The latest ownership survey, completed last month, showed an AOG rate of 4.5%, half the rate of the previous survey; probably still too high for various reasons but hardly "incredibly scary."

Mike, I get it--you had a bad experience with your Eclipse. You bought an unsupported version for a very low price, knowing it was an unsupported version. And IIRC you ultimately wound up parting it out because it was, ahem, unsupported . I hope your owner experience with the Citation works out far better for you, but I wouldn't want people to think your experience with the Eclipse was typical. It was not.

Ken

You can own an older jet for a short while and maybe avoid the larger costs. Keep it for a longer length of time and you will be paying one or more of the big ticket items that are coming around. That is assuming the owner is putting in an honest attempt at compliance, which is not enforced in the US at all like it is in other parts of the world.

Another data point

I'm a serious business user.

I'll probably next have a Klingon legacy Citation.

I'll fly it myself (most of the time).

I have an MU2 being used that way now. I think that would be Vulcan in this metaphor.

Mike C.

Depends on what you mean by "data".

The underlying assumptions applied to the two different airplanes are WILDLY different so these numbers are not apples to apples. Most of these cost estimators are slightly better than a dart board. Your circumstances will make more difference than these numbers, like, for example, finding a good local non service center shop for a 501 (which are easy to find) versus handing a blank check to a factory service center.

Given One Aviation's likely impending bankruptcy, plus the horrifically large number of unicorn proprietary parts on an Eclipse, it gives one pause when thinking about owning one.

Mike C.

It is not. These estimators are tilted and you are comparing apples and bananas.


Works out to about $540/hour for a block speed of 340 knots.

From what I hear, that will *maybe* cover fuel and engine program. You got nothing left for everything else.

In any case, your numbers are suspect in the extreme.


You may soon get a taste of that.

It does confirm that the whole "future proof" stuff Eclipse perpetrated was a fraud.

Mike C.

Depends on what you mean by "data".

The underlying assumptions applied to the two different airplanes are WILDLY different so these numbers are not apples to apples. Most of these cost estimators are slightly better than a dart board. Your circumstances will make more difference than these numbers, like, for example, finding a good local non service center shop for a 501 (which are easy to find) versus handing a blank check to a factory service center.



Mike C.

I have. Left pedal went to the floor when I landed. It was fine 15 minutes before when I taxied out for take off.

The numbers are what they are. You're an engineer; you know about data vs opinion. To gather the data I posted, I opened my Quicken program and had it report the total for all fuel and maintenance expenditures over the last 10 years; I divided that by miles flown and voilà, direct cost in dollars per nautical mile.

The latest B&CA annual survey reports that an MU2 Solitaire costs $3.63 in direct cost per nautical mile on that same 600 nm trip. So here's how the three line up:

• Eclipse: $1.60
• MU2: $3.63
• Citation I: $4.59

Ken

Carnac thinks Mike’s next post will share his MU-2 numbers and they won’t be anywhere near $3.63/nm.

[quote

I'll probably next have a Klingon legacy Citation.

I'll fly it myself (most of the time).

I have an MU2 being used that way now. I think that would be Vulcan in this metaphor.

Mike C.[/quote]

I strongly encourage this!! You are welcome to come fly mine anytime. I think you'll really like it.