The Malibu is one of the very few airplanes that could get me out of my TAT TN 550 powered A36 Bonanza. I like them that much, but pressurization has a lot to do with that.

I’ve flown one of the new M350’s; wonderful aircraft.

Regarding the windshield, were I to buy a Malibu I would just budget to replace the hot plate windshield with the newer glass style. No, it’s not cheap but I place a significant premium on visibility. I’m guessing it works better in ice as well.

But since a Malibu won’t fit into my hangar I don’t have to worry about these thoughts....

I’m looking to move up from an older Vtail which I enjoy immensely, but the family hauling mission has changed and the Boss has a strong preference for pressurization and A/C. I also don’t own a hangar, which removes that obstacle.

I've been out of the PA46 world for awhile but when I replaced the pilot and co pilot windows (co pilot side is still plastic) the bill was right at $35k.

The pilot side glass is infamous for a short life span. I recall running the numbers and it was something along the lines of $1,000 per hour to run it. Absolutely horrendous in my book.

? it only lasts 30 hours?
I think your math must be off

Mine is still original from 1984 is in excellent shape and the hot plate is works great I did look at one when buying mine it had the PPG upgrade to glass, but the heating element failed and they put the hot plate back on. That would suck. I am going to question your math on the $1000 per hour to operate a windshield. I generally don’t think the Malibu/mirage have a worse window than other pressurized planes. They are all expensive to replace.

I think Mike could be correct regarding the actual cost of operating the heated windshield. I have about 800 Malibu/Mirage hours and have probably used the heated windshield two total hours the entire time. Generally you do not turn it on unless you have encountered or are anticipating encountering ICE. If you are in ICE in a piston PA46 I suggest you exit promptly. Performance degrades quickly.

Under these circumstances the windshield could last the life of the plane. I think testing it on ground is the greatest threat to windshield life. I am not saying they are not fragile, they are.

I think Mike could be correct regarding the actual cost of operating the heated windshield. I have about 800 Malibu/Mirage hours and have probably used the heated windshield two total hours the entire time. Generally you do not turn it on unless you have encountered or are anticipating encountering ICE. If you are in ICE in a piston PA46 I suggest you exit promptly. Performance degrades quickly.

Under these circumstances the windshield could last the life of the plane. I think testing it on ground is the greatest threat to windshield life. I am not saying they are not fragile, they are.

Heated windshield should not be run above -1°C If I recall correctly per the manufacturer.

Also, I have used my windshield for about 10 min in over 150 hours. Usually you don’t need it at altitude or for the whole flight. Likely just use it to get through a layer. See the attached supplement from a POH for the -350P

Val

? it only lasts 30 hours?
I think your math must be off

The windshield replacement cost and frequency was one of the things that convinced me to go with a TBM

Yes, parts are so much cheaper on a TBM.

Yes, parts are so much cheaper on a TBM.

Years ago one of the attorneys I got to fly with had a Malibu and the Bruce’s cover was fantastic. We had a commercial laundry in Huntington that could wash it. They also had a cookie shop next door. He would let us fly with him if we took the cover to get it cleaned and stayed with it to bring it back to the plane. He also gave us enough for a hot dog and cookie after we paid for the cover.

"Certainly the reputation, and probably true that a lot of TBM parts are higher than the competition. But a lot of parts are cheaper. The windshields in particular are significantly cheaper (and last much longer)."

Just messing.

My thought is that the reported short life span of the heated windscreen may be because people don’t turn them on. The windows expand and shrink with pressure cycles. The filaments can break with these expansion contraction cycles. Warm filaments will be more flexible than cold filaments, and less likely to fatigue. We have run all of ours continuously and never lost an amp on the windscreen. Our M600 has a little over 600 hrs and Pulls new amps (20) on low. Additionally the new ones are computer controlled to maintain iirc 90 degrees, so you can turn them on any time, even on the ground and they will temp regulate. They are just PPG windscreens like in 737s, pilatus and King Airs. Haven’t seen a problem running them all the time.