I’m one. It’s this plane or turbine for me. Turbine is increasingly unlikely.

Fellow BT member and Aztec owner Craig Johnson just informed me that John Talmadge, the owner of Diamond Aire, died today.

He was an Aztec specialist and held the Miller, Geronimo and Metco STCs for the Aztec.

We are all saddened by the news. John was an asset to the aviation world in general, and to the PA23 community in particular.

RIP.

https://www.buffalohillfh.com/obituaries/john-talmage

http://www.diamondaire.com/

What a bummer, he was a great contributor to our passion. Blue Skies, John!!

We are wrapping this one up. Ready to go off for paint.

https://youtu.be/jLLhozB0R5Q?si=vUt4iJT0Bpna5pD0

Very sad to hear the passing of John Talmadge, he was a real gentleman and kept me efficiently supplied with parts when I operated an AzTruck. QEPD.

Been looking at Aztecs for a while. Mostly later model ones Probably their biggest claim to fame is the useful load. I see some advertised with 2000lbs useful, but I also see some with 1800, and some as low as the high 1500's. I can understand a couple hundred pound discrepancy, but what do you put into an Aztec to explain a 400+ pound difference in useful load?

14 layers of paint?

There’s a zero fuel limit 4400 lbs in my E. I’m 3333 lbs empty according to the W&B. 140 gallons means I can haul 1000 lbs with full fuel, or 1060 lbs if I left 10 gallons behind.

The old avionics and iron gyros are for sure heavy up in the nose/avionics bay. I have radar as well. That makes mine nose heavy, I often need ballast when loaded below gross.

Flying within CG ensures performance both cruise and one engine inoperative.