http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAfwo0G7ur8

Some very cool footage!

Wow! Great footage of these great aircraft – thanks for sharing. Looks like a worthwhile MU2 PROP program…

It is. The items discussed are mainly MU2 but not exclusive to MU2. Anyone can attend for free.

I went to the engine portion of the seminar in Phoenix to learn more about the engines - the MU-2 has the same 331 engines as my 441.

Several Mitsubishi support people were there. Everyone were enthusiastic about supporting their product. NO - having the BEST support. After meeting the people from Mitsubishi I understand why their customer service is rated the best - it is the people and commitment!

I think the MU-2 looks very cool! (My favorite TP for looks)

Is there any financial gain for Mitsubishi in absorbing the cost for that event? Or do they do it for liability reasons? I'm just trying to wrap my head around Mitsubishi's logic...

John,

It's a part of Japanese culture, corporate pride. In all my dealings with MHI and even correspondence with Techs in Nagoya; support has been outstanding.

It is rumored that production of the MU-2 / Diamond was only terminated due to MHI losses on the shipping side of business and as such the Civil Aircraft market was abandoned. MHI still produced LR-1's ( Japanese Military version) till about 92-93.

MHI lobbied the FAA for years to amend the training and finally got them to listen.

Regards,

Nigel

It's hard to think Mitsubishi makes enough money on parts sales to cover their costs associated with the MU2. Not saying anything derogatory about the airplane - it seems it might make more sense for Mitsubishi to follow the same path Beech did with the Starship...eliminate any possibility of liability.

John,

Mitsubishi isn't the traditional company we think of in the west. Liability might have had a hand, however MHI had and still has very deep pockets; it's parent the Mitsubishi Group even larger.

Have attached Wiki link that can take you Mitsubishi Group info

Nigel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Heavy_Industries

You can still buy new parts from the factory for an airplane that hasn't been built for 30 years. My understanding that you can get any parts needed, even a new wing if you wanted to pay for it. Nobody supports a legacy airframe like MHI does. When you pull up to the service center, you'd swear you were on the Gulfstream ramp with a new G550.

I sold my company to MHI through one of their US based subsidiaries: 12-31-2012. I can tell you the MHI folks are good honorable people that really care about customer satisfaction.
Em

I love my Aerostar but yearn to burn Jet A. I attended the Phoenix PROP to check things out. I was VERY impressed. Having attended, it is obvious why the MU-2's have had such a great safety record in recent years.

Glenn

As a MU-2 owner (I looked at buying a King Air but ultimately decided I got more bang for the buck with the Mits) I'll offer an example of Mitsubishi's approach to doing business (as opposed to Beech) that sold me on the plane.

Except for the last few years of,production (when they went to the as perry SPZ500 autopilot) most MU-2s have a Bendix M-4 series a/p. No longer manufactured or supported by the manufacturer. It is a great autopilot but the one weak spot is the servos. They need to be overhauled every 5 years or so to keep the a/p I. Tip-top shape but can go bad. My concern was buying a plane and in a few years having no way to keep the a/p functional without spending a LOT of money. Called and spoke to the head guy and was informed they have been quietly purchasing servos as they come on the market and have built up a stockpile they estimate will last them in supporting the present fleet for at least 30-40 years but likely longer as the older airframes are ultimately retired.

Example #2 - the plane I ultimately bought had a tire blow on landing in Vail back in 2000. The landing gear dug into the asphalt to such an extent it was actually ripped off the airframe with some damage to the fuselage pressure vessel. For most planes that would be a total write-off with no means to repair. Mitsubishi engineered a way to repair the plane (I'm told by Mitsubishi my plane has the strongest right main gear attach point and fuselage pressure vessel on the right side of any MU-2 in the world because of how they over engineered the repair. The company literally did all of the engineering design work for a plane that had been out of production. For over 15 years FOR FREE to get that bird back in the air.

Example #3 - at my first PROP in 2012, the President of MHI stood up at the start to reaffirm Mitsubishi's commitment to supporting the MU-2 "as long as there is one flying anywhere in the world".

Example #4 - got a call last fall from my FBO as I was headed to IAD for an international business flight. My plane is kept in a corporate hangar and the linemen had seen a big pool of hydraulic fluid under my bird and it was leaning to one side - an oleo had failed. I called the MU-2 folks after hours to dine out if we could safely tow the plane on collapsed oleo (they had to move another plane). Phone answered on the second ring and was told that not only could it be safely moved (and how) but they offers to call the FBO to talk them through what to do. When I got back from Europe I was faced with how to do the fix (only maintenance shop at my home field is one I do not trust to touch my plane). I do share my hangar with two Gulfstreams whose mechanics offered to help out but did not have the right jacks or the me procedure. After consulting with my regular service center, I was referred to another service center who had I -house capability to repair the oleo. They offered to drive up from South Carolina with th tools, jacks, etc. if necessary by felt we could do it on our own. They shipped the jack pads (MU-2 needs special pads) up to me along with a copy of the maint procedure free of charge. We used the Gulfstream jacks to lift the wing and get the oleo off which I fedexd down to t service center. They overhauled the oleo and shipped it back THE SAME DAY THEY RECEIVED IT BECAUSE I WAS AOG. Got th part back 36 hours after pulling it and got my plane airworthy again. (Note they had offered to send me a replacement or loaner oleo With the jack pads to get my back in the sir faster but I declined since I didn't need to fly and we could let the plane sit on th jack in the back of the hangar for two days). All of this service was provided solely for the cost of overhauling the oleo and replacing the o-ring (which had rolled) plus the cost of shopping the oleo back to me. Would Beech, Cessna or any other company have done this for a plane out of production 30 years? Possibly, but I wouldn't bet on it...and if they did I would have paid a pretty penny. As it was, I got my bird back in the sir for a total cost of less than $1000 bucks.

As several on this thread have pointed out, Japanese culture is just fundamentally different than US corporate culture. In many ways our experience here in th US has been diluted based on the fact our biggest interaction (car dealerships) are us owned and operated. Lexus, Toyota and Honda try very hard to instill the culture but it just isn't the same. Having lived in Japan for two years, I can tell you that the sense of company honor and integrity is huge. Now th Japanese aren't perfect (far from it) but Mitsubishi is truly an exceptional company and they truly have earned that #1 customer support ranking by putting their money where their mouth is. You are all correct - Mitsubishi loses. Only supporting the MU-2. There is NO financial justification for doing so. They do it because they believe it is the right thing to do (and yes, because they have the financials that allow them to absorb this loss as part of the cost of doing business).

For any of you near Orlando (this upcoming weekend) or Columbus (two weeks from now) I would encourage you to consider attending PROP. While some of the training is MU-2 specific, a lot is applicable to anyone flying a turboprop plane. The accident/mishap briefing alone is as good as anything I saw in 25 years in the military. The briefing and videos we got on stall and upset recovery from the folks out at the national test pilot school were outstanding. Literally your only expense is the cost of your hotel room. They also have the Honeywell engine course (Columbus) and airborne radar course (Orlando) offered the day before at a significant discount to anyone attending PROP.

I normally lurk on this list because it is a great list and I learn a lot but felt I should speak up on this one because the course really is that good. It is NOT a replacement for recurrent training (nor is it meant to be) but is simply some of the finest turboprop safety and operations training you can get in the world today.

And for those wondering, yes, this year I was one of the people who volunteered to be part of the videos they make for PROP. They make a 4-5 minute video for each of the 4 featured pilots to show between sessions at PROP. They also use that footage for the "ad" video linked above. - I'm the guy in the red long sleeve shirt who seems to do so much talking (sheepish). The return to me for volunteering to do this? I get all the HD video footage and still shots of my plane in flight, got to spend a day flying with two outstanding MU-2 pilots, and learned a lot - all for the cost of some gas for my plane.

Sorry for how long this post has gotten (can you tell I'm passionate). I'll go back to lurking and learning from the GREAT BT community. As always, I have no financial interest in Mitsubishi or PROP, I'm just a satisfied customer and MU-2 owner/operator. For anyone in the DC area who would like to link up, I'm based at Manassas, VA.

Dave

Ps - Glenn, you should talk to Ken Andrews. He is one of at least three MU-2 owners I know of who had aerostars and moved to MU-2s. All three say their dispatch reliability went up and costs went DOWN when they made the shift. I'd be happy to put you in touch with him.

Very well said Dave!

This is what amazes me. On a daily level we deal with so many companies/corporations that offer customer service that "sounds good", but when the rubber meets the road, it is something entirely else. This has become so ingrained, that when a company like (MHI) offers service so superior and "walked the talk", we all stand back and gasp like there is something weird about it.

Dave,

I know Ken Andrews well. In fact, I signed my name right next to his on the contract when I bought my Aerostar from him . It was mentioned at PROP that 50% of new MU-2 owners are stepping up from an Aerostar so it is a natural transition.

Ken's mission profile was quite a bit different than mine. He flew 200-250 hours/year, I fly about half of that but my average leg is somewhat longer. So far, the maintenance cost for the Aerostar have been higher than I would have liked but not too bad. Dispatch reliability has been OK for me as well. At this time, I have only had to delay 1 flight for a day when a starter died while on a trip but my flying is not as intense as Ken's was so if something comes up, I have more time to have things dealt with between flights.

I am still 1-3 years from upgrading. The Aerostar is sort of a transition airplane for me...I had a whopping 4.5 hours of multi-engine time when I bought it and I would like to put 3-400 hours on it before I step up.

There are a number of regulatory issues with operating pressurized turbines in Canada that I am trying to sort out but if I go that way both Twin Commanders and MU-2's are being considered for my next step. As I see it, the advantage of the Twin Commanders is, depending on model, range (my typical trip is 1,450NM, the ability to do this non-stop is a huge benefit) and the fact the group that maintain my Aerostar also run a fleet of 8 Twin Commanders so I have maintenance right on my home field. The advantage for the MU-2 is generally lower maintenance costs, exceptional support from the factory and things like PROP.

...any other thoughts for me?

Glenn