BeechTalk - BT - Caravan or Kodiak Quest as a personal airplane

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:07

Username Protected wrote:

Michael, do you have any idea what a new one costs? I can't find it anywhere. :pullhair:

And with the price of Jet A on these CAA cards 48gph aint all that much considering you can take the whole family. And play catch in the back! :coffee:

2.1MM all baked.

We'll get the pogo sticks ready too. I find the plane actually quite attractive. Plus the East Coast boys got challenged to a landing contest, so I need a ringer ;-)

Actually our summer plans are in the northwest, Jackson Hole, Colorado, Utah areas....maybe some easy back country flying, not the stuff that MIke Grommet or Scott do.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:10

Michael, sounds like you need a Mits or a Turbo Commander. Big load, but still able to get into tighter strips. They drink a little more, but then you have the option of having a pressurised, de-iced traveling cabin class machine as well as those bush capabilities.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:10

Username Protected wrote:

The limitations: 150 to 160 knots at 300 to 350 lbs per hour. It is not efficient. Stay out of ice. You don't have the power to get above it, and the airframe does not carry ice well. Hot and high performance is not good. I only fly into Aspen in the morning in good VFR weather. Gross weight climb out of Aspen is about 400 fpm. It is not pressurized. Its best performance seems to be at 10,000 to 12,000 ft. Flying there for long periods time is fatiguing unless you use oxygen.

Agree with all of the above. I'd add, without a cargo pod, you'll see closer to 170 KTAS. But if you remove the cargo pod, but add amphibs, you're back to 150-160 KTAS.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:10

Username Protected wrote:

The Caravan or Kodiak are no-brainer simple.. no gear, pressurization, etc. and JetA is silly cheap right now.

Let's go get this bird listed for sale in MN before it gets too cold!

, stay tuned.....

Agreed on the brain dead simple. Everytime I want to carry more than 8, it seems to get complicated very quickly. Simple flying. If it takes another hour, I'm actually ok with that.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:11

Username Protected wrote:

The Caravan or Kodiak are no-brainer simple.. no gear, pressurization, etc. and JetA is silly cheap right now.

Let's go get this bird listed for sale in MN before it gets too cold!

, stay tuned.....

Agreed on the brain dead simple. Everytime I want to carry more than 8, it seems to get complicated very quickly. Simple flying. If it takes another hour, I'm actually ok with that.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:12

Username Protected wrote:

Actually our summer plans are in the northwest, Jackson Hole, Colorado, Utah areas....maybe some easy back country flying, not the stuff that MIke Grommet or Scott do.

We have beginner strips out here.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:15

Username Protected wrote:

Michael, sounds like you need a Mits or a Turbo Commander. Big load, but still able to get into tighter strips. They drink a little more, but then you have the option of having a pressurised, de-iced traveling cabin class machine as well as those bush capabilities.

I like the Turbo Commanders too. They're on the table as an option. I just keep thinking about simplicity of operation. Check the tires, check the gas, load the chitlins, serve wine to the wife, mother-in law..........and off we go.

Adding 2 extra seats makes a huge difference to what you can carry capabilities.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:19

Username Protected wrote:

Michael, do you have any idea what a new one costs? I can't find it anywhere. :pullhair:

And with the price of Jet A on these CAA cards 48gph aint all that much considering you can take the whole family. And play catch in the back! :coffee:

2.1MM all baked.

We'll get the pogo sticks ready too. I find the plane actually quite attractive. Plus the East Coast boys got challenged to a landing contest, so I need a ringer ;-)

Actually our summer plans are in the northwest, Jackson Hole, Colorado, Utah areas....maybe some easy back country flying, not the stuff that MIke Grommet or Scott do.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:34

Here's a good example.
This is a series of take offs and landings between our place in Cascade and Garden Valley, Id. Garden Valley is at 3100 ft elev and the perfect grass surface is 3850 feet long and is 125 feet wide. In the first take off at Garden Valley in the beginning of the video, you can see how much runway is left over at take off. Easy.

The one thing folks need to get used to in the mountains is flying next to the rocks, below the level of the peaks. Some get nervous about that but where we go, its really a non issue. Check out the landing at Garden Valley at 4:40 in the video. Yeah, you fly down the canyon a bit but that's about as challenging as it gets. (for me). Very doable.

Again, Come on out..... We'll show you around.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/2IIUn6TPceo[/youtube]

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:38

Username Protected wrote:

insurance for a guy with a lot of float time was $98K per year.

Sadly your friend was being poorly represented on the insurance end so hopefully that ridiculous price he was paying didn't have a role in him selling the airplane? There is no way even in the hardest market during the last 10-15 years would a Caravan amphib (hull value in the $2m-$3m range) fetch a $98k insurance premium for an owner pilot with good float experience (albeit mostly piston?). That is absolutely crazy........I can't even fathom that or why he was paying that kind of rate.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:42

Username Protected wrote:

insurance for a guy with a lot of float time was $98K per year.

Sadly your friend was being poorly represented on the insurance end so hopefully that ridiculous price he was paying didn't have a role in him selling the airplane? There is no way even in the hardest market during the last 10-15 years would a Caravan amphib (hull value in the $2m-$3m range) fetch a $98k insurance premium for an owner pilot with good float experience (albeit mostly piston?). That is absolutely crazy........I can't even fathom that or why he was paying that kind of rate.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:49

Username Protected wrote:

insurance for a guy with a lot of float time was $98K per year.

Sadly your friend was being poorly represented on the insurance end so hopefully that ridiculous price he was paying didn't have a role in him selling the airplane? There is no way even in the hardest market during the last 10-15 years would a Caravan amphib (hull value in the $2m-$3m range) fetch a $98k insurance premium for an owner pilot with good float experience (albeit mostly piston?). That is absolutely crazy........I can't even fathom that or why he was paying that kind of rate.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 13:58

Username Protected wrote:

Yep, you're right i had my numbers mixed up. The $98K was for his Citation, he paid $38K for the Caravan.

Scott that is even worse. No Citation policy would be that much even if a 1000 hrs owner pilot was allowed to be PIC on his own Citation X. $38k for the Caravan is possible however with a lower time pilot - I can see that on a new amphib Caravan in certain situations.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 14:17

Username Protected wrote:

Michael....
The stuff I do is easy peasy. Anybody can do it as long as you can hit a speed. Only takes a bit more confidence to take your nice plane into the dirt/grass environment. Its really not that big of a deal. You all should come out and try a couple of them. Hell, some of them are 4500 feet long. Afterwards, you'll say to yourself "what's the big deal".

Scott's stuff, on the other hand, requires substantially more gonad and experience.
...........and he has a very light model.

Most of the time, we are all going into pretty moderate stuff.

I'm definitely coming out in the summer. Winter, too cold. I got no warm clothes.

:peace:

Username Protected · **Posted:** 03 Dec 2014, 14:57

http://www.maf.org/about/aviation

Michael, these guys fly the Kodiak into places no bonanza would ever go! With a little practice you'll be showing Scott up in no time. Then you'll unload all your kids the outfitter tent complete with wood stove and a cord of wood. :dancing: