Gents-

I'd like to gain your knowledge in the ownership of the 421. I'm interested in learning about what to look for when searching for a 421 from inspection status items that are expensive, problematic areas in design, proper engine management for longevity and anything else.

I'm starting the search now that the P Baron has been sold and will be patient to find the plane.

I'm in search of a 79-82 that has been maintained mechanically as 1st priority, Paint, Interior, Avionics will all be 2nd wants... I hope to find an off market plane for sale if anyone is aware of a clean plane.

Thanks

79-82 is a weird range as that spans both straight and TL gear.

Known problem areas: engine beam corrosion, starter adapter play. It's well worth joining TTCF and buying their buying guides. Out of courtesy (and laziness), I won't type them all out here.

The TTCF forums are almost dead (high quality, but extremely low traffic), but the buyers guides are good.

PM me.

I understand the 79 is the straight leg gear and least desirable but I'm willing to entertain the 79 for a well maintained aircraft. The Trailing link is hardly worth the premium to me but does carry weight as value in a resale..

Any particular reason to not consider the 76-78 421Cs?

I don't see any significant changes across the 76-79 range and there are a lot of earlier airplanes out there.

For the record, I consider the straight gear to be preferable because of the useful load difference. The market sees it differently, but I don't see anything wrong in the earlier Cs.

I personally think the 76-79 straight leg 421C is the best value. I would prefer one in that time frame.

The premium for the trailing link gear is not worth it, and the plane is heavier and has less useful load.

Mike C.

Mike- I agree with you on the trailing link, really not my preference. I do wonder about the trailing link for a resale value though..

Well, you paid more for it at the beginning, paid more interest if you borrowed money, paid more for insurance on higher hull, so I expect this is a wash in the end.

Mike C.

We have a 1981 421C. 262 gal fuel with 3 aux tanks. Useful load is #2136. Fueled to the gills it will haul 564 lbs of people and bags for 7 hrs/1400 +NM (Yes, there's a potty). Fill the mains (206 gal) and you have 900 lbs of useful load for 5 hours/ ~1000 NM. Incredible machines. It will fly well on one engine as well

Get one that has flown a lot and has been maintained to high standards. Otherwise you'll be playing catch up for a while. TL or straight legged isn't the biggest decision here.

Mike- Solid point....

Marty - Thank you for all the information via email.. I owe you a cold beer.

Tim,

I would highly recommend getting in contact with Jerry Temple (http://www.jtatwins.com) and ask him to send you one of his "info-packs" on the 421. There is a lot of useful info on there which will educate you on the differences, pro-cons, etc. of the different variations of the aircraft. He would also be a good source to finding a solid 421 which may never even hit the market - I just sold my 340 (which I think was one of the nicer ones out there), and we never even listed it.

Another suggestion is to call either Tony Saxton (TAS Aviation in Ohio - http://www.tas-aviation.com) or Juan Oviedo (DFW Aero at Addison - http://www.dfwaero.com) and discuss the 421 from a maintenance perspective. Both of them would be excellent sources to look under the hood during a pre-buy. I have not dealt with Tony, but Juan will travel with his inspection team to wherever the aircraft is to do a prebuy or can relocate it for you to his facility in Texas (if the airplane is a reasonable distance from his shop and the owner agrees).

There is a wealth of info and eager owners on the TTCF forum and BT who will be happy to contribute their experiences. My general comments and observations, would be to also keep the RAMVII C414AW in your radar screen. With the 414, you get the same comfortable cabin and similar performance and it might be a good option.

PM me if you wish and we can discuss this further.

Regards and good luck!

Jim- I agree with your point and will expand my search to the 73-78 B model. I'm willing to trade the C model features for a great B that will be less headaches. Tim

73-75 is the long cabin B model.
76-79 is the straight leg C model.

Substantial changes 75 to 76. B model has no problems but if you are looking for a quick resale, B model is not it. Perry Inhofe had a stunning, stunning B model and it took awhile to sell.

Tim -

Good info here. I'll echo Alex's recommendation on Juan @ DFW Aero. Great guy and good shop, albeit not inexpensive.

I also think that the "straight leg" C models, produced 76-79, are the way to go. There is a significant delta in price from a 79-80 model and the 80 and newer models get you nothing more than a somewhat softer landing (and less useful load!).

These are not inexpensive airplanes to operate, but if you're going to stay piston they are really hard to beat.

Robert

P.S. Speaking of 421s, I'm heading out right now to fly mine!

Jim- I agree with your point and will expand my search to the 73-78 B model. I'm willing to trade the C model features for a great B that will be less headaches. Tim