So, I had a lengthy chat with a mechanic at Cessna today. I specifically asked to speak to a guy who still swings a wrench but is high enough up the food chain to understand cost. Very straightforward guy, he'd been working on jets a long time, was very candid. As I'm looking at an SII, the discussion revolved around maintaining that bird in particular.

According to him, the inspections you really need to pay attention to from a cost perspective are phase 1-5 and the inspection that happens at 10,000.

- 1 thru 4 need to be done typically every 300 hours; they average about 50k all in
- every 1200 hours or three years, whichever comes first, you get a 1 thru 5; that sumbitch is 150k, the flat rate on the labor itself is 50k
- the 10000 hour is...drum roll please...1/4 mil, sometimes more, never less.

Alright, that means that I'm in for 300k every time I fly 1200 hours in MX alone. Not bad, but I wonder what the frequency of unscheduled MX is...

Do these numbers sound right?

I believe they have to have a 10k inspection every 1000 hours after 15k as well. It can get a little pricey. Lease, lease, lease. When you look back you will see that the planes you leased are at the scrap yard soon enough.

Great planes, but when the motors are gone....

That assumes you fly 400 hours per year. If less, then it's 300K every 3 years (according to the calendar frequency of inspection you posted, I don't have direct knowledge).

I would forget the 1,200 hours and look at the calendar. Its tough to fly a jet 400 hours per year. That's over 300NM every day of the year.

Figure your mileage requirement, calculate your actual cycles, then divide those numbers into an hourly. Now you get a real picture of what they cost you by the hour or NM. Your MU2 will look like a Bonanza.

The other side of the argument...."yeah, but its a jet" :pilot:

Lol, my mu2 already does look like a Bonanza. I can't believe what it doesn't cost to fly it. Marvelous airplane, but...

...if the business continues to thrive and I need to go farther more regularly, this is logical. Add to that the frequency of convection down in TX and GA, I want to be at FL430.

It's not an ego thing, I don't care what people think of me when I exit my aircraft. I dress in jeans and goofy tshirts anyway. I think this is more appropriate for that mission.

How do the leases work? I think that's better for taxes anyway...

Your question isn't for "jet guys". It's for "Citation Guys".

Phenoms, PC12/24, new jets get an annual every year.

How about hiring an in house mechanic and let him do some side jobs also. A friend has this job for a guy with a falcon 900 and a lear 60. They do everthing in house. Better to pay a guy 75k a year than pay for 400k falcon inspections. At least you wont be paying retail prices for these inspections.

I bet they dont do "everything" in house. Some inspections are over 1,000 man hours, in which case the airplane would be down for over 6 months with just one guy doing it. More likely is the minor stuff is done in house and the major stuff is outsourced.

Craig,

You need to look into a Bacon low utilization maintenance program to cut that amount in half. $12,500 to enroll, $2K a year afterwards (roughly).

-Pascal

I am curious what is actually being replaced and inspected every three years that costs $150k?

I don’t know about the other makes, but on Beechcraft (BeechJets/Premiers) and Hawkers that is true.

Once the aircraft reaches a major inspection i.e. 10,000 hours it can easily reach the 200K mark for the inspection. You have mandatory replacement or overhaul of high dollar parts, example a pitch trim actuator (PTA) on a BeechJet can run $90K list price, So yes you can rack up $200K without any problems.

One of the first things I tell a new jet owner is be prepared for sticker shock on the inspections, don’t be afraid to shop around on inspections and parts.

Keith is right hire a local guy to do the small inspections and take it to a Service center for the major ones.

I don't know about $150K for three years, more like maybe $15K per year in my book.
If you have a middle time (below 2000 hours) aircraft, higher time (5000 hours plus) is a different story.

Don't get me wrong, but if you know what you are doing a person can operate a light Jet for the same cost per mile as a King Air 350.

Will trade you a ride in our SII for a ride in your Mitsubishi !

Deal Sean. Give me a buzz, I'm at 919.924.8259.

I won't have back my Mits for almost two months; the right motor is at Standard Aero getting all my money stuffed in it, lol. When it comes out, however, it'll have two fresh motors, a G600, satcom, a couple of GTN650s, and some other odds and ends. Much better you see it that way.

I'm meant to test fly one this weekend in LA, but now it's not clear if the bird will be in Chino when I get there. We'll see.

What part of the country do you live in ?

I'm in Raleigh, Philly, and Chicagoland on a weekly basis, but I need to get down to Dallas soon to find a spot to stick the next lab. I can head your way unless you're up by me, in which case that works too.

What's the mission for the Mits?