My mechanic has one in his care, & he says it’s terrible to work on (a lot of stuff crammed into the engine compartment) , which translates into more time required to do the ordinary maintenance. That’s certainly not unique to this bird, but just an FYI.

Gary

I'll throw my .02 into this. An MU-2 F model with low time engines and good radios can be had for under 300k. It will do 260-270 ktas on 60gph. It will handle all the ice you can throw at it and will almost never break.

When you add turbos and fly high, everything becomes a PIA compared to a NA single.

Expect $10,000 to $15,000 in surprises from cylinders, exhaust, AC, electrical and other items each year.

KJ

That's not true. My mechanic loves it, but he does have that extra arm in the middle of his forehead which has 3 elbows. So maybe he is not a good data point.

What is that quote they say..."5 pounds of s**t crammed into a 2 pound bag"...or something like that. Yes, harder to work on than a C182.

I have not owned a KingAir, but the other is definitely true. I suspect the move to turbine is as big as the move from TN A36 to P Baron

Mooney M22 Mustang.

For a trained P210 mechanic, it is not a big issue.

They know exactly what they have to remove to work on certain components.
Trying to fix stuff without first removing some secondary systems normally wont work.

It ain't no PA-28 where you can stand in between the engine and the firewall....

This is so true, I own one. Pressure valve for gear shorted out, $10K from Piper. Found a yellow tagged used one for $4K. Muffler heat exchanger overhauled $4K, Turbo controller overhauled $3K. New battery $800.

For me it well worth the cost, flying 1,200 mile trips in pressured comfort. Normally fly in low to mid 20's with fuel flow around 20 GPH in a 1997 350P.

BTY going to sell my single and move to a piston twin if anyone is interested in an off market purchase.

FIFY......

Has anybody here actually flown the Vitatoe 550TN P210? I would like to hear a flight review and a comparison to the TIO-520 P210 and to the Silver Eagle Turbine P210.

There are several reviews at Cessna Pilots Society (for those who can tolerate us low life Cessna cheap skates over there.)

Management Summary: climbs at 1000fpm at 120KIAS, cruises with cool CHT's 185KTAS, goes LOP around 16gph, smooth as a babies butt, actually prints money every hour flown, etc. Entry fee starts around $125k and goes upwards from there.

Everyone who has one seems happy and I would likely sing its' praises as well if I had spent that much. I figure that is around two major overhauls on a 520 plus all the tops that will definitely be required. Personally I can live with the P210N as supplied by the factory (mostly). Good plane with some warts I can live with. And honestly, my regular old run of the mill mechanic has no problem with it, though every couple of years I plan on one of the experts having a look at it.

Keith,

We’ve had our TAT TN system on our 550 for 7 years now and have had zero surprises in that time.

Just a single data point of course.

I do think it’s important to stay on top of magnetos, the alternator, etc. but we’ve always done those every 500 hours.

The only AD I know of re our TAT TN is for the exhaust clamp and I just bought a new one from TAT for $95.

Keith,

We’ve had our TAT TN system on our 550 for 7 years now and have had zero surprises in that time.

Just a single data point of course.

I do think it’s important to stay on top of magnetos, the alternator, etc. but we’ve always done those every 500 hours.

The only AD I know of re our TAT TN is for the exhaust clamp and I just bought a new one from TAT for $95.

Jim:

We are discussing pressurized, FIKI planes. Most are twins.

We agree that a TN Bonanza is cheaper to operate and better if you don’t need the pressurization or second engine.

KJ

I had a Malibu with the Lycoming, had 3 major engine issues in flight before I could unload it, when I was signing the papers to sell it at my airport one landed in a field 2 miles north of the airport. Mine was a mid time engine and I don’t scrimp on maintenance.