There are a few of the Hershey bar 140s/160/180 Cherokees in my neighbourhood that have in excess of 20,000 hours on the air frame. And that, my friends, is the whole point! Wing Fatigue Life Extension . Pressurization is perhaps aviations ultimate creature comfort. The more the industry drags out phasing out 100LL, the more susceptible it is to looking unconcerned about public health risks. If flown at the same 25,000-foot altitude, the 340s 4.2-pound differential would allow a cabin height of just more than 11,000 feet. Pressurization exacts a considerable cost, not only in dollars, but in performance and payload. If a pilot wasnt a smoker and was in good shape, he could climb on up to 23,000 feet to grab a tailwind or top Mt. Speaking of support, take any PA-46 to a shop that knows the aircraft inside and outand that includes the avionics system. There is a whole lot more to the story that being said here. You can do the check of the whole cabin in about an hour. Thats a nice round $90,000,000 in total sales. Freedom of Flight. WASHINGTON (AP) _ Unexplained breakups of seven Piper Malibu planes over the last two years killed 19 people in the United States, Mexico and Japan, U.S. safety officials said Wednesday. We would be sure to be on the game while operating out of 2500 feet or less. It's just that maintenance costs alot of money. Although Mooney had a brief, unsuccessful flirtation with an inflatable airplane (the M22 Mustang) in the 60s, Cessnas P210 was the first model to adapt an existing basic airframe to pressurization for the singles crowd. The Malibus groundspeed held fairly steady between 240 and 250 knots throughout our trip, and it was obvious that we were going to beat our flight plan by at least 10 minutes. The airplanes front office isnt exactly cavernous, either. Cannulas are an option, but only to 18,000 feet. Even ardent supporters of the airplane admit that it requires frequent and ongoing maintenance. Engine 1 Make/Model. Like Scott sez -our old girls may not perfect ( for the Cirrus drivers out there) and they may have a few quirks that weve learned to accommodate to-, Forum Software The Arrow was 11 years old but had accumulated more than 7,600 hours, exclusively in the training environment. In 1986, some 50 of them signed up for Malibus, bringing total production since 83 to nearly 250 airplanes. Strong performance and resale value, but save for maintenance and training. There isnt anything particularly difficult about landing a PA-46, but the long wing encourages floating and when lightly loaded, the CG is forward. There was corrosion and water pooled under the back seats that rusted out the flight control pulleys. Hi and thanks for writing, Scott. . He means well and is probably very good but he's just human. 2.) I have over 15,000hrs, and really nothing has worried me much when flying, because I have always trusted my airplane. For those with wing problems (and I understand that there are very few), a wing can be replaced and your plane made "like new" again. Some versions arent supported at all. Continental thus specified operating requirements for the engine that were unusual at the time, specifically lean-of-peak EGT operation. I'd bet a quarter most of our planes were never hit by flak, shot up in aerial dogfights or hit by ground fire (way out on a limb here), yet some of the Warbirds we see at airshows not only survived those conditions, they fly better now than when they were new. Piper recommends life limited parts with no time and/or cycles remaining be completely destroyed. You've disabled cookies in your web browser. While Im not happy about this problem, my experience says we have a issue. Piper still makes the piston-powered pressurized PA-46 and calls it the M350, priced north of $1.1 million. The pressurization and cabin comfort are terrific; however, the cockpit is short on height for my 6-foot build, so I use a Clarity Aloft in-ear headset to minimize my head bumping on the ceiling. The airstair door is a plus, making for relatively easy entry and egress. Contact Rocket Engineering at www.jetprop.com. The turbo sold for about $166,000 base, while the pressurized airplane cost $235,000nearly 42 percent more. Its true that the 340 offers an extra engine for safety, but most Malibus are equipped with dual vacuum pumps and alternators so system redundancy is almost the same. CHOOSE YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD: CHEROKEE GUIDE OR DIGITAL ISSUE. Aircraft.com is the leading registry for planes, jets, and helicopters. A variety of other improvements were made to deal with various system problems as well. We scoured the used market starting with the respected Controller.com and found a variety of Malibus, Mirages and Matrixes for sale at what we consider to be top dollar, with late-model airplanes fetching close to $900,000. Malibu pilots report cruise speeds of 205 knots TAS at FL220 at 67 percent power and 210 knots true at FL250 at 75 percent. Still, we think the cockpit is well designed in all PA-46 models, with well-placed gauges and plenty of room for all the avionics you could ever want. I changed shops and they found it immediately. What also struck us during our review was that over the last 10 years, nearly half of the accidents involved turboprop PA-46s, either the Meridian or an aftermarket conversionand we dont think that half of the PA-46s flying are turboprops. Arizona Airplane To accommodate the PT6A engine, the DLX mod includes lengthening the stock PA-46 nose. Baggage space is generous, with two baggage bays, one just aft of the engine compartment and the other behind the rear seats, making loading within limits easier. Find N46KJ 1996 PIPER MALIBU MIRAGE on Aircraft.com. The Pipers are a reliable and proven design, so what could be better?? Total Time: 2761 Engine 1 Time: 1371 SNEW Condition: Used Additional Classifications Detailed Description On trips of any length, most owners climb rapidly into at least the high teens, but the airplane is perfectly at home up to FL250. . The range can often be stretched further if winds and the destination weather are favorable, but its hard to get to the often stated range of 1000 to 1200 nautical miles. Now I know this wing spar issue has brought a lot to light that we were not thinking about, however again if it is properly addressed it shouldn't be a problem. Piper Aircraft. Weve found that MMOPA does a good job at tracking mods for the PA-46, which include three- and four-blade props, IO-550 conversions, long-range tanks, interior mods, plus the JetPROP DLX turboprop conversion held by Rocket Engineering. You can help by not skimping on maintenance, and most owners who take it seriously will admit that caring for a PA-46 (regardless of the powerplant type) is intense. More than a few in our reporting have had experience with several Malibus and/or Mirages. Regarding your comment about "as long as i do maintenance". Skip to content. I figured that replacing retraction springs was cheaper than fixing a gear up landing. Engine Serial Number. The PA-46 is not known for being a short-field machinea number of pilots confirmed that the published takeoff distances have to be respected. The cabin altitude would be at or above the maximum, but if necessary, most pilots could stand such a height for a few hours. Considering this and the fact that surface temperatures across the Southwestern Desert were still uncomfortably warm, with scattered thunderstorms forecast, I filed for FL 250. For hand flying, were not talking Bonanza handling here but the controls are responsive, with pitch the lightest and roll the heaviest. A cursory look at the turboprop accidents didnt reveal any pattern, but we cant help but wonder whether their accident rate is higher than their piston brethrenthus far, we dont have enough data to form an opinion. We further noted that while there were 21 engine power loss events, the majority were more than 10 years ago; the rate appears to us to have diminished. No, avionics techs dont like working up front and will generally pull the seats for more room to work. Owners of early Mirages suffered through Lycomings massive crankshaft recall of 2002 and 2003 and weeks to months of downtime. It also includes all Arrow models, but not the PA-28-236 Dakota or the lighter non-taper-wing PA-28 series. Learn About Bill's Book Here, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, https://www.facebook.com/PiperOwnerSociety?fref=ts. The Piper line hasn't done it for me yet, and all of the rigging discussions make me fear the the Aerostar. But when it all comes together, the PA-46 is arguably one of the more capable piston singles around. It was a big deal because it was a clean-sheet airplane that was biggermuch biggerthan any single around. Engine. One also has to remember that the 1970's were a boom time for GA with Cessna and Piper building thousands of airframes every year. Powered by Vanilla. He staggered into the air and then belly-flopped into the water off of the end of the runway. The airplane is located in Scottsdale, AZ at the Deer Valley Airport. True to Pipers promise, the Malibu cruise-climbed to 25,000 feet in just under 30 minutes, averaging about 850 fpm. (Several years ago, NBAA surveyed its members and found to its surprise that the average trip length was only 360 nm.). The other AD involving the spar corrosion inspection; well Ive now seen 3 completed: all 1966 and earlier and all looking factory new. The price is right, too. For most owners, FL200 was just fine as a maximum, operational altitude. While we have received reports of squawk lists on annuals reaching 25 percent of the value of the airplane, the majority of owners say that they recognize its expensive to maintain a pressurized single and if they stay ahead of the game, the price is not outrageous, relatively speaking. The lack of cowl flaps doesnt help matters. These days its tough to find a Malibu that hasnt been upgraded out of round gauges and into electronic primary glass. Good morning Scott. Props. Two were due to water contamination and one to putting jet fuel into the tanks. One owner cited this as the reason he chose the Malibu over the Mirage. We stock parts for these Piper airplanes: The -310P, with its lower fuel consumptionas much as 4 to 5 GPH when flown by the bookhas nearly 25 percent better range and is only about 5 percent slower. Cheyenne III, model PA-42, equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-41 engines; 2010 PIPER MALIBU MIRAGE For Sale in Camdenton, Missouri at Controller.com. The Piper M350 (the current version of the Mirage) is generously decked out with a lot of avionics including Garmins G1000 NXi with automatic emergency descent mode to help rescue pilots and crew if overcome by cabin pressurization failures and hypoxia. That went against what most pilots had been taught before the current understanding of lean-of-peak opsand a fair number ignored the instructions and ran rich of peak. KITPLANES Editor in Chief Marc Cook has been in aviation journalism for more than 30 years. Singles also have a natural advantage over twins when it comes to range. Even the oldest, 1984-vintage Malibus are rarely seen for less than $200,000, so you may save a little of what youll spend later on operating costs in the purchase price. M500; M350; Archer LX; Archer DLX; Trainer. Still, PA-46 ownership isnt for everyone. For a given annual on a Malibu or Mirage, 70% of the costs will be associated with the engine. Often considered the ultimate creature comfort for aviators, a properly functioning pressurization system eliminates the need for oxygen masks above 12,500 feet, allowing a pilot to fly nearly as high as he wishes in relative comfort, while breathing low-altitude air. Two other pilots demonstrated that taking off with a tailwind when over gross on a warm day will eat up bags of runway. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Another, having collected ice on the approach, was doing fine until he pulled the power off in the flare, stalled and collapsed the gear. . Total Time. Any Cirrus owners considering stepping up to the cabin class, pressurized comfort of a Piper Mirage? It's all easy to do. Your comments make me think that my way of thinking is not necessarily correct. Priced to sell! Again, this number can be improved once you get up to altitude, but its a good starting point for flight planning. Appreciate the advice as always. Even the Cessna 208 Caravan has a requirement to disassemble and inspect the entire airframe at the 20,000 hour mark. Consider that there are WWII aircraft (and older) that lived harder lives than our planes ever will, yet are still in excellent flying condition. While that may not seem like much for a company that once produced 250 airplanes a month, remember were talking about an airplane with an average sales price of $360,000. We reached out to the company several times for advice on picking a good PA-46, but at press time it never responded. As this is written, only three piston twins remain in U.S. production Pipers Seminole and Seneca V and Beechs G58 Baron. These airplanes generally sport lots of aftermarket avionics, unless its a newer model with the Garmin G1000, and newer ones have the latest-gen G1000 NXi. seems there has one ever been one other wing separation, on an Archer used extensively for pipeline patrol..(constant turbulence), and no reported separation of a Hershey bar winged versionthe design of the spar web in attach point area raises questions in my mind though, there are high loads on the lower external bolt connections. The power setting and leaning would have to be right. This extensive experience with six-seat singles and cabin-class twins is an important part of the Malibu legacy. The first Malibu breakup happened in May of 1989. If he makes an error in judgement and saves you too much money at the expense of safety, it could be a bad day. Basically, the system feeds compressed air off the turbocharger into the airplane to keep cabin pressure higher than that of outside air; this lowers the effective altitude in the cabin in relation to the aircrafts actual height above sea level. One of the updates was requiring airframe life limits. Airframe Total Time 5550.0 Engine Engine Time 1350 Truth is, pilots who are wide of girth and long of leg will be cramped up front; the seats dont slide back as far as they do in a Mooney or a Cessna. Piper salespeople always boasted that the PA-46 is a true six-place airplane with cabin-class comfort. I knew it was tired but again i purchased it thinking that if i gave it the care it needed it would be safe for my family to be in. Passengers: 4 or 5 with a single crew member. Because the P210s was intended as an entry-level pressurization system, pressure differential was established at a relatively low 3.35psi, allowing the airplane to maintain a 10,000-foot cabin at 20,000 feet. 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Jets, and really nothing has worried me much when flying, were not talking handling. Was a big deal because it was a big airplane, thanks in part to 43-foot. All comes together, the Malibu over the Mirage stood tall on gear! In Chief Marc Cook has been in aviation journalism for more room to work outand that the... And helicopters when it comes to range 2500 feet or less a considerable cost, not only dollars... Into electronic primary glass this isnt about improving the design ; its looking!
piper malibu airframe life