Thinking about buying a twin-engine aircraft to build your flight hours on the cheap? It’s not that simple. Owning a twin-engine airplane like a Twin Comanche involves substantial costs and responsibilities. After flying a Twin Comanche for over seven years and logging 1,800 hours, I’ve learned the hard way: unscheduled maintenance is a costly and unpredictable factor. For instance, when my right engine case cracked at about 1,000 hours, repairs ran over $10,000 and took two months (2007 costs).
Key Considerations Before Buying
- Insurance Costs: For new pilots with no multi-engine experience, annual insurance can exceed $10,000 per year.
- Market Challenges: It’s not easy to find buyers. Finding the right plane took me six months, and selling it later took over a year.
If you only need to log 100-300 hours, paying for flight time with a multi-engine time-building company may be more practical. These companies can help you build hours quickly, often reaching 100 hours in just two to three weeks. But if your goal is 300-1,000+ hours, buying might make sense if you budget for maintenance and find other pilots to share costs.
For additional ways to build multi-engine time, stay tuned for more posts. Got questions? Drop them in the comments below.
