Username Protected wrote:
I'm curious how you use your 421. How often are you flying by yourself vs. with passengers? Are many of your trips overnight?
For overnight trips w/ pax, the 421 is truly awesome. I know a former 421 owner who flew just himself most of the time, which seems like incredible overkill to me.
It's a mix, but I probably fly solo more often than not. While it's a bit excessive, there are surprisingly few other airplanes that could do my missions and would be any more cost effective.
We do use the plane as a family station wagon and do as much of our personal travel in it as makes sense. Skis, golf clubs, camping gear, etc, all go with us and we pack absurdly inefficiently when we use the plane. The limiting factor is normally the rental car we get...
I use the plane as a business tool and in that role I'm often alone but occasionally travel with a sales associate.
To give you an idea of how I use the plane, here's a trip I just completed:
Wednesday: Dallas to Ruston, LA for a 10a meeting with a client. Ruston to Atlanta for a business dinner.
Thursday: Atlanta to NC for golf with my parents.
Friday: NC to upstate NY to attend a series of meetings at my alma mater.
Monday: Upstate NY to Pittsburgh for a quick client meeting, then home that afternoon in time to make a Boy Scout meeting.
I made all of my meetings on time and with no mechanical issues at all. Usually I was flying in pressurized/heated/air conditioned comfort in the low 20's and I arrived at my meetings refreshed and relaxed.
Is it cheap as flying a Bonanza or Baron? Heck no, but I've flown Bonanzas and other non-pressurized singles around the country (I used to own a T210) and if you can afford and/or justify it there's just no comparison to the capability of a pressurized twin or turbine aircraft.
Robert
