Does look nice! Kinda seems like if they have special solar paint in black, they could make the special solar in white and do even that much better at keeping things cool.

Does look nice! Kinda seems like if they have special solar paint in black, they could make the special solar in white and do even that much better at keeping things cool.

Looking sexy is 50% of the allure of these types of equipment. People want to feel the planes attitude. Being part of that is part of the arrival. I’d give up a bit of ground heat for the feeling that I love the sexy appeal on the ramp.

I don't want to own an ugly anything. I like form and function but I don't want to be seen in ugly car/house/plane/boat. It's pride of ownership. Besides, your passengers totally judge the quality of your maintenance by the appearance of your machine. A nice looking machine is more than vanity.

FIFY.

Paint jobs sell planes, no doubt.

You can be "not ugly" and not be a solar collector, too.

Mike C.

It is done! We finished the Ultra HT Blade regrowing, hots, paint and interior. A new lease on life for this machine!

SICK!!!

dude- I'm only 1 winning number away...

Tell me more about that. Who does it, what did the hots cost for the -5D engine?

Now if only we can get an autopilot STC, then we can ditch those Primus 1000 screens and gain 400-500 lbs useful load (and make the cost of operation go way down, too).

Mike C.

Is that one for sale??

Already Presold.

Tell me more about that. Who does it, what did the hots cost for the -5D engine?

Now if only we can get an autopilot STC, then we can ditch those Primus 1000 screens and gain 400-500 lbs useful load (and make the cost of operation go way down, too).

Mike C.

I specifically avoided buying an Ultra, partly on your advice. The two factors were the lack of an autopilot meant I could not fully Garminize it (had to keep the Primus 1000 system due to AP being integrated into it) and the excessively high cost and short lived HT blades of the -5D engine.

With my V, I can get the much lower cost HT blades (which are the same as -4, so there are used ones in the market, the -5D are unique). And I fully Garminized it to save weight, cost, etc.

If there is a modern autopilot available for the Ultra and the HT blades can be saved by some process, then the Ultra becomes a very valuable airplane. The extra 290 lbs thrust doesn't sound like much, but it means no step climbs directly to FL450. Despite having "larger" engines, the Ultra range is actually a bit higher than the V due to the ability to get higher faster.

Otherwise, the Ultra is basically just the V with the uprated engines, not much else changed. Somewhere in the middle of the Ultra range, the freon system went R-134a from the factory, but my plane was converted after the fact. At some point, the Ultra gut the new steps from the factory, too. But otherwise, outside some interior tweaks, it is basically a V with a slightly bigger motor.

Mike C.

Can you tell me the empty weight of this Ultra?

Just curious.

Mike C.

9471

Garminization would likely get this close to 9100 lbs, particularly given a new autopilot.

That would be a full fuel payload of about 1600 lbs.

Outstanding.

Mike C.