Luckily, it ain't hard. GTX330ES for me 7+ years ago, I've been compliant ever since. Probably a GTX345 is today's better option, but... as avionics go, it's not a huge project.

I'd have agreed with that sentiment until I was cruising along fat, dumb, and happy in the M2 (G3000/dual GTX 33ES) and had a GTX failure that persisted after running the checklist. The other GTX kept working normally and I kept cruising on towards my destination. After I landed and cycled power both transponders worked (and have continued to work) normally. With one GTX I'd have been descending below RVSM airspace, diverting, and costing a good chunk of the price of a second GTX just after one failure. Are solid-state digital transponders extremely reliable? Absolutely. Is a second one "cheap" insurance at some point? Also, I'd argue, absolutely. Where does the point come where a second transponder makes sense? Honestly...no idea...

The Mustang handles the RNAV SIDS and STARS quite well. The only “gotcha” is you have to use altitude preselects for the level offs on departures. On arrivals, simply enter the final altitude at the end of the STAR.

I pulled out more than 110lbs in cabling and radios when I did my panel. And that's with leaving half of it in still. Had I gone full glass, could probably have saved another 100lbs.
Huge weight savings.

Latest flight. Ksaw to KSDL. 4.3 hours into a 55 knot headwind. FL430. Took 33 min to get there. Avg fuel used 112 gal/ hr. Burn by flight hour shortly.

But 112/gph@ 430 and 375 knots. Wow.

No doubt hard to beat. How often do you do 4.3 hour flights?

No doubt hard to beat. How often do you do 4.3 hour flights?

Weekly?

Weekly?

Average trip is 2ish

Yeah. That's reasonable.

I'm always curious how "often" folks take 4+ hour flights. I never do unless I'm headed West. But even if I swap to a CJ3 or bigger the flight out West from Florida is still 4+ hours with a fuel stop. Will the jet really change my travel habits? So far I think "no". I still don't want to do 4+ hour flights all the time.

They need to come up with a plane that turns 4 hour flights into 30 minute flights.

Longer flights are more tolerable in a jet.

A 4.3 hour non stop flight in a jet with 55 knots headwind (~1400 nm) is likely ~8 hours with one fuel stop in a PC-12. The headwind at FL280 is somewhat larger than it is at FL430.


You can do a lot more in 4 hours in a CJ2 than in a PC-12.


No PC-12 owner has enough money for that technology.

Mike C.

2 hours in the jet from Atlanta gets me no closer to anything than 2 hours in the Pilatus. NYC, Chicago, S Florida, Bahamas..... all 2 hours or so in the Pilatus. The only thing far from Atlanta is Colorado and West and that's all 4 hours plus in the jet.

Again, my point is I don't care how comfortable the jet is. Rarely are people doing 4+ hour flights every week. Even Mark Hangen says "nooooo Monthly". I do 2 hour and less flights constantly. The jet won't change those flights for me.

As for your CJ2 comparison..... it will have to land for gas long before the Pialtus does. CJ2 won't meet my needs. I'm minimum CJ3. I need the space and useful load.

8 hours??? I've made California non stop many times in less than 8 hours. 55 knot headwind isn't bad. 100 knot headwinds is bad. Besides, CJ3 won't do it non stop either.

Not on the flight Mark just did. PC-12 won't make it non stop, the CJ2 will. Faster airplane cuts through headwind better.

Mike C.

leaving at 1300 today, Pilatus does SAW to SDL in 5:35 non stop with 8 on board plus bags. I've done much longer flights than that non stop.

But again, Mark does it once a month. Not once a week. That's my point. I don't want to fly 4 hour flights every week. I'd rather move to wherever that place is that's 4 hours away. I would never have a vacation home that's 4 hours away. I'd move. I think most folks feel that way. Hence why wealthy New Yorkers build massive homes on Long Island and don't fly to the BVI's EVERY WEEK.