- He or she wants to go faster and further to explore new territory,
- To experience the thrill of climbing to new heights,
- To carry a bigger family, more friends, and more stuff, or
- Just to satisfy the challenge of flying different aircraft.
However, the initial enthusiasm is sometimes damped by the perception of higher rental cost, required checkout time for increased complexity aircraft, and limited availability due to fewer aircraft. I want to touch on these issues and highlight how we at Trade Winds Aviation are prepared to help pilots overcome them and satisfy their high performance aspirations.
Cost versus speed
An apparent major challenge to flying a high-performance aircraft is a higher rental price. Higher rental price due to the aircraft being more expensive and the powerful engines consuming more fuel. However this is not necessarily true, what needs to be considered is that high performance aircraft fly faster and therefore average flying time to the desired destination is less, in other words less Hobbs time.
An example to illustrate the point: A Cessna 172 at 120kts and 8gal/hr versus a Cessna C400 at 230kts and 18gal/hr, the difference in fuel cost is only 17% more for the C400 for the same distance. The same is true for the Hobbs time, at roughly 2 times the speed you get there in half the time for which you are charged for. In addition both the C400 and C350 utilize air-Hobbs. An air-Hobbs starts running only after 35kts airspeed, it does not count for ground time, taxiing, run-up, waiting for an IFR clearance, Turbo cool-down, etc. In conclusion, rental cost of a high performance aircraft is not double when compared to less expensive and slower airplane, but about the same or just slightly higher.
Getting checked out
Flying a high-performance, complex aircraft requires the same skills as flying a simpler, slower aircraft, but to a higher level of competency. There are:
- More systems to know about,
- Less time to make decisions, and
- More inertia to manage.
A high-performance aircraft is often heavier and therefore more difficult to loose or gain airspeed. For example, the practice of "stabilized approach" takes more concentration. Large adjustments on short final are not as easy as with lighter and slower aircraft.
Our Cessna certified flight instructors follow the manufacturer's recommended transition syllabus for the aircraft. These recommendations typically consist of a minimum of ground training and three flights. The checkout time for an experienced pilot typically ranges from 4 - 6 hours of flight time. The requirements for the checkout will vary depending on the pilot's experience in flying high performance airplanes and proficiency in flying Glass cockpit (G1000). With our structured checkout training you save time and money so your investment pays off sooner.
Availability
Trade Winds Aviation has a number of high performance airplanes available. We had a Cessna C400 in the rental fleet for some time and we are adding a Cessna C350 to increase flexibility and availability of this type of airplane.
The SharePlus program is offering a Cessna 182 Turbo and Cirrus SR22; these airplanes are available to pilots through our fractional ownership program. This unique program provides exclusive access and high availability at a reasonable cost.
Trade Winds Aviation
We are your partner of choice when you decide to fly a high-performance aircraft and looking for professional training and reliable aircraft. Contact us for a checkout in any of these airplanes.
