Stepping down from C414, thinking Seneca III

kellyho67kellyho67
in General Discussion
I've been reading a lot in the forums.. I've been looking at going to a C310 from my current 414 or a Seneca. I'm selling the 414 for two reasons. 1) Cost of Maintenance, 2) cost of fuel. The plane uses 42GPH in cruise and a typical annual is 10K to start. I've been told Seneca II and Seneca III are very low cost to maintain but I've never heard from anyone on exact numbers.

I've also seen alot of comments saying seneca III at 8K can do 170kts. Seems faster than any seneca I've ever flow but then again I've only ever flown 1 Seneca II and the fastest I think I ever saw was 150kts.

I really love a pressurized FIKI plane but it comes at a high cost and as a guy who loves to fly more than not it cuts the flying way down. I live in the rockies to I'm always gonna be sucking on O2 but that is what I had when flying a Cirrus also and you eventually just get use to it. I've been told most Seneca III's are FIKI and have built in O2 which would be important. Anyway, just looking for some pointers.

Comments

  • mckennamckenna
    Hi Kelly,
    As noted on my posts, I have owned a 1989 Seneca III since new, now 3000 hours later. Mine is loaded without AC (60 lbs payload), and has a full fuel (+4'30") payload of 700 lbs.
    We typically cruise at 7-10,000' and true out at ~170KTAS, 65% power at 25 GPH. I have several KTU options installed which I think combined give us about 5 knots?? As with your 414, TAS increases with altitude, and the turbos will keep you climbing.
    Our III is FIKI and has built in oxygen. Certainly maintenance will be less than your 414 if you get a good III or upgraded II.
    All the best,
    David
    Seneca C-FJMM
  • kellyho67kellyho67
    Thanks David - any chance you could share what a typical annual and yearly mx runs you? It looks like engines are much less to overhaul than the TSIO-520-NB I currently have in my plane which is a plus.
  • mckennamckenna
    To be truthful, not sure what 'a typical annual' costs as this Seneca gets looked after pretty well. We do progressive maintenance, even though our III is part 91 as you call it.
    As a Piper, the systems are pretty simple. The gear is 'electro-hydraulic', so is held up by hydraulic pressure with no up-locks, therefore will always come down. The emergency extension is just a valve which when pulled releases hydraulic pressure, and the gear falls out and locks.
    You will love the fuel system. Three tanks in each wing, fueled with one filler, and they feed into each other, so you never have to switch tanks, unless you must cross-feed (single engine).
    The TSIO-360KB engines in all IIIs are strong and fairly maintenance free. If you opt for a Seneca II, look for one that has been upgraded with the KB engines. You can check the cost of overhaul at TCM or local shops, but they are not cheap, although I suspect a better deal than RAM engines.
    Hope this helps.
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