Looking to upgrade to Mirage - need advice

mooniac58mooniac58
in General Discussion
Hello all,

I currently own and love a Mooney M20J that I have done extensive upgrades to, including a full glass panel and removal of the vacuum system. As my family and needs grow I am finding myself looking at 6 seat aircraft. The Mirage is at the top of my list mainly because of the high cruise speed and the pressurized cabin. I am looking to make this upgrade probably in the next 24-36 months, and likely not for at least a year or so.

While I can likely pull off a lease on a new model I would like to investigate the pros and cons of buying an older model and upgrading it extensively. For example we recently did this to a Beech A36 for my business partner - we bought a 1982 aircraft that had a clean damage history and excellent airframe - we did all glass avionics, new interior, paint, tip tanks and a 300HP engine STC. The great thing about this process was with the STC's we were able to increase the usefull load by 400lbs which created a better aircraft than could be purchased new, and for 1/3 of the cost of a new aircraft.

So, I guess I would like to start a discussion of what my option are. I am open to buying an older Mirage and doing the same as above (new engine, paint, interior, avionics, etc) but I want to have more or less the same performance as a new Mirage. Ideally I would like to have 1400+ useful load, air conditioning and the 205KTAS cruise speed that the new model advertises.

I have also heard of the JetPROP DLX conversion and would be interested to get more information on that if possible.

Thanks a million for your help!

Comments

  • flyguydonflyguydon
    You will find most folks here or at piperforum.com are piston single folks or some light twins. When I grow up.... I'd like to have a turbo prop!! Anyway, the down turn in the economy has not has a big effect on "new" prices, but it has had a HUGE effect on used prices. My guess is that you could get a great deal on a used one and have plenty left over to make it any color, have the best leather, and have any panel you want for next to nothing compared to buying a new one. Unless you can get the big write off and depreciation to work for you on a new one... it might not make good $ense.
  • bigandybigandy
    One of my airport friends invested in a JetProp converted Malibu. He was telling me that since the JetProp uses the slightly higher HP variant of the PT-6 compared to Piper's factory choice - he enjoys lower burn rates with higher performance. He too took the path of upgrading the avionics to G500s + GTN750s and the like. He bought this plane as an upgrade from his (then new) Beech A36. He really enjoys it - and it works great for his mission profile (west coast flying etc).

    You probably have read about the conversions - in case you have not:
    http://www.jetprop.com/content/specification-and-performance-comparisons

    There seem to be a nice collection for sale on Controller.com too:
    http://www.controller.com/list/list.aspx?ETID=1&catid=8&Manu=PIPER&Mdltxt=JETPROP&mdlx=exact&setype=1

    My two cents would be to consider the JetProp converted plane, and then customize the avionics as desired.

    Though - if I had the resources, I would go for the PC-12 - since it is just an exceptional aircraft.

    Back to the lottery cards!
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