philiplane
A&P, IA, CFI, CFII, MEI,
With the dramatic fall in twin engine prices, many people will find it's just as cheap to own an older twin than a high performance single.
Even with the extra maintenance, gas, and insurance, the price differential between, say, a $50k Twin Comanche and a $80k Dakota for comparison- $30k will buy many years worth of maintenance and insurance. Plus that money is spread out over years of ownership, rather than up front in the purchase. In this case the twin only burns 2 gph more but it's 20 knots faster. Insurance is $2800 for the twin, $1900 for the single.
The key is picking the right twin. Sticking with four cylinders per side helps- Apache, Twin Comanche, or Seminole for example.
And after many years of twin ownership, I can dispel the notion about 3 times the operating costs for two engines. It's more like 1.5 times the cost of a single, when the owner does most of his own preventative maintenance.
Even with the extra maintenance, gas, and insurance, the price differential between, say, a $50k Twin Comanche and a $80k Dakota for comparison- $30k will buy many years worth of maintenance and insurance. Plus that money is spread out over years of ownership, rather than up front in the purchase. In this case the twin only burns 2 gph more but it's 20 knots faster. Insurance is $2800 for the twin, $1900 for the single.
The key is picking the right twin. Sticking with four cylinders per side helps- Apache, Twin Comanche, or Seminole for example.
And after many years of twin ownership, I can dispel the notion about 3 times the operating costs for two engines. It's more like 1.5 times the cost of a single, when the owner does most of his own preventative maintenance.
