jayc67
New member
Granbury, TX
- Aircraft Year
- 1976
- Aircraft Type
- 112TC
- Reg Number
- N4597W
- Serial Number
- 13087
Hello everyone,
So my very best friend recently passed away from a long fight with cancer. Along the way over the last few years we talked about me taking his Commander if something happened. Well, I didn't give it much thought until this summer, but now here we are.
He bought this 1976 112TC back in '08 after some heart trouble and other things that made getting into his '96 Super Viking just too difficult. He operated the airplane casually since then, and I think I've flown it about as much as he has over the years. It's flown maybe 200 hours since 2008.
It's got 1574 TTA&E so it's a great aircraft overall, but it's really never been updated. Last annual expired in '18 when he took a turn for the worse and lost interest in flying it. I've run the engine, taxied it around etc. Basically done the best I could to keep it maintained for him until he hopefully recovered, but that time has passed.
At last annual it was well sorted out, new mags and a few things, all AD's good.
But, it's a basically an all original equipment 112TC with an engine right at TBO. Last compression checks were 76, 74, 74, 72/80 so it's still strong IMO.
I know for a fact he and I were extremely careful with boost and cooldowns, and was told the previous owner was as well, so I feel like the engine has some life left in it, but it's just a matter of time.
That said, I'm in an odd place with the aircraft economically. I can drop $60k+ for an engine and prop, and have an airplane worth $80k-ish because of the lack of panel update. For just a bit more than that I can get into an aircraft with a low time engine, panel upgrades etc.
I currently have an annual scheduled for late October and I think I'll make my decision about buying this one off the results of that. So, sometime in the next 6 months I'll either have a Commander, or be trying to sell one for his widow.
So my very best friend recently passed away from a long fight with cancer. Along the way over the last few years we talked about me taking his Commander if something happened. Well, I didn't give it much thought until this summer, but now here we are.
He bought this 1976 112TC back in '08 after some heart trouble and other things that made getting into his '96 Super Viking just too difficult. He operated the airplane casually since then, and I think I've flown it about as much as he has over the years. It's flown maybe 200 hours since 2008.
It's got 1574 TTA&E so it's a great aircraft overall, but it's really never been updated. Last annual expired in '18 when he took a turn for the worse and lost interest in flying it. I've run the engine, taxied it around etc. Basically done the best I could to keep it maintained for him until he hopefully recovered, but that time has passed.
At last annual it was well sorted out, new mags and a few things, all AD's good.
But, it's a basically an all original equipment 112TC with an engine right at TBO. Last compression checks were 76, 74, 74, 72/80 so it's still strong IMO.
I know for a fact he and I were extremely careful with boost and cooldowns, and was told the previous owner was as well, so I feel like the engine has some life left in it, but it's just a matter of time.
That said, I'm in an odd place with the aircraft economically. I can drop $60k+ for an engine and prop, and have an airplane worth $80k-ish because of the lack of panel update. For just a bit more than that I can get into an aircraft with a low time engine, panel upgrades etc.
I currently have an annual scheduled for late October and I think I'll make my decision about buying this one off the results of that. So, sometime in the next 6 months I'll either have a Commander, or be trying to sell one for his widow.
