Your First Piston Twin: Buy With Caution

The low prices of piston twins can be beyond tempting. Before succumbing, do your homework on insurance, maintenance, training and realistic costs.

Former astronaut Dr. Jay Apt with the only twin he ever owned, a Beech 18. Maintenance costs were about the same as his previous ride, a Bonanza. Rising fuel prices caused him to sell and return to Bonanza ownership.

We’ll skip through the cliches about the second engine on a twin getting you to the scene of the crash when the first fails and proceed straight to the bottom line: When it’s you and the ones you care about up there, at night, over mountains or water, a piston twin may just be the safest, most capable airplane available for the flying you do if you have a substantial flying budget, but not one that allows you entrance into the turbine world.

Notice that we said “may.” There are a lot of variables that go into the decision to buy a piston twin instead of a single. We’ll go through them in some detail and then give a thumbnail sketch of the piston twins on the market and our thoughts on them.

Rick Durden

Senior Editor Rick Durden has written for Aviation Consumer since 1994 and specializes in aviation law. Rick is an active CFII and holds an ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation. He is the author of The Thinking Pilot’s Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing It, Vols. 1 & 2.