"aluckyguess" wrote in message
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"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
ink.net...
I had a 79 Turbo Lance as a first airplane. A 79 is a T-tail. Not
surprisingly, it flys like a big PA28 since that is what it is. Control
forces are heavy in all three axis but you get used to this and most
pilots prefer this type of handling in instrument conditions. Nothing
about the maitenance is particularly unusual and there are no real "weak
points". You need to set the pitch and rudder trim properly before
takeoff, but that is about the only change from flying a PA28. The cg
with two large people in the front seats and full fuel is likely to be
forward of the limit and will require a higher approach speed in this
configuration. The airplane is very easy to land softly with someone in
the rear most seat. The turbo models tended to overheat at higher
altitudes and having a TurboPlus intercooler was a big advantage. Keep in
mind that there is a lot more "stuff" on a Lance (retractable gear,
probably autopilot, probably an HSI ect) and it all wears out, so the cost
is going to be a lot more than a PA28. I had mine a year and flew it
coast to coast twice and to Mexico once puting about 350hrs on it.
Lances, particularly the turbo ones offer a lot of capability for the
money.

Mike
MU-2
So why did you get rid of it? And what did you end up with. I have PA-28
180 and have been thinking about a new plane and a Lance was on the list.
I am now thinking about buying a friends V tail Bonanza.

I got rid of it because it lacked real weather capibility, particularly
known-ice certification. I kept getting stuck on the west side of the
Sierra waiting for the weather to improve enough to return to Minden, NV. I
replaced it with a Mitsubishi MU-2 Marquise. I had meetings that I *had* to
attend regardless of the weather.

Mike
MU-2