Bid to buy the Beechcraft was rigged?

Bret Ludwig wrote:

The company is not being accused of plumping the price as far as I
know, the "beef" is against the state buying officials who decided they
wanted the $750K Bonanza vs. the $350K Cirrus despite the latter
properly fulfilling the stated bid requirements.

How long would the state have had to wait for delivery of a Cirrus vs a
Beechcraft?

The cited article said:

"MnDOT officials said they simply decided to trade in the old plane
rather than add to their fleet."

Which raises the question, did they really pay $700k for the Beechcraft,
or did they pay significantly less after trading in their old Beechcraft
(which Cirrus may or may not have been willing to take in trade)?

The purchase deserves scrutiny, but one should not just assume that a
plastic Cirrus (what's that airframe life limit now?) would be equally
suited for all missions as a six-seater Beechcraft.


--
"You can support the troops but not the president"
--Representative Tom Delay (R-TX), during the Kosovo war.

The SR-22 has an 1150 pound useful load. That's four 166 pounders with
full fuel, or four 200 pounders with (a still respectable) 58 gallons
on board.

Its a space issue. Sitting in the back of an A36 is almost like sitting
in the back of an airline. Sitting in the back of an SR22 is like
sitting in the back of a VW bug. For non-GA people being shuttled
around on business, it could make a big difference.

-Robert

Why?

You are asking why I think it would be unethical to take advantage of a
no-bid situation? Ethics are something based on personal values and
standards. It's my opinion that it would be unethical, I don't need any
more justification than that. I think you'll find that most company's
internal standards and conducts guides also probit the same.

-robert

In my opinion, the Bonanza is a better plane than the SR22, though it
would seem to make sense that the State of MN should purchase a plane
manufactured by a MN company

Kinda like the flack that Bill Richards got for buying a Citation (or
similar) rather than an Eclipse (which isn't even certified yet).

-robert

xyzzy wrote:

The purchase deserves scrutiny, but one should not just assume that a
plastic Cirrus (what's that airframe life limit now?)

12,500 hours last I read...

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
The SR-22 has an 1150 pound useful load. That's four 166 pounders with
full fuel, or four 200 pounders with (a still respectable) 58 gallons
on board.

Its a space issue. Sitting in the back of an A36 is almost like sitting
in the back of an airline. Sitting in the back of an SR22 is like
sitting in the back of a VW bug. For non-GA people being shuttled
around on business, it could make a big difference.

-Robert

VW Bug vs.airliner........soooooo what's the difference?

"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message oups.com...
The SR-22 has an 1150 pound useful load. That's four 166 pounders with
full fuel, or four 200 pounders with (a still respectable) 58 gallons
on board.

Its a space issue. Sitting in the back of an A36 is almost like sitting
in the back of an airline. Sitting in the back of an SR22 is like
sitting in the back of a VW bug. For non-GA people being shuttled
around on business, it could make a big difference.

-Robert


I'm just glad the state bought a small GA plane and they are using it to keep their small airport infrastructure
up-to-date and active. Isn't the insurance pretty out of sight on the Cirrus also? I figure the state will self insure,
but even they play the odds when they figure costs. How do the operating costs compare, anyway?

Dave Stadt wrote:
"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
oups.com...
The SR-22 has an 1150 pound useful load. That's four 166 pounders with
full fuel, or four 200 pounders with (a still respectable) 58 gallons
on board.

Its a space issue. Sitting in the back of an A36 is almost like sitting
in the back of an airline. Sitting in the back of an SR22 is like
sitting in the back of a VW bug. For non-GA people being shuttled
around on business, it could make a big difference.

-Robert

VW Bug vs.airliner........soooooo what's the difference?
VW Bugs have more room.

In article . com,
"Robert M. Gary" wrote:
In my opinion, the Bonanza is a better plane than the SR22

Well, a Citation is also better than a King air but they are different
planes. The SR22 is a good 2 person business plane (you can put kids in
the back but not suits), the Bonanza is a good 4/5 person plane.
-Robert

The Citation and King Air are different airplanes marketed to different
target audiences. The SR22 and Bonanza are marketed to the same target
audience as far as I can tell.

I agree that the Bonanza is more suited to the mission that you describe
above, but calling the SR22 a 2 person airplane is so misleading that
it's just wrong. The SR22 has ample room and useful load for 4 adults.
I'm not sure how many "suits" would be riding around in a Bonanza these
days anyway.



JKG