Looking at Beech Sundowners ...

Anyone here know any pluses or minuses about them? Specifics (other than
all the usual every-airplane items) to look at on pre-buys?

Thanks in advance.

unicate wrote:
Anyone here know any pluses or minuses about them? Specifics (other than
all the usual every-airplane items) to look at on pre-buys?

Thanks in advance.


I have a '76, re-engined, painted and paneled through the mid-90's.

Plenty of excellent info @ www.beecheroclub.org. A membership might be
a great value to help investigate the plane.

My comments:

Positives:
- roomy
- two cabin doors
- STRONG and durable - twice the G ratings of a PA28, can even be spin-legal
- very durable landing gear
- great view out the front and down to the sides
- many examples were never basic trainers or FBO rentals
- less expensive than some comparables
- easy to fly

Minuses:
- durable landing gear uncomfortable if "donuts" need replacement
- slightly slower than comparable 180 HP aircraft (it's wider! G)
- not as many mods available as Piper & Cessna products.
- no height adjustment in seats
- slightly nose heavy (actually a positive if you carry back seat pax often)
- slightly less usable load than comparable planes

Neutral points:
- slightly higher sink rate than comparibles (better in x-wind, not as
good in glide)
- some switches and gauges hard to use from right seat
- won't turn on the ground without brakes
- flap retraction is much more necessary than some planes for good braking


I'd buy mine again, it's been a great plane.

B A R R Y wrote:
I have a '76, re-engined, painted and paneled through the mid-90's.

Plenty of excellent info @ www.beecheroclub.org. A membership might be
a great value to help investigate the plane.

My comments:

[snipped]

Thanks very much for your very informative response. I'd heard someone
say they were "squirrelly" and by the look of it, I couldn't see why it
would be. I don't care about it being slower than other 180 hps, I
currently have a Varga (150 hp). Not about speed, for me, anyway.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer.

unicate wrote:
B A R R Y wrote:
I have a '76, re-engined, painted and paneled through the mid-90's.


Thanks very much for your very informative response. I'd heard someone
say they were "squirrelly" and by the look of it, I couldn't see why it
would be.

Now THAT'S one I've never heard. G The BE23 airframe is a very stable
flyer, it's even got a linkage between the ailerons and rudder that
helps coordinate turns.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that PA28's side slip better than
BE23's. On the other hand, since the BE23 sinks slightly faster when
the power is removed, you don't need to slip so much!

Anyone here know any pluses or minuses about them? Specifics (other than
all the usual every-airplane items) to look at on pre-buys?

I've looked closely at exactly one Sundowner, but here are a few odds and
ends that might be worth knowing:

- Genuine Beech parts are breathtakingly expensive, even for little things.
You can get prices online from Raytheon's parts site, RAPID
(https://parts.raytheonaircraft.com/R...ssl/login.asp). For example,
the weatherstripping on the baggage door was going for something close to
$2000 (that's two thousand dollars) last I checked. The good news is that
less expensive replacements are often available, such as the aforementioned
weatherstripping. Beech Aero Club (BAC) is a great place to find sources for
those kinds of things.

- The Sundowner's (and other Musketeer types) reputation for being hard to
land is undeserved, in my opinion. It will feel a little nose heavy if
you're used to Cessnas as I was -- just fly the recommended approach speed
and keep the nose up in the flare.

- Compared with other planes I've flown, it felt extremely stable without
feeling heavy on the controls.

- Be sure to look inside the fuselage during the inspection and pay
attention to those foil-covered panels on the sides. Those are not to make
the airplane quieter (which is what the seller said), they are
vibration-dampening honeycomb panels that keep the skins from flexing and
from cracking due to fatigue. They don't affect airworthiness, but if
they're in bad shape, they can't be ignored.

- The exterior plastic parts (wing tips, fairings, etc.) deform easily,
unlike fiberglass. On the one I looked at (and this is common, I'm told),
pretty much every screw had been overtorqued, which caused the edges of the
plastic to buckle. There's not much to do about it during the inspection,
but your future mechanic should be aware of it.

- There are a number of special places where corrosion lurks. I can't bring
them to mind just now, but ask on BAC, and then make sure your inspector
checks those places.

Have fun with your purchase.

Tom Young

People who say they are Squirrelly, never really learned to fly them.
They are not as forgiving as Pipers or Cezznas if you cannot control speed
and glide slope on final.
They demand a pilot... not a driver.

BT

wrote in message
...
B A R R Y wrote:
I have a '76, re-engined, painted and paneled through the mid-90's.

Plenty of excellent info @ www.beecheroclub.org. A membership might be
a great value to help investigate the plane.

My comments:

[snipped]

Thanks very much for your very informative response. I'd heard someone
say they were "squirrelly" and by the look of it, I couldn't see why it
would be. I don't care about it being slower than other 180 hps, I
currently have a Varga (150 hp). Not about speed, for me, anyway.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer.

I think they are a nice plane. It sounds perfect for what you want. I have
p28-180 and I had a sport. Beach is a better product. Parts are more
expensive.