Cost of Ownership

The hidden costs of folding gear

Buying a single-engine retractable instead of a comparable fixed-geared model means buying time, but often the advantage is very small. Is it worth it? Choose the right make and mode, and you might get home from a trip in time for prime rib instead of prime-time television. Or you could spend a little more time on the business or pleasure purpose of the trip. Why not forget those plans to buy a late-model Cessna 172 and get an older-model 172RG for nearly the same money? It sounds good until the bills come in. Then the hidden costs of owning retractables emerge — primarily maintenance and insurance costs. Annual inspections cost more because the gear must be swung and there's more to be inspected. Constant- speed propellers need an overhaul from time to time, generally costing less than $2,000. Insurance is about 30 percent more. But there is another cost to consider, the safety cost: Do retractables carry a safety penalty along with the financial one?

Only a slight one, statistics show. A new study by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF) indicates there is indeed a slightly higher accident rate for retractables, but owners can reduce the risk through recurrency training and conscientious flying. The study, to be published shortly, compares the fixed-gear Piper Cherokee and the retractable Piper Arrow. But the study also averages together data for 12 other aircraft comparable to the two Piper models. Retractable gear plays a direct role in the accident rate. For example, landing gear was called "a factor" in 14.5 percent of Arrow accidents studied but was cited in only 8.5 percent of the fixed-gear Cherokee accidents. Data for the other 12 aircraft show a similar story. Many of the retractable accidents could have been prevented by use of check lists and a thorough understanding of emergency gear extension procedures, the ASF study found. (To obtain a copy of the $25.95 study, call ASF at 800/638-3101.)

The moral of the study is to become well trained and experienced in the make and model of retractable you wish to buy before becoming an owner, something easier said than done if it is not available in the local rental fleet. Your insurance company will appreciate the extra experience, though, and reward you with lower premiums.

Piper Saratoga and Cherokee Six

Although insurance rates are generally 30 percent higher for retractables, there are exceptions — both higher and lower. The AOPA Insurance Agency in Wichita said insurance for a retractable-gear Piper Saratoga is 66 percent more for the average pilot than a fixed-gear Cherokee Six 300. The "typical" pilot used for the quote was a 500-hour pilot with an instrument rating and 25 hours in make and model. Our hypothetical retractable pilot also had 100 hours of retractable time. Operating costs offer better news, however.

The difference in operating cost between the two aircraft was only 12 percent, as estimated by Frederick Aviation of Frederick, Maryland, one of the shops sharing maintenance costs with us. Frederick Aviation Marketing Director Bill Caudell said his estimates do not include an engine overhaul fund.

The bottom line is that the Saratoga owner in our example pays about $1,000 per year more in maintenance and insurance, and what does that buy? A speed gain of 10 knots, according to Piper owner's manuals. Dealers like to point out that retractables are faster and therefore deliver more miles for that extra money, but practically speaking, that is probably not true. Your friends, business contacts, and favorite destinations are not going to move farther away just because you bought a retractable. The real savings is time: The owner who once flew 200 hours a year in a Cherokee Six 300 will complete those same trips in 186 hours in a Saratoga. But on a per-trip basis, the savings may come only 20 minutes at a time. The payload, after filling the tanks, is actually 300 pounds higher for the Cherokee Six 300 because it carries less fuel and does not have the weight of the retractable gear system.

The same general relationship between operating cost and speed holds true for less expensive retractables, with one exception; the less- expensive retractables get a better break on insurance. Generally speaking, light retractables cost 25 to 35 percent more to insure than comparable fixed-gear aircraft.

Beech Sierra and Sundowner

The actual premium, of course, is dependent on many variables. The AOPA Insurance Agency estimates that a less experienced pilot will pay 37 percent more to insure a retractable Beech Sierra, compared to a fixed- gear Beech Sundowner; a 1,000-hour pilot with 100 hours retractable time and 25 hours in make and model will pay only 32 percent more. In the models used for this article, experienced pilots saved about 5 percent over lower-time pilots. Operating costs for the Sierra will be higher than for most single-engine retractables because Beech parts cost more, said Matt Hagans of Indiana Aircraft Sales in Indianapolis.

Operating costs vary widely, making direct comparisons between retractables and fixed-gear aircraft difficult. For example, Jim Davis of Severna Park, Maryland, said a Sundowner he operated 40 hours a year cost $85 an hour for all costs. (Low usage generally results in higher per-hour numbers.) Former Sundowner owner Brian D. Stites of Sparks, Maryland, flew 125 hours per year and saw his operating costs, including insurance, drop to $49.80 per hour.

Again, what do you get for the extra money? Maryland Airlines, a flight school and charter operator in Easton, Maryland, which operates a Sundowner and Sierra, said the Sierra is 10 knots faster.

Cessna 172 and 172RG

A Cessna 172RG for a 500-hour pilot with 25 hours in make and model costs 28 percent more to insure than a Cessna 172, AOPA Insurance Agency officials said. A 1,000-hour pilot with 100 hours of experience in a 172RG would pay only 23 percent more than the Cessna 172 owner. Although the insurance news is good, performance news is not. The 172RG was primarily built for training, not for speed. Although the 172RG has a 180-horsepower engine, compared to 160 hp for later-model 172s, and owner's manuals promise speed gains of 20 knots for the 172RG, many owners report far less; some get only 10 knots more than a 172 on average flights. The 172RG useful load, depending on the model, is only 100 to 150 pounds more than a 172.

Operating costs for a Cutlass 172RG are about 17 percent more than a normal Cessna 172, dealers and owners estimate, partially because the lower-horsepower Cessna 172 engine burns 1 to 2 gallons less fuel per hour. Actual numbers from Indiana Aircraft Sales and Dulles Aviation in Manassas, Virginia, suggest the average Cessna 172RG owner will pay at least $55 an hour.

By comparison, George A. Simmons of Herndon, Virginia, who operates a Cessna 172 flying club, says his two 150-hp fixed-gear 172s cost $47.45 an hour, flying 165 hours per year.

Cessna 182RG and 182

If a fixed-gear model can be modified to go as fast as its retractable counterpart, why bother with the extra expense and complexity? That may be the case with the 182RG and 182, the Cessna Pilots Association said. Airframe streamlining will give the fixed-gear Cessna 182 another 8 knots, association officials said. Without modifications, there's a 15-knot speed difference. But engine overhaul costs should also be considered; the Lycoming O-540 engine on the 182RG has a recommended time between overhauls of 2,000 hours, compared to the Continental O-470 on the fixed- gear 182, which has a TBO of 1,500 hours. Owner's manuals show the useful loads of the retractable and fixed-gear models are similar, with the fixed-gear version carrying 20 pounds more.

Cessna 177RG and 177 Cardinal

John Bouyea of Hillsboro, Oregon, puts 150 hours a year on his fixed-gear Cardinal, flying it to and from work at MentorPlus Software. He said the cost of operating the 1969 model is $45 an hour. That figure seems low because he has his own hangar. If he rented a hangar, his total operating costs would top $60 an hour.

For a rough comparison, a Cardinal 177RG owned by aviation attorney Ron Golden of Frederick, Maryland, operates for $106 per hour. That seems high, but Golden allows a $10-per-hour overhaul fund because his last engine did not make it to TBO. He also allows a $5-per-hour miscellaneous fund to allow for updating his avionics database. Dealers say models in the early 1970s had difficulties with the gear system. (Other dealers also point out that the Cardinal model resale value is lower than for comparable aircraft.)

The aircraft are nearly similar in useful load, but the 177RG is 20 to 25 knots faster (the RG model has a Lycoming IO-360 rated at 200 hp, while the fixed-gear model has a Lycoming O-320 150-hp engine). That's the sort of speed advantage that sells retractables.

Piper Arrow and Archer

The Piper Arrow also seems a good bet to deliver maximum knots per dollar, compared to a fixed-gear Archer. Insurance for the Arrow is the standard 30 percent more, but the Arrow uses its 20 extra horsepower to deliver more than 15 knots greater speed, depending on altitude and power setting. The Archer's payload with full fuel is actually 20 pounds less than the Arrow.

If you don't mind spending extra travel time and fly relatively short distances, it may seem uneconomical to pull up the gear. But if you need the speed, time is money. In addition to a time machine, you get better climb performance and valuable retractable time in the logbook, which can lower insurance premiums for future aircraft purchases.

Some might question whether a 20-minute-per-trip savings alone is worth the extra expense. They would be overlooking an intangible value of flying a retractable, the ego boost that goes with flying heavier iron. Many pilots are willing to pay (or borrow) extra for it.