Alas...it is time to pay the Piper...

The engines on my SII are hours away from being runout. : (. The JT15D-4B is a very rare and hard engine to find. Especially parts. They are pretty specific to the SII of which they only built 151 of. I think a few might of come on the early Mitsubishi Diamond Jet before they switched to the -5's. There are 4's out there that have been converted to 4B's though they are not nearly as good as the originals. Due the shortage, Pratt has converted some 4's and even changed the Data Plate to read -4B. Still not as good.

Just drove back from Butte, MT. With my newly overhauled original JT15D-4B. Took almost a year to find one. I did not have my #1 overhauled as it had many rotables that would cycle out before the next TBO. That makes the overhaul not cost effective. Not that any overhaul is cost effective on a 30 year old airplane. If I can't find a second engine for my #2 side, I may have no choice but to overhaul it. The bad part is that parts are so rare, I was informed the overhaul coul take 3 to 5 months if I am lucky.

It's hard to believe the engine in that box could of been an extremely nice 246 or BB512. By the time I pay for the second engine, (Only 29 hours to go), I could of bought 1 of each. But, after the two non-stop 18 hour drives to Butte, (There and back in two days), I confirmed how much I HATE to drive. I could of flown there from KBFL in 1:30 minutes.
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Just out of curiousity, what's the range of pricing for an overhaul?

 

If it is done by a Designated Overhaul Facility, from 400K to the sky 's the limit. It all depends on the condition of the core and it's components. What can be overhauled, what needs to be replaced etc. HT blades are the scary part. 71 blades at 3500 each. And that's just the acquisition cost, not to include removing and inspecting your bad ones and labor to replace them. My fingernails won't grow back for a long time.

 

Ouch! Have you thought about having Sierra put the Williams engines on it?

 

Why did you drive yourself? Concerned with freight damage if shipping company was used? Which I agree with, just curious of your reasoning.

 

I would love to. I prefer the Clifford Conversion. I just can't afford it at 2.1 million. . If I could afford it, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

After doing it, I don't know why I did it. I must of eatin a hallucinogenic mushroom or something. I was concerned with damage. I pictured the 18 year old warehouse kid dropping it off of the forklift while texting his girlfriend. I have excellent insurance for that but, even with the best insurance, these engines a just very hard to find. I bought AS IS, WHERE IS. I just thought if the engine was going to get f'd up, I wanted to be the one that did it.

 

This just confirms how much I like my little 980...

 

980. Is that a Turbo Commander?

 

Yep.

 

Aero Commanders are by far my favorite airplane. Ted Smith is one of my aviation heroes. I had a 1956 AC560HC. A recip Commander with two 295 hp Lycoming GO480's. N2774B was a very successful dope plane in the 80's. Unfortunately, for the smuggler, he pissed off his building contractor by failing to pay him for services rendered. The Contractor ratted him off to the Feds. He was set up, then arrested. I bought the plane at auction in Miami. I flew her for many years and loved every second in that plane. Once you got use to the hydraulic nose wheel steering, you wouldn't want it any other way. Smith liked odd ways of guiding planes on the ground. The electric rocker switch on the Aerostar is another example I'm sure you're aware of. I had an old 601P for a short while prior to the 560. After going through a couple owners after me, 74B was destroyed during Hurricanr Katrina. I posted a couple pictures on this forum awhile back.

One of many good Commander stories is when Smith was going against Beech's T-Bone for the Govt. contract. He flew the Commander from Bethany, OK to Washington, DC with the #1 prop stored in the baggage bay. I have a picture of that event in flight. I don't know about the turbines but, the piston models had no Vmcg. Smugglers loved them because of the weight they carried. Basically, if you could close the doors, you could fly it. Are there pictures of your Commander on this forum. Is the 980 a Rockwell or a Gulfstream? Like I said, I don't know too much about the turbines. I do know I love their noisey Garretts. Did you own yours during the infamous wing AD. Luckily, mine was a short wing and therefore exempt. A lot of nice Commanders were needlessly scrapped back then. I could talk for days about Commanders. If I ever win the lotto, one of my first purchases would be a 500 Super Shrike.

 

Mine is somewhere, but I'll post another one.

My 980 is one of the later ones, technically mine says "Rockwell" on the side, but it was made shortly before they sold to Gulfstream. The late ones (generally referred to as "Jetprops") have a completely redesigned wing, with none of the issues of the earlier airplanes.

 

Here you go.
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NICE!! Absolutely Beautiful. Someday.....

 

Maybe we should trade... once you overhaul your engines.

Actually, I don't think I could give up my 300kts at 65gph.

 

The smallest 'Air Force One'.

Ike used a couple of them (U4)... 500 series.

The Connie (Columbine) was his main plane, before the 707.

 

HA! That's amazing. I can't even start up, get my clearance, and taxi to the active on 65 gallons. Above 280, I average 175gph. Below 280, I get around 240gph.

 

Well, you are, what, 100+ knots faster.

 

Very nice to see someone making the investment to keep a great plane flying.

 

Yes, 33% faster and 100% more fuel... But that said, there are times when that extra speed would be really nice.

 

The SII was the first Citation to exceed 400kts. She trues at 410kts. I remember when the SII first came out. It made the cover of Flying Magazine and the Headline was, "Finally, Cessna has a Jet."

 

More than the speed, I like being able to pop up to FL430 to be above most of the weather. I flew King Airs for many years and loved them. But, you mostly cruised between FL240 and FL280 right smack dab in the middle of it all. My first jet job was flying a straight CE500 for Fess Parker. I was coming back to Santa Ynez, CA. from Kentucky at FL410. While crossing over Salina, KS. There was tornado activity going on in the area. The skies below were jet black while I was in clear sunny skies above. I remember looking down at the blackness and thinking, man, I sure am glad I'm not down there at FL280 slugging it out in a 200 King Air. That is when I realized how spoiled I was in a Jet.

 

Thank you. I love my SII. I have been in this particular plane for 20 years. She is like a comfortable old leather shoe and flies and looks like new. I have come very close to getting another plane. Looked at the CJ4 and a V. I did not like the Pro Line 21 avionics on the CJ4 or the GNS XLS FMS on the V. I also don't like boots on the wing of a jet. Not that the SII's TKS system is any bowl of cherries but, the titanium leading edges look cooler than boots. I hope to keep my SII until I am too old to fly anymore. The only plane that I would probably trade my SII for, would be an Encore.

 

I agree with that! I've spent a lot of time up there as well, and thought the same thoughts.

The last 5 years in the 980, though, really haven't been all that bad. I suppose it helps that I have NEXRAD in the cockpit, which I never had in any of the jets I flew.

Altitude is nice, though.

The only airplane I've thought of trading into is a Sierra-converted 501SP. Not quite as fast as your airplane, but much less fuel burn, and similar (or better) altitude capability. But I don't see that happening anytime soon, if ever.

 

Maybe this would be more cost effective, how much smaller is the 501 vs 550? Not that you're worried about a few bucks.... I always thought the ISPs were cool. There is one that flies into Mountain Air. The runway is day-VFR only, is 2875 x 50 feet, and is at 4400 feet MSL.

1981 Cessna Citation 501SP Low Time New Avionics | eBay

Yours is a beauty!
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