Hey I was looking for info on Mirages, and would like to know if any of you guys ever flew one to get a a pilot's opinion on the aircraft.
Is it well suited for a private owner, for business trips? If I read well, I saw a max differential, so I guess it must be pressurized?
If anybody can help, I'll welcome any info on it!
Thks
Piper Mirage
Moderators: North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, I WAS Birddog
-
Jaques Strappe
- Rank (9)
- Posts: 1847
- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 6:34 pm
- Location: YYZ
I have about 450 hrs in a Mirage. In fact it was the first one in Canada.
Great airplane. I would do Buttonville Florida non-stop most of the time. If the weather / wind wasn't favourable, I would stop in Greensboro N.C
At the time, we had the Mirage and a C-421. The Mirage flew circles around the 421. The airplane is a really nice stable instrument platform and maintains that stability up to FL250 were you can cruise at about 225 kts. ( Piston Version ) At the time, all the ACC's thought I was a Cheyenne.
The only draw back is that it all comes down to one engine. If you don't mind that, she is a great machine that will out perform most twins.
If you have any questions, just PM me.
Great airplane. I would do Buttonville Florida non-stop most of the time. If the weather / wind wasn't favourable, I would stop in Greensboro N.C
At the time, we had the Mirage and a C-421. The Mirage flew circles around the 421. The airplane is a really nice stable instrument platform and maintains that stability up to FL250 were you can cruise at about 225 kts. ( Piston Version ) At the time, all the ACC's thought I was a Cheyenne.
The only draw back is that it all comes down to one engine. If you don't mind that, she is a great machine that will out perform most twins.
If you have any questions, just PM me.
Jaques Strappe's review was very good, i've got about 100 hours on a mirage and they were great for flying south. Buttonville to florida no problem. One thing i didn't like however but you get this with most singles (or twins as well) is that you couldn't fill the seats and get much fuel in either. If you've got a family of 4 or 5 you'll be making frequent stops for fuel, and at +35gph on the climbout it gets pricey to climb back up to altitude.
Having a pressurized single though does have some great advantages... since it flies very comfortably at FL180 and above, you really do get away with very little weather which is nice for a private aircraft.
If you've got the money to spend on getting it outright then it's a nice aircraft to have for yourself, however... you might hear this a few times from people ===> it might be more practical to partner up on a pilatus. You'll be spending around the same amount of money either way, but you'll get a much more rugged and versitile aircraft with the later.... but it wont be all yours, which can be a drawback on it's own.
All in all though, even though there were some issues (replaced crankshaft, turbo's, and a blown cylinder) the malibu was still a nice aircraft to fly. oh, before i forgot, if you are a tall person, the malibu is not for you. I'm just over 5'10'' and my headset was constantly touching the roof of the aircraft, and that frigg'n hurts in turbulance cause it isn't a padded ceiling at the front.
Having a pressurized single though does have some great advantages... since it flies very comfortably at FL180 and above, you really do get away with very little weather which is nice for a private aircraft.
If you've got the money to spend on getting it outright then it's a nice aircraft to have for yourself, however... you might hear this a few times from people ===> it might be more practical to partner up on a pilatus. You'll be spending around the same amount of money either way, but you'll get a much more rugged and versitile aircraft with the later.... but it wont be all yours, which can be a drawback on it's own.
All in all though, even though there were some issues (replaced crankshaft, turbo's, and a blown cylinder) the malibu was still a nice aircraft to fly. oh, before i forgot, if you are a tall person, the malibu is not for you. I'm just over 5'10'' and my headset was constantly touching the roof of the aircraft, and that frigg'n hurts in turbulance cause it isn't a padded ceiling at the front.
Punch it Chewy!
The TCM Malibu & Lycoming Mirage both have a very colourful history of engine problems, which makes me a bit nervous in a single-engine airplane.
Start reading here:
http://www.avweb.com/news/usedacft/182792-1.html
Start reading here:
http://www.avweb.com/news/usedacft/182792-1.html
-
Jaques Strappe
- Rank (9)
- Posts: 1847
- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 6:34 pm
- Location: YYZ
That was a good article. I do remember a few instances with problems but all of them were attributed to low time pilots with too much money flying too much airplane, being the main problem.
Mr Voortman of Voortman Cookies had a Pa 46-310 ( Continental powered ) and lost the engine on takeoff in Burlington. He walked away and bought the PA 46-350 ( lycoming ) to replace the original airplane. That was a definete engine problem and was not attributed to him.
If I remember correctly, the Mirage engine is what is in the Chieftan isn't it?
Mr Voortman of Voortman Cookies had a Pa 46-310 ( Continental powered ) and lost the engine on takeoff in Burlington. He walked away and bought the PA 46-350 ( lycoming ) to replace the original airplane. That was a definete engine problem and was not attributed to him.
If I remember correctly, the Mirage engine is what is in the Chieftan isn't it?
Direct turbine conversions of piston-engine aircraft are rarely very successful. If you look hard enough, you can find turbine Bonanzas and even turbine Maules (I am not making this up).
If you compare say the Cheyenne to the Navajo, or the Meridian to the Malibu, you can see that other significant airframe changes (than just powerplant) are usually required to make a useful and competitive aircraft.
For that matter, I don't think many people consider the Cheyenne or the Meridian much of a raging success.
Personally, I've always had a soft spot for the TBM-700, which was designed from the ground up as a turbine aircraft.
If you compare say the Cheyenne to the Navajo, or the Meridian to the Malibu, you can see that other significant airframe changes (than just powerplant) are usually required to make a useful and competitive aircraft.
For that matter, I don't think many people consider the Cheyenne or the Meridian much of a raging success.
Personally, I've always had a soft spot for the TBM-700, which was designed from the ground up as a turbine aircraft.
