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Reader Correspondence—July 2024

Older planes take lots of creative work, and in aviation lingo that translates to dollars and time in finding parts, plus labor for upkeep, etc.

BEST first PISTON TWIN

I read the article “Your First Piston Twin: Buy With Caution” in the May 2024 issue of Aviation Consumer and can weigh in.

I own the very first Beech Travel Air ever sold. N343B (serial number TD-2) was built in 1957 and sold in 1958. When I told my father I was going to restore it, he said only two groups do this—the military who has no regard for cost, and fools who don’t know better. I now have a state-of-the-art avionics suite including a digital autopilot (Genesis/STEC 3100), Avidyne IFD-series navigators and an Aspen Pro Max EFIS. Plus, the aircraft has air conditioning as well as $70,000 worth of paint and interior work.