Why are some aircraft More expensive than Others..Read further to understand question.?

Question

There are many different kinds of aircraft in commercial use today. And the 2 aircraft I am going to mention are both great, but there are very important noticeable differences about them, and the one that should be cheaper is twice as expensive as the other. Now I have researched both aircraft in different websites selling aircraft and they are about the same on all of them. And I have noticed this quite a bit with different aircraft as well. Is it the Name that costs more?

Aircraft 1: 1984 Westwind II Price, $1,800,000

The Westwind II is a jet aircraft with Max Speed of 450 MPH and a Range of 2400nm. It seats up to 8 in a extremely comfortable arrangement. It also has a Lavatory on board. Up to date Avionics and 4265 Hours on Airframe.

Aircraft2 is a 93' Beech King Air 350: $3,500,000, The 350 has 4372 Hours on Airframe, up to date avionics, no Lavatory, seats 8 , and is a TurboProp with Max Speed of 329MPH and Max Range of 1670 nm.

Answer 1

Age is a factor... most certainly.. and maintenance costs per hour are a huge factor.  Do not discout the difference in the avionics/autopilot/FMS/ systems on the aircraft. You could probably almost buy that WestWind for the cost of the new EFIS/AP/FMS system in the new King Air.

I flew right seat on a "bagel bomber" back in 1988 and it was a nice airplane, but it had very basic equipment. You say "up to date" avionics... what does that mean? Your idea of up to date probably isn't the same as mine.  The systems may LOOK the same but that doesn't make them the same. It has GPS.. what does that mean? I have GPS on my lap top.. I have GPS in my truck (TOMTOM) so what?? that is not a $150,000 GPS  Sperry system that has the entire WORLD programmed in with approaches, holds etc..  I would bet you that the King Air has a coupled FMS and the 1124WW doesn't. Color Radar... whooooo there goes some more money...  

You make it sound as if they are equal in engine time and airframe time... well.. remember that a jet is MUCH faster than a prop.. so it has a LOT more miles on it... that means more takeoffs/landings... also know as cycles. What about AD's ??? If there is an expensive inspection that has to be done routinely because of a flaw.. that can cost you HUGE..   and you better look to see where the airframes and engines are in their cycles for inspection as well... you can be coming up on a major check.. and that will drop the price of an airplane to nothing... not only is the inspection exspensive.. but you don't know what else they are going to find in there while they are alooking around... surprise! There goes another quarter million.  

Parts availability and service.. you roll into Bozo field... and odds are they know what a King Air is, and where to get parts for one... with the Jet Commander/West Wind... you don't see them so often.. that could be another problem. Good luck telling the boss that you are grounded for a part that has to come from East Goatherd and they are not sure that it is the correct one.

Operating costs are everything.. the engines may be what they are supposed to be.. they may not.. and if they are closer to a hot section than the numbers indicate..  you could be flying a VERY inefficient machine. Jets offer higher performance and demand more fuel for that luxury.. and if you are making a lot of short trips... say less than 200 - 300 miles.. that turboprop will really hurt a jet operators feelings when you look at fuel economy.. you have to get a jet up HIGH and keep it there for a while to make money... if you operate in a high traffic short hop area.. you will get eaten alive buring fuel down low trying to get away from the busy airports.. and if they hold you down low...because you are not going that far.... you will never make it up to altitude in time to reach the break even point. Cha-ching... more money gone.

Comfort.. I *don't* know... if I would give the WW that much of an advantage over the King Air 350... that is a very nice machine...  what about training costs... You are going to be more likely to find pilots qualified in the KA, than in the WW... and you know us snotty jet pilots want MORE money than a lowly turbo prop driver. You picked the KA with a type rating or you would be looking at MORE expense there... but.. I would almost be willing to guess that a WW type rating is going to cost you more than a KA 350.. but that would be just a guess.

Then there is product loyalty... a lot of guys LOVE  P&W engines.. and are not too fond of Garretts...  I have a lot more time in Garretts.. and while I have had a ton of failures in them.. it was generally caused by maintenance errors... I have no problem with the reliability of them... but the guy writing the check might.

Then there is the X Factor... believe me...   if the planes was worth more than the price at which it was offered.. it would be snapped up FAST.  The opposite can also be true.. and someone could have the plane up for sale at a VERY high price just incase they get a sucker.

Answer 2

First the Beechcraft is the "Cadillac" of aircraft to some. Second and most important, all aircraft are built for a particular market or mission in mind. When building an aircraft there are give and takes or compromises. The cabin of the King  Air could seat up to twelve passengers if I remember correctly(it is just configured for 8) where as the Westwind has a maximum of 8 seats. The range of both aircraft is for full fuel and no aircraft can take-off with full tanks of fuel and all seats filled. With that said the King Air is more built for a range in the 500-750 NM which compared to the jet will have very similar flight times. So the King Air probably could take off and land with all seats filled and enough fuel to go 500-750NM with reserves but the Westwind probably can't fly 1000NM with 8 passengers and enough fuel plus the reserve fuel required. The Westwind is built for flights over 1000NM.  The King Air can fly into dirt or grass (unimproved) runways and also can land probably in less than 2500 ft making 1000's of small airports available to the King Air that the Westwind can't land or take off from plus the Westwind is certified under different rules than the King Air. The King Air  I believe  can be flown single pilot where the Westwind will require 2 pilots to operate. Those are just a few of the things I can think of off the top of my head. Hope this helps. You see it is all about what you want in an aircraft.

Answer 3

I'm guessing it's because one aircraft is more difficult to manufacture then the other. If the turboprop is more intricate and has more complexity to it, then it would make sense if it were more expensive. It was probably also made under tighter tolerances and have a lower margin of error in dimensions. Maybe there are also unusual procedures that manufacturers must perform and that can add up costs, too.

It's like comparing the F-22 and the B-2. While the F-22 has less range....

they both have stealth and the F-22 can definitely outclass the B-2 in any air-to-air engagements. F-22 is also more versatile, has air-to-air as well as some air-to-ground capabilities. F-22 can outspeed the B-2.

Price tags? B-2 is $1.157 billion, F-22 is $142 million. This is because so many unconventional measures were taken to ensure the B-2's stealth characteristics.

Answer 4

Just to add a little info.  You never know where the majority of its life has been spent.  Has it always been an American registered arcft or has it been in foreign hands for sometime? That can be big one especially when researching AD compliance and logbook records.  Also the geographic location can wreak havoc on an airframe new or old.  Case in point, we have Wayne Newtons Fokker on the field.  It "looks" fine but it is no longer airworthy due to its previous geological location with salt air and lack of care.  The wing spars are both shot and would be more expensive than its worth to fix it.  Like I say it looks fine.

Answer 5

Age is a factor, as are avionics.  So, especially nowadays, is fuel consumption.  Yet another factor is required field length.  Check with Trade-a-Plane, or your broker.

Answer 6

Well turboprop are just jet engines with a gearbox  and prop so a turboprop is probably little more expensive , plus  beech aircraft is a big company where I've never even heard of westwind and the beech is nine years newer

Answer 7

You already have some great answers.   I'll just chime in with my two cents because I have flown both airplanes that you mention.

"Up to date avionics" in the Westwind?  They were up to date in 1980.  It's possible that it has an updated FMS or GPS, but it is far from the integrated avionics that go into new King Air 350s.

The King Air will seat 8 far more comfortably than the Westwind.   The Westwind does not have the 2400 mile range with 8 passengers.  It tends to be a runway hog when heavy.  There was a day that we had 5 passengers, luggage, and as much fuel as we could take, which  was about 150 gallons short of full.  We needed over 9,000 feet of runway for takeoff.  Loading the King Air is much less critical.  It is a workhorse.  Most of the time, you can fill it with both people and fuel.  Not many planes can do that.  Even when it's heavy, the King Air can easily get in and out of 3,500 foot runway.

Maintenance is a big issue.  The King Air is a reliable plane with lots of parts and maintenance support available.  The Westwind has been out of production for 20 years.  General Dynamics (parent company of Gulfstream) still provides parts support, but it is hard to find anybody who will touch the plane when it needs maintenance on the road.  And it's an aging plane.  There tend to be lots of problems that come up: electrical issues, leaking fuel tanks (common in Westwinds), and an occasional mechanical failure.  I've had to write up maintenance issues in the Westwind at a much higher rate than any other plane I've flown.

Both planes are built for different missions.  King Air: efficiency on shorter flights, short runways, big loads.  Westwind: needs longer runways, but has a great range for longer flights and is fairly efficient on flights longer than a couple hours.

With all of that said, the Westwind is probably the best value you can find in used jet.  No other plane will get you that kind of speed and range for under $2 million.  It's not a bad plane if you can suck up the maintenance costs.