|
In general, the Piper Dakota is a wonderful airplane - probably one of the best that Piper ever made. However, the Turbo Dakota is a little different story, but not necessarily bad. (I should qualify this by saying I have never flown the T-Dakota, but I know a little bit about them).
I have a Turbo Arrow which has the same engine as the Turbo Dakota. Unlike the standard Dakota with its 235hp, the Turbo Dakota has a 200hp TSIO-360 which is prone to the overheating problems you mentioned. When climbing you have to be careful to keep your cylinder head temperatures down by climbing a little faster and by having a light hand on the mixture control. You might want to read the comments in this forum comparing the Tubro Arrow and the 172RG for more information.
On paper the Turbo Dakota sounds great, but if you don't need the high altitude capabilities, you might want to look at the standard Dakota which is no slouch.
One final comment... The standard Dakota is a high performance airplane (requiring an endorsement), where the Turbo Dakota is not. That might make a difference to an insurance company due to your low time. You should check into it before you leap.
[This message has been edited by SeaAir (edited 04-01-2002).]
|