Doesnt every fighter pilot fly the T-38 at some point ??

No. Navy ones don't.

I have Mil Comp'd Commercial ASEL, AMEL, MEI, CFII-Airplane, CFII-Helicopter, and a couple types ratings.

Had Commercial Helicopter from civilian flying.

Did ATP & 737 type rating at Higher Power before my written for the old way expired.

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USAF, yes. Also, there were times in the 90's when B-1 and B-52 assignments came from T-38's too, but I think that has gone back and forth to the T-1 some. No idea what the current path is for bombers.

Back to the original topic..no..I dont have a plane. I used to have a wicked snowblower..but the ex got it in the divorce. No worries..I do have a Commercial ASEL and a 737 type from Higher Power as well..had to cover all the bases back in 99..they were awesome! Cheers!
CG

Not at DAL, but my wife and I are the sole owners of a 2006 Columbia 400 with the G1000 suite. No FIKI, but a hot prop.. Bird is a magic carpet Bought it through a UA guy who runs a brokerage.

Climb rate at max gross of 3900 lbs is about 1400 fpm, tapering off to 1000 fpm in the high teens. She'll do 200 knots lean of peak, about 16 gph. Max cruise is 235 knots at FL250 but nobody runs their engines that hard. Max range is around 900 nm, no-wind. Block fuel burn is right on 18 gph.

As for how much it costs to run... You know the old aviation saying. How much money does it take? All of it...

Niceeeee!!!! So jealous! Looking at a club that has a 350, seems like a great bird. PM inbound.

Happy to help! The greatest thing about the Columbia line is the airframe integrity; it's a Utility category aircraft (4.4Gs), with dual carbon fiber wing spars that stretch across the entire wingspan; the wing is actually built in one piece, rather than two wings. Then the fuselage is bolted on top of the v wing. Check out Sean Tucker's YouTube acro routine in a -400.

While it doesn't have a chute like a Cirrus, the Columbia line has a stellar safety record. The fuselage is tremendously strong, as is the wing; there have been some horrific-looking accidents where the pilots just walked away. I have a fair bit of time in Cirri, and the build quality on the Columbias is light-years ahead. The -400 is an honest 20 knots faster than the SR22T, and gets to altitude much quicker. Wing loading is higher than the Cirrus, so it handles turbulence better. The only performance advantage for the Cirrus is its slightly better short-field capability, but I've taken my -400 into 2,400-ft strips with no issue.

The -350 is a great bird. It obviously doesn't have the high-alt performance of the -400, but is as fast as the -400 below 8,000'. And it will make FL180 if you are patient. But at the altitudes most GA guys fly, you won't be giving up much to the -400.

The dual electric system is great. If one alternator fails, just turn on the crosstie. Two batteries (three if you have FIKI). The G1000 has redundant screens. About the only thing that isn't dual-redundant is the engine. It even has a master warning and caution system, much like EICAS, with audible alerts. The GFC700 AP is vastly better than any 121 turbine aircraft I've flown... it's got all the usual modes including FLC and full VNV capability.

Pet peeves with Columbias:
- Free-steering nosewheel makes it a challenge to maneuver in tight ramp spaces
- Tires last maybe 200 hours- Tire pressures are insanely annoying to check (so most guys ignore them, hence the short life)
- Some onerous recurring mx items, like a 10-yr mandatory seatbelt replacement, mandatory replacement of one battery every other year, etc. But a Cirrus chute repack is $15k so it's kind of a wash.
It's an amazing airplane

Thanks Turbosina. I've been looking at Columbia, Lancair and Cirrus. Until the wife is onboard, it's just looking. The immediate future will be a few hours of renting a Cirrus.

As far as headsets go, is the Columbia quiet enough for an in ear like Bose Proflight or would you recommend an over the ear model like the A20?

Not a Delta guy but, my ride is a Cessna 185. Of all the airplanes I’ve owned, this one has been the most challenging and I’ve learned some very expensive lessons with it. New engine, prop and avionics. This is after I paid top dollar for what I thought was a great, fly till I retire airplane.
The good thing is I’m close to having it payed for and except for an autopilot, I’m pretty satisfied with what I have and it should be my last plane. I feel very fortunate to own it.
I probably just jinxed myself....
It is a very versatile aircraft though. It will almost carry what it weighs and when the wheel pants are on, I ROP cruise at 145knots and 15-16 GPH, LOP it’s 135 knots and around 11 GPH. Big tires slow it down about 5 knots.
One big advantage is it being a tail wheel airplane, I don’t have people wanting to borrow it, lol.
I have no idea what it’s true cost per hour is. I work on the side to pay for it, so it is what it is.


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You owe it to yourself to rent a -400 if you can. Just to compare it to the Cirrus. There are very few for rent, but there's one out here in the San Francisco Bay Area at the flight school I used to run ages ago, California Airways at HWD. Or -- just hop a jumpseat down to DFW and call up Darryl Taylor at Van Bortel. They have most of the market for used -400s and will be happy to take you up. Fly a -400 after a Cirrus and you will have trouble buying the Cirrus after experiencing the -400 (or the -350 if you don't really need the turbo.)

Or, if you like, I'm happy to take you for a spin in my -400. She's going into annual next week, so God knows when I'll get her back, but hopefully she'll be out by mid-March. She's hangared at OAK.

The Columbia is unfortunately fairly loud. It has pneumatic door seals that quiet the din, but I use my A20s on every flight. Turn the door seals off in flight and the volume level is unbelievable. But with the door seals on, it's quieter than a Mooney Acclaim. Maybe a bit noisier than a Cirrus. You're sitting what, eight feet from a giant Hartzell prop being turned by a 310-hp twin-turbocharged engine...a quiet turbine, it is not