Good Morning 421

1976 Cessna 421C

“You know what I think is so cool about aviation? I call it the great equalizer. You can be worth a billion dollars, but you will start in a Cessna 172, just like everybody else. We all start at the same level. Just because someone is flying a Gulfstream G650 and you are flying around in a little single-engine plane, it doesn’t matter. Both are super cool,” said Scott Pasmore, a 1976 Cessna 421C owner from Phoenix, Arizona.

Even though he did not become a pilot until adulthood, Pasmore has long been acquainted with general aviation.

“My job has offered a lot of incredible opportunities throughout my career to fly. I’m a TV news anchor and do a morning show here called ‘Good Morning Arizona.’ I’ve flown in an F-16, been up with the Blue Angels, as well as all sorts of private planes and jets. Those experiences were as cool as can be, and as a result, I thought, ‘You know, I need to learn to fly myself.’”

“I made a phone call to the local airport and got in touch with the chief pilot for the Phoenix Police Department for both their fixed-wing and helicopter units. He taught me how to fly 12 years ago,” Pasmore said. “My life would be pretty boring without aviation. I love flying, and it’s easily the best thing I’ve ever done.”

After so many positive experiences in the industry, he encourages anyone and everyone to pursue becoming a pilot, whether as a career or a hobby.

“I really try to talk people into aviation who are thinking about it because it’s such a wonderful thing to pursue – one of the best things you will achieve in your life. So few people accomplish learning how to fly and the opportunities being a pilot allows for are incredible. To think that you can just drive out to the hangar, jump in your own plane, and then go anywhere you want. I mean, there’s just nothing like it in the world.”

Pasmore’s aviation journey has evolved since his first lessons at flight school over a decade ago.

“I rented a Cessna 172 for a couple hundred hours, and then I bought an RV-6. I flew that thing everywhere. I loved that little plane. It was fast and affordable, but I eventually sold it because I wanted something bigger and with air conditioning. So, I bought a Columbia 400. I learned the glass panel and got my instrument rating in that airplane.”

The freedom of flight has become an essential aspect of Pasmore’s life. He most frequently flies within several hundred nautical miles of Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT). But there was one destination outside this circle that is a longtime favorite. One that required stopping for fuel in his Columbia 400, which was less than ideal.

“I have a place back in the Midwest at the Lake of the Ozarks, and I wanted to be able to fly there nonstop. I was looking for the perfect, somewhat affordable plane for the mission, and was looking at all of the Cessna twins. At first, I actually decided on a 340. But the one I was working towards buying fell through and my instrument instructor said, ‘You got to get the 421. It’s the best of the Cessna twins.’ That’s how I wound up looking for a Cessna 421. I then just happened to come across the one that I own now, and I love it!”

Pasmore’s personal experience with the pressurized, eight-seat twin has matched his instructor’s positive report.

“It’s been easy to fly, very comfortable, and people like it. It also has a great ramp presence with the winglets. Even though it’s an older plane, I am proud to walk out of it. For what you get moneywise, it’s a heck of a plane, and I have been very pleased with it,” he said.

“I bought it for under $500,000 and put another $125,000 to $130,000 toward the new Garmin avionics. I felt it was important to upgrade the panel, so I had it done before I ever picked up the plane. It’s expensive, but I think worth every penny. I added the touch screen Garmin G600 TXi, Garmin GTN 750, Garmin engine monitoring system, and another Garmin screen for the passenger.”

The aftermarket add-ons help Pasmore get more out of his plane. But prior to purchasing the twin, he was the frequent recipient of advice from pilots with experience on the model.

“Before buying the plane, I heard nothing but things like, ‘The 421 is so difficult to fly,” or, ‘You have to be so careful and baby the engines’ – which I did with my twin-turbo Columbia anyway. So that wasn’t hard. But I will say that when we flew to Michigan, where I bought it, I hadn’t seen it in person until the day I picked it up. When I crawled into the cockpit for the first time, I was definitely intimidated. It was much bigger, with much more going on than my previous plane. I was a little psyched out. By the time I got home, though, I was completely comfortable in it.”

At the time of Pasmore’s trek back to Arizona, he had 25 hours of logged multi-engine time. Since his purchase in September of 2021, he has flown the white and red-striped bird to various destinations, mainly in the western United States.

“Typically, I burn right at 42 gallons an hour. It’s anywhere between 40 and 42. If I run it at 21 gallons per side, it runs a little cooler, so I often run it at that. I fly around 16,000 to 20,000 feet – in that range. For true speed, I see anywhere from 210 to 220 knots.”

“It’s probably low for many people, but I would like to fly around a hundred hours a year, which is a lot for me. To be honest, I haven’t flown it as much as I thought I would. The reason is probably the same as what everybody else is dealing with. The high cost of fuel has put me on the ground more than I’ve wanted to be in my first year flying the 421. But I try to at least take it up once a week. Even if it’s just to Sedona to circle the red rocks and come home just to stay comfortable in it. Aside from the Ozarks, I fly to California often, over to Newport Beach and places like that. Also, Las Vegas, Rocky Point, Palm Springs, and around other parts of Arizona.”

“To this day, people say to me, ‘Oh, jets are so much easier to fly.’ But I think the Cessna 421 is a fairly easy plane to fly. It flies beautifully, is very smooth, fairly quiet for the passengers, and is a lot of fun. It’s amazing that these planes can be so old, yet with a few improvements, can still be safe and fun all these years later. And with the 262 gallons on board, I can get to any destination I need within reason.”

Even so, a goal of Pasmore’s is to continue ascending into more capable aircraft models.
“I do want to get into a single-pilot jet at some point. So, I really hope prices go down, both with planes and fuel. Everything is so crazy right now. I am thinking maybe an older Citation 1/SP or a Citation II. Maybe even a Citation Mustang. In fact, I’m already thinking maybe within the year to do something like that. But a jet is probably out of reach if insurance and fuel prices don’t come down. That’s my goal, though, to get a little higher, faster and further.”