Page 50 - Volume 15 Number 1

ON FINAL by David Miller
Lost in Translation
How many airplanes have you purchased in your flying career? For me the total is eight. Starting in 1981 with a B model Baron followed by a B60 Duke, B100 King Air, Models 40 and 60 Sabreliners, a Falcon 10, C90B King Air and my latest ride, the Citation Mustang. The process can be an emotionally draining experience especially if you add emotion into the equation. Each purchase was different, the only similarity being a large reduction in my cash balance and in its place, a flying machine sitting in my hangar dripping various fluids on the newly cleaned floor.
My most interesting purchase was the Falcon 10. It was 1994 and my car wax manufacturing business was doing well. My business philosophy was to buy more airplane than I could afford and use it to build my business so that I could then afford the airplane. It was kind of like an early version of TARP. We were flying a 1960’s Sabreliner at the time and the fuel and maintenance costs were escalating. The Falcon was my dream airplane. It had the sexy looks of the Duke with amazing performance. I daydreamed of cruising at FL410 and Mach .82 with perhaps the most beautiful wing ever built. I enjoyed just looking at it. I was emotional. I wanted one.
Here’s a word of caution. Try not to let your emotions affect your buying decision. I almost learned the hard way. I scoured the market and found two finalists. Both had similar equipment and airframe times but one was hundreds of thousands less.
The dealer for the cheaper one was the world’s best salesman. He promised to install a brand new interior and custom paint on his offering. He flew me and my wife Patty from Texas to Wichita in a Jet Commander to visit the completion shop and oggle at the gold- plated seat belts. His airplane would be gorgeous and less money to boot. Did we want electric window shades? No problem. To top it off, the logbooks were impeccable and written entirely in French. What more could you ask from Mr. Dassault?
With 5,000-plus hours in his logbook, David Miller has been flying for business and pleasure for more than 40 years. Having owned and flown a variety aircraft types, from turboprops to midsize jets, Miller, along with his wife Patty, now own and fly a Citation Mustang. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.
Next word of caution: Always have someone on the buyer’s team who is unemotional. Someone who can ask thoughtful questions while you salivate over gold-plated seat belts. In my case, it was a pilot named Rick. Rick looked at the logs and asked the million- dollar question: “I wonder what all these French words say?” So off we went to a translator and for $500 got an eyeful.
You see, a couple of years back, this beautiful Falcon was minding its own business on the ramp in Rome, Italy when a catering truck bumped into it. Well maybe it was more than a bump. Would you believe at 45 miles an hour? The collision sheared the nose off the airframe just forward of the cockpit. The remains had to be trucked back to France and remained there for the better part of two years in repair. Surprise. Surprise.
Interestingly, the dealer never mentioned the damage. Perhaps he couldn’t read French. Perhaps he didn’t want to. I am sure the “slightly damaged” Falcon was sold to another buyer just slightly more emotional than me. I ended up with the more expensive airplane and loved every minute flying it.
And I never had to learn French. Fly Safe.
48 • ­TWIN & TURBINE JANUARY 2011