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only just recently selling it. That air- craft actually happened to be featured at AirVenture this year as part of the homebuilt exhibition f lown by its new owner. The Glasair was a fantastic cross-country aircraft for an individual as it’s a fairly capable aircraft. It goes far, fast, and is pretty efficient. But it certainly was not large enough to carry my family with me.”
After identifying the desire to bring his family along on his aerial travels a few years ago, Kim didn’t have to wait long to find a bird with more seats.
“I had the opportunity to purchase a Cirrus SR22T G5. It was a great aircraft and platform to advance from. After flying that for a few hundred hours, I started getting a hankering for some- thing with a little more capability and payload, plus pressurization and other qualities,” Kim said.
He said when he purchased the air- craft he now owns, it was an interest- ing time in the marketplace because Avidyne-equipped Meridians were extremely favorably priced. Now he says that gap has closed some with the recent uptick in used aircraft pric- es. Since acquiring the aircraft, Kim has had the aircraft painted and the interior redone. A Garmin avionics suite is on the list of next upgrades, expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Outside of speed and efficiency, pressurization and cruising in the f light levels have been game-changing. “It’s been a fantastic aircraft for work but also as a recreational and family plane. Pressurization provides all day
comfort and also removes the need to carry oxygen. Dealing with oxygen, especially for passengers in the back in the Cirrus, was beyond annoying. And being predictably above weather on long distance flights has been in- credibly comforting, making f light planning simple. Lastly, the airframe icing equipment on board and inf lat- able boots are really spectacular. Un- like the Cirrus, the Meridian airframe inf latable boots are quick to deploy, are always available without need- ing TKS, and don’t leak fluid when on the ground.”
Kim has a selection of places where he typically f lies the Meridian. Those on the shortlist include Dallas and Miami, where he has offices, as well as California and Montana with his family. He noted that these trips are perfect distances for the PA46-500TP to really show its unique combination of speed, range and operating costs.
When flying to the west coast, Kim will usually be joined by his wife and daughter, noting that they can some- times make it to Seattle, a 900 nautical mile flight, without a fuel stop at max cruise speed. They will almost always make it back to Denver without one at the same power setting. The oc- casional fuel stops leave something to be desired, although Kim is still grateful for his aircraft’s capabilities.
“If there is one criticism I have about the Meridian is that I would love to have longer legs on it. I would love for it to be a 1,000 nautical mile aircraft instead of an 800 nautical mile aircraft.” Naturally, increased
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Prior to the Piper Meridian, Kim owned and flew a Glasair Super II and Cirrus SR22T G5.
range capabilities would come at a cost. Kim believes that in his instance, stepping into a larger aircraft would not have the same effect moving into the Meridian had.
Elaborating on the anticipated di- minishing return of a larger aircraft, he explained, “And then when you decide that you need to step up, what’s the next step of aircraft above this? Lots of people point to TBMs or maybe a light jet like a Citation Mustang. When you step up, your fuel burn goes up a lot more and your speed maybe only goes up 10 or 20 percent, but your maintenance costs are quite a bit of a step. It is so much more of an increase in your fixed costs, as well as your hourly costs. For my purposes, the Meridian really fits this perfect little spot for me.” While he will never say never, for now, it is the perfect aircraft for his needs.
You can follow Gavin Kim’s Meridian experience on Instagram @flymeridian.
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