"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
ink.net...
I had a 79 Turbo Lance as a first airplane. A 79 is a T-tail. Not
surprisingly, it flys like a big PA28 since that is what it is. Control
forces are heavy in all three axis but you get used to this and most pilots
prefer this type of handling in instrument conditions. Nothing about the
maitenance is particularly unusual and there are no real "weak points".
You need to set the pitch and rudder trim properly before takeoff, but that
is about the only change from flying a PA28. The cg with two large people
in the front seats and full fuel is likely to be forward of the limit and
will require a higher approach speed in this configuration. The airplane
is very easy to land softly with someone in the rear most seat. The turbo
models tended to overheat at higher altitudes and having a TurboPlus
intercooler was a big advantage. Keep in mind that there is a lot more
"stuff" on a Lance (retractable gear, probably autopilot, probably an HSI
ect) and it all wears out, so the cost is going to be a lot more than a
PA28. I had mine a year and flew it coast to coast twice and to Mexico
once puting about 350hrs on it. Lances, particularly the turbo ones offer
a lot of capability for the money.

Mike
MU-2
So why did you get rid of it? And what did you end up with. I have PA-28 180
and have been thinking about a new plane and a Lance was on the list. I am
now thinking about buying a friends V tail Bonanza.