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Beech Duke [treasury.gov]

Gremster...you need to build some twin time right?

I quit watching gov't auctions. they are more compelling than
ebay.

This one does look nice, though.

hmmmm ... no logbooks?

Yeah, I said the same thing...and annual is well overdue. But if you can pick it up cheap enough as a time builder and travel machine, and don't care about resale. Well could be a good deal.

Heck, part it out.

How much you gonna pay me to take it? 'cause that's the only way I'd own anything like that!

That's a million dollar airplane, regardless of what you pay for it.

Of 13 Dukes in the second Feb trade a plane, 6 had prices. I know it's an "if you have to ask you probably can't......." thing. Of those 6 the high is 409,500 the low 113,500 for an average of 266,500.

For that money, I'd start new logs and smile about it. Besides, of the people I knew who got into IRS trouble (not many) they did so because they poured buckets of money into toys without thinking.

Well, I fold. Who's gonna call?

They call the 'puke's' for a reason....

The only good one is the one they hang PT-6's on now THAT is a little rocket...

They are very fickle airplanes and they LIVE in the shop...

IF you could get it for say 20k... no logs that's rough... it'd be a VERY tough sell IMO....

Make a buck parting it out.

Run away! Run away!

Every person I know who owned a Duke loved the handling but put it on the market almost immediately when the maintenance bills started coming in. As a Beech engineer once said to me after his fourth beer, "You can buy a better airplane than a Beech but you can't pay more for it."

I think the Duke might well have crossed the line into the great airplane category had it not been so slow for the power; the aerodynamics were just wrong (even though it does look fast, it's about 30 knots slower than it should be per an analysis published in the '80s). There are those who said that was done on purpose to keep it slower than the King Air 90, but no one has ever confirmed that rumor.

Can you imagine what it will cost just to inspect the thing and redo or show compliance with the ADs to get it airworthy? If it's been sitting, the engines are probably questionable as well, and those are not cheap engines to overhaul.

Reminds me of too many people who thought they were getting a deal by buying a twin cheaply. So many times it cost more to get it airworthy than it was worth... The optimistic charter operators in the '80s with the Cessna 411s, they guy who bought the old, over-wing exhaust model 310 sight unseen for $40,000 or the guys who see a Duke for only $100,000....

Cheers,
Rick

One other point to remember on these government auctions, unless specifically stated, there may be liens on the aircraft that YOU must satisfy in order to get a clean title.

In fact, this auction states that all you are getting is the taxpayers rights to the aircraft. The IRS may be able to provide additional information as to other lien holders but there is no guarantee. If anyone was seriously interested in bidding on this or any other aircraft auctioned by a government agency, a title serach would be a must.

I bought my 152 at an auction, but it was by the bank that held the note and I was guaranteed a clean title as part of the auction. In spite of that guarantee, I STILL paid for a title search prior to bidding.

When it comes to auctions, BUYER BEWARE!