Cessna T303 Crusader - Low Starting Bid (1983)
Sale price: US $119,000.00 Make an Offer
| Condition: | Used | Model Year: | 1983 |
| Make: | Cessna |
Brooksville, Florida, United States
Vehicle description
2 Owner 1983 Cessna T303 Crusader with cargo door!
I purchased this beautiful airplane from the original owner in April of 2019 and immediately put it into a very extensive annual inspection at Wisconsin Aviation in Madison, WI. The original owner and his wife were the only pilots from new until I purchased it in 2019. I"ve flown it 113 hours in the past 17 months.
The first annual I did included 4 factory new cylinders on the left engine and 2 on the right. Everything was inspected in depth and many items were replaced. This was a $50,000 annual. I can email you a copy of the bill. The most recent annual from July of 2020 was completed by Heritage Aero in Freeport, IL. Heritage is a VERY thorough shop. Having another set of qualified eyes on the airplane was important to me. Apart from the two annuals I"ve also had both alternators replaced with new, overhauled the left starter adapter, overhauled the right prop governor, replace the right oil pressure sender, and had all six seats redone in beautiful leather by Hubble Upholstery. The rest of the interior is very clean and matches the new seats perfectly. The left engine is a factory reman with 1945 hours. The right engine is a Poplar Grove overhaul with 2048 hours. Yes, one engine is just under and one just over TBO (2000 hours). And yes, BOTH engines are running flawlessly and strong. I do 25 hour oil changes including Blackstone oil analysis. I don"t believe in overhauling perfectly good engines just because of some arbitrary number and my plan was to keep on flying well past TBO (read anything Mike Busch have ever written). I have an estimate from Signature Engines to overhaul both engines (when the time comes) for $38,000 each including all of the accessories. Originally, this was going to be my "forever" airplane. Well, forever isn"t always forever.
100% of my flying is for transporting sick kids and adults to and from treatment. Angel Flights and the like. We originally had a Cessna 421B that was a great airplane for the mission. We had to sell it a few years ago and that"s when we bought the 303. The 303 does 90% of what a 421 does on 1/2 the cost. It really is a perfect un-pressurized twin. Our Angel Flight mission now requires longer and longer flights and we are once again in need of a pressurized airplane. This is the reason for the sale/auction.
As to the 303, It"s very docile to fly and offers benign single engine handling. I tell people it has more in common with a legacy Citation than with any other Twin Cessna. From the laminar flow wing to the trailing-link gear to the super simple and reliable electrical and hydraulic systems. Cessna got the Crusader right. Unfortunately, the GA slump of the mid 1980"s put an end to production. However, parts availability is still very good and the Twin Cessna owners group is top notch so keeping the 303 fleet flying for many years to come is a non issue.
I fly the airplane as designed, 24" and 2400 rpm. This produces just shy of 170 knots true on 26 to 28 GPH under 10,000 feet. Above 10,000" your TAS will increase up to 190 on the same fuel flow in the high teens. I don"t like to suck on O2 so I always stay below 10. One of the unique things Cessna did to save weight involved having Continental build a specific engine with weight savings in mind. The TSIO520AE is unique in that it"s basically the same 520 engine as found on the other Twin Cessnas, but it"s de-rated to 250 horsepower. This means that at normal power settings the engine is just loafing compared to it"s higher horsepower siblings. The other thing Continental did to save weight was to eliminate one of the two sets of counterweights on the crankshaft. While this indeed saves a few pounds, it has the side effect of causing slightly more vibration from these engines. As a jet guy, this initially bothered me and I looked for every possible remedy. The bottom line is that it is what it is. The vibration isn"t apparent in the cabin at all. It"s only noticeable in the cockpit. Other 303 owners tell me the prop syncrophaser system helps this a lot. Unfortunately, the ONLY item on this airplane that is currently deferred is indeed the prop sync. I"ve done some troubleshooting to include swapping out the McCauley control box but to no avail. The prop sync really isn"t needed on the 303 other than for the previously mentioned vibration reduction. These props stay in sync very easily. I should also mention that since the props always turn 2400 rpm, cabin noise is very low. None of my Angel Flight passengers ever request or use headsets in the cabin. As to damage history, there is no major damage history. The original owner had an incident 3000 hours ago in 1994 when the right main gear would not extend. He landed with the left gear and nose gear extended resulting in minor damage to the right side. The right engine and prop where overhauled and the minor skin repairs are well documented in the logs.
I could write on for days. The bottom line is that we need to sell the 303 so that we can purchase another pressurized airplane. Call or email with any questions. I have all the logs available via google photo links and a full maintenance tracking document as well that shows when each component was last overhauled or replaced including times and dates (right down to each spark plug).
The airplane has been in a hangar since new in northern Illinois and northern Wisconsin until this year when I flew it to BKV (Brooksville, FL) for the winter. It has zero corrosion. I keep it in the hangar at American Aviation. I"m a 21,000 hour professional pilot with an MEI and will include a free check out if needed. I will also pay for up to 2 months of continued hangar storage at BKV if needed.
Please only bid if you are serious and have the means to close the sale as outlined. I will be selling the airplane to the highest bidder (unless it sells first from one of the ads posted elsewhere). Terms are $5000 deposit within 24 hours of auction close and remainder via wire transfer within 7 days. The airplane and logbooks are available for viewing during the entire auction period with a 24 hour advance notice. All logs and additional photos available via email. .just ask.
I can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone or text at 920-203-0130.
Airframe Total Time 4943 Left Engine 1943 SFRM 7/00 Right Engine 2048 SMOH 12/99 Left Prop 202 SOH 3/17 Right Prop 483 SOH 2/13 July 2020 Annual Pitot Static Due 12/2022 FIKI including windshield hot plate (not currently installed but works)
Garmin G430 (non waas) Insight Strikefinder SF2000 Cessna 400B Autopilot (Works Flawlessly) Garmin 340 Audio Panel NSD360 HSI ARC RT-359A Transponder Uavionix Tail Beacon ADS-b out Bendix Color Radar ARC R446-A Adf System ARC RT-485R Nav Com ARC Rnav System
Newly Recovered Seats Including Foam New Alternators Overhauled Starter Adapter (Left) Overhauled Prop Governor (Right) New Oil Pressure Sender (Right) Air Conditioning (COLD) Factory Oxygen System
Current Deferred List Prop Sync
I purchased this beautiful airplane from the original owner in April of 2019 and immediately put it into a very extensive annual inspection at Wisconsin Aviation in Madison, WI. The original owner and his wife were the only pilots from new until I purchased it in 2019. I"ve flown it 113 hours in the past 17 months.
The first annual I did included 4 factory new cylinders on the left engine and 2 on the right. Everything was inspected in depth and many items were replaced. This was a $50,000 annual. I can email you a copy of the bill. The most recent annual from July of 2020 was completed by Heritage Aero in Freeport, IL. Heritage is a VERY thorough shop. Having another set of qualified eyes on the airplane was important to me. Apart from the two annuals I"ve also had both alternators replaced with new, overhauled the left starter adapter, overhauled the right prop governor, replace the right oil pressure sender, and had all six seats redone in beautiful leather by Hubble Upholstery. The rest of the interior is very clean and matches the new seats perfectly. The left engine is a factory reman with 1945 hours. The right engine is a Poplar Grove overhaul with 2048 hours. Yes, one engine is just under and one just over TBO (2000 hours). And yes, BOTH engines are running flawlessly and strong. I do 25 hour oil changes including Blackstone oil analysis. I don"t believe in overhauling perfectly good engines just because of some arbitrary number and my plan was to keep on flying well past TBO (read anything Mike Busch have ever written). I have an estimate from Signature Engines to overhaul both engines (when the time comes) for $38,000 each including all of the accessories. Originally, this was going to be my "forever" airplane. Well, forever isn"t always forever.
100% of my flying is for transporting sick kids and adults to and from treatment. Angel Flights and the like. We originally had a Cessna 421B that was a great airplane for the mission. We had to sell it a few years ago and that"s when we bought the 303. The 303 does 90% of what a 421 does on 1/2 the cost. It really is a perfect un-pressurized twin. Our Angel Flight mission now requires longer and longer flights and we are once again in need of a pressurized airplane. This is the reason for the sale/auction.
As to the 303, It"s very docile to fly and offers benign single engine handling. I tell people it has more in common with a legacy Citation than with any other Twin Cessna. From the laminar flow wing to the trailing-link gear to the super simple and reliable electrical and hydraulic systems. Cessna got the Crusader right. Unfortunately, the GA slump of the mid 1980"s put an end to production. However, parts availability is still very good and the Twin Cessna owners group is top notch so keeping the 303 fleet flying for many years to come is a non issue.
I fly the airplane as designed, 24" and 2400 rpm. This produces just shy of 170 knots true on 26 to 28 GPH under 10,000 feet. Above 10,000" your TAS will increase up to 190 on the same fuel flow in the high teens. I don"t like to suck on O2 so I always stay below 10. One of the unique things Cessna did to save weight involved having Continental build a specific engine with weight savings in mind. The TSIO520AE is unique in that it"s basically the same 520 engine as found on the other Twin Cessnas, but it"s de-rated to 250 horsepower. This means that at normal power settings the engine is just loafing compared to it"s higher horsepower siblings. The other thing Continental did to save weight was to eliminate one of the two sets of counterweights on the crankshaft. While this indeed saves a few pounds, it has the side effect of causing slightly more vibration from these engines. As a jet guy, this initially bothered me and I looked for every possible remedy. The bottom line is that it is what it is. The vibration isn"t apparent in the cabin at all. It"s only noticeable in the cockpit. Other 303 owners tell me the prop syncrophaser system helps this a lot. Unfortunately, the ONLY item on this airplane that is currently deferred is indeed the prop sync. I"ve done some troubleshooting to include swapping out the McCauley control box but to no avail. The prop sync really isn"t needed on the 303 other than for the previously mentioned vibration reduction. These props stay in sync very easily. I should also mention that since the props always turn 2400 rpm, cabin noise is very low. None of my Angel Flight passengers ever request or use headsets in the cabin. As to damage history, there is no major damage history. The original owner had an incident 3000 hours ago in 1994 when the right main gear would not extend. He landed with the left gear and nose gear extended resulting in minor damage to the right side. The right engine and prop where overhauled and the minor skin repairs are well documented in the logs.
I could write on for days. The bottom line is that we need to sell the 303 so that we can purchase another pressurized airplane. Call or email with any questions. I have all the logs available via google photo links and a full maintenance tracking document as well that shows when each component was last overhauled or replaced including times and dates (right down to each spark plug).
The airplane has been in a hangar since new in northern Illinois and northern Wisconsin until this year when I flew it to BKV (Brooksville, FL) for the winter. It has zero corrosion. I keep it in the hangar at American Aviation. I"m a 21,000 hour professional pilot with an MEI and will include a free check out if needed. I will also pay for up to 2 months of continued hangar storage at BKV if needed.
Please only bid if you are serious and have the means to close the sale as outlined. I will be selling the airplane to the highest bidder (unless it sells first from one of the ads posted elsewhere). Terms are $5000 deposit within 24 hours of auction close and remainder via wire transfer within 7 days. The airplane and logbooks are available for viewing during the entire auction period with a 24 hour advance notice. All logs and additional photos available via email. .just ask.
I can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone or text at 920-203-0130.
Airframe Total Time 4943 Left Engine 1943 SFRM 7/00 Right Engine 2048 SMOH 12/99 Left Prop 202 SOH 3/17 Right Prop 483 SOH 2/13 July 2020 Annual Pitot Static Due 12/2022 FIKI including windshield hot plate (not currently installed but works)
Garmin G430 (non waas) Insight Strikefinder SF2000 Cessna 400B Autopilot (Works Flawlessly) Garmin 340 Audio Panel NSD360 HSI ARC RT-359A Transponder Uavionix Tail Beacon ADS-b out Bendix Color Radar ARC R446-A Adf System ARC RT-485R Nav Com ARC Rnav System
Newly Recovered Seats Including Foam New Alternators Overhauled Starter Adapter (Left) Overhauled Prop Governor (Right) New Oil Pressure Sender (Right) Air Conditioning (COLD) Factory Oxygen System
Current Deferred List Prop Sync