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SOLD - 21 June 2024
1968 B55 Colemill Baron w/IO-550E Engines
SN: TC-1089
Based in Longmont, CO KLMO
$162,000
I have owned this Baron since 1998 and have flown it over 3700 hours.
The conversion to IO-550 engines was done at Colemill Enterprises in
Nashville, Tennessee in March 2005. Yes, these engines really do have
over 2200 hours since being installed.
The left engine has had the #4
cylinder removed and reworked in October 2019 at 1672 hours in service.
The left engine #2-cylinder exhaust valve was lapped in October 2022 at
2043 hours in service. All 10 other cylinders on these 2 engines are
original and have not needed any extraordinary maintenance.
Compressions at last annual (November 2023) were:
LE: 71/62/75/79/76/77
RE: 76/78/74/71/73/77
Since my experience is not typical of
what others have experienced with Continental engines, here are my
speculations about why I have achieved such long life out of these
engines:
1. Always hangared, mostly in the dry Colorado climate.
2. Regular use averaging 116 hours per year
3. Home field elevation of 5055’ means that it was rare to see manifold pressure above 25”
4. Typical cruise operation at 2300-2350 RPM at altitudes between 9,000 – 12,000
5. LOP operation – routinely operated lean-of-peak in cruise
6. Mike Busch philosophy of avoiding euthanasia of a good engine on hours alone.
I have years’ worth of saved engine
analyzer data documenting how these engines have behaved and how they
were flown. Please check this Dropbox Link for complete data, photos, logbooks, Beech of the Month article from 2012, and a Gogo advertising video featuring this Baron.
Keith Griffith
(303) 887-7120
keith.griffith at comcast dot net
$162,000
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N52KM
1968 B55 Colemill Baron For Sale
