Very Small Aircraft

[reedme]

are very small aircraft - for example the Piper Navajo capable of making a worthwhile profit if you can get 100% LF?

[gazzz0x2z]

I remember distinctly an old GW3 with a company based in Nadi who was flying 26 Pilatus(9-seaters) and had the best profit margin of the game for a few years. Myself had success with Metros(19-seaters) in Small European bases - but not that impressive.

The cost per seat is higher than bigger birds, of course, but as long as you fly unopposed and you can price heavily, it works well.

[reedme]

Interesting, I'm in Australia with a lot of routes running 7-20 people within 500nm of my two bases some even have 100kg of cargo, was tempted to get a couple of Navajo's and give it a go but wasn't sure if they were actually viable with the 3rd fleet type penalty

[gazzz0x2z]

Interesting, I'm in Australia with a lot of routes running 7-20 people within 500nm of my two bases some even have 100kg of cargo, was tempted to get a couple of Navajo's and give it a go but wasn't sure if they were actually viable with the 3rd fleet type penalty

This depends on plenty of things. I switched to Metros only once my first 2 fleet groups were definitive. With MAX7 & Ejets, you can go up to 2030. Only then I added metros. Either it has to be one of your 2 main groups, or you're sure never again to change one of your main groups.

[AlanH]

Funny, I just stumbled across this thread yesterday doing a search.
https://www.airwaysim.com/forum/index.php/topic,44955.0.html

It is from 2012, so I am sure a lot has changed but he breaks it down so well, was interesting to read.

One of my favorite post...

Overall LF above 80, weekly loss down to under 50k. Got around to scheduling plane #12. 8 daily routes, all to one of the 27 airports I already fly to. 3 routes went from 1 to 2 daily, 5 routes went from 3 to 4. Screenie shows the extra staff required. 6 pilots to fly the one plane all day, every day. 20 people to park it. 20 people to deal with the 144 potential customers.

[knobbygb]

I wish people would stop talking about the "limit" of two or three fleet types as if it is some kind of uncrossable barrier. It gives the wrong idea to less experienced players who are here to learn and grow.

Yes, there is a penalty for having more fleet types (a smallish penalty from two three, a much bigger one from three to four and then, iirc, another at six to seven or eight). But...  unless your ONLY aim in the game is to have a really huge profit margin, sticking with just two fleet types is a recipe for boredom and for actually making LESS money! (i.e. having a large MARGIN but only having half as many flights). I agree that your margins will be lower with a large number of different types, but it will allow you to serve many more diverse markets you would otherwise have to ignore, which equals greater income and more profit overall, most importantly - MORE FUN.

Take a look at all the really big airlines in the world you are in.  It's actually quite rare to find one with just three fleet types.  I usually start with no more than two (yes, it IS important at the start), grow to eight or nine and then try to consolidate to maybe four or five by the end of the game (one each for short (20ish seats), regional (60ish seats), mid range and longhaul) and (if I'm taking the game seriously and not just experimenting) I usually finish in the top ten of airlines.

So, I'd say that once your airline is financially stable, go ahead and experiment with 9-seaters (as well as some 40-seaters, two or three mid-haul types and another couple long haul if you like). The small aircraft will really boost your statistics (airports served, number of daily flights etc,) which all count to your overall score just as much as 'profit margin' does.  The worst that can happen is that the Metros will make a small loss. They will NOT bankrupt you like, say, leasing 747s or buying Concordes would.

Just watch out for the slots prices which can be very high in some worlds. Work out how long it will take to recoup the cash you will lay out. But, EVEN SO, remember that cash spent on even slightly increasing your profit (assuming you have lots of spare cash of course) is betetr than leaving it just lying in the bank doing nothing!