Matt Waits’ 2016 Piper M600, which is the fourth aircraft he has owned
And I don’t have to tell anybody else in aviation, but the Bonanza is probably about the best plane you are going to get in that category if you’re not looking to spend a fortune.
Matt Waits is an instrument-rated private pilot from Stillwater, Oklahoma, who has followed a fairly standard path to turbine ownership. He started his aviation pursuit by flying rental planes before owning a Cessna 182, which was followed by a Beechcraft Bonanza, a Piper M350, and a Piper M600.
“When I had the 182, my wife was pregnant with our third child – so I was like, ‘Oh man, this plane isn’t going to work forever.’ I ended up selling that and going to a Bonanza, so that we would have a six-seater,” he said.
“And I don’t have to tell anybody else in aviation, but the Bonanza is probably about the best plane you are going to get in that category if you’re not looking to spend a fortune. Buying it was a great move from the 182 and probably put 700 hours on that in seven years.”
if you are flying trips around 800 nautical miles or less
The next aircraft transition came after selling his agricultural technology company. Moving up to the M350, again, felt like a natural progression. Three years later, in 2021, an M600 replaced its smaller counterpart. There were a few sticking points about the 350-horsepower piston single that led Waits to consider moving up to the turboprop world.
“[Choosing the M600] was a combination of mission and cost. The M350 was great, but the thing I didn’t like about it was I had to be pretty careful with weight and balance going into the mountains and in the summer. I have a house up in Crested Butte [Colorado], so we are going in and out of Gunnison. And I hardly ever flew it at night because I didn’t feel real comfortable flying a piston at night over the mountains. So, I decided I would get a turboprop,” he explained.
“I looked at TBM’s and a few other models, but they cost more. The PA-46 airframe was fine in terms of size and capacity, so the M600 felt like a good place to be. It’s a fantastic airplane and relative to a lot of other planes in that category, the Piper is more affordable. The operating and maintenance costs are pretty low, and you’re still doing 274 knots for 1,400 nautical miles. You can cover more ground than your bladder can usually stand.”
The PT6A-42A in front makes Waits feel much better when flying over the mountains at night with his family in tow. A flight over open water wasn’t something he had done in the M350, but he has flown to The Bahamas and Cancun in the M600. The airplane has also taken him to Canada, as well around a lot of the United States.
The 492 nautical mile flight to Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (KGUC) from Stillwater Regional Airport (KSWO) is about 45 minutes quicker in the M600 than it was in the M350.
“Usually, I’d say the trip is about two hours on average; 2:15 going out there and 1:45 coming back home. Fuel burn is about 45 to 50 gallons an hour. I’ll pretty much always fly in the twenties, but when you get higher than FL250 – you can get the 274 knots that they advertise. When you are a bit lower, it’s around 260 knots. But you’re still moving along pretty good.”
The M600’s 260-gallon tank equates to about five hours’ worth of air time comes in handy on this trip, especially as it allows Waits to tanker fuel from his home base. The cost of fuel in Stillwater is considerably lower than the Colorado airport, in part because he owns the fueling operation there.
“I have been a tenant at the field since 2009 and knew the people at the FBO well. When it came up for sale, I felt confident buying the business because I knew my way around the airport environment and had been to hundreds of FBO’s around the country. I partnered with a few friends and bought Stillwater Flight Center in 2020.”
Waits of course sees a lot of aircraft on the ramp there that catch his eye. But he doesn’t have his sights set on anything bigger or faster than the M600, as he doesn’t see value in doing so with his current mission. One circumstance that has changed during his ownership of that aircraft is purchasing (along with a friend) the Part 61 flight school located on the same field as the FBO.
“We’ve been growing Crosswind Aviation significantly, and have added several planes, including a twin Tecnam P2006T. Oklahoma State University’s aviation program made a change to their curriculum where they are allowing for a single engine commercial track, because they’re so backed up [with aircraft availability] on the twin side of things. They are now allowing students to get their single engine commercial, then come to us to get their multi. That’s something we are really trying to capitalize on,” Waits explained, noting that the other local opportunity he sees is the construction of more hangars to meet the growing need for additional aviation infrastructure.
“My partners and I can provide leadership to the community that can help people get involved in aviation out here. How can we help people build hangars, run the hangars once built, or get new people into buying aircraft?” he said, noting that making and building these local connections is important in the tight-knit community where he’s located.
Waits is currently not flying the M600 as much as he originally was, so he decided to sell a third of it about a year ago. He is again looking to partner on the remaining third to ensure its flying regularly and costs are reduced.
Since he has so much experience with the airframe, an overview of the pros and cons of M600 ownership comes easy when potential partners want the rundown.
“You can get to the east coast all day long from Oklahoma but getting back may be a challenge without stopping if there are strong headwinds. The M600 is not really a plane you want to fly to the coast, because it doesn’t have a lavatory. You have a relief tube, which is fine when alone, but not in a mixed crowd,” he said, noting that one potential partner decided the plane wasn’t a good fit because they would frequently be flying to Massachusetts and California.
“The plane was great distance wise for the other guy [that looked at joining the partnership], but he’s a big hunter and has a ranch over in New Mexico. He just wanted to take a lot of people, guns, ammo, and other stuff, so he would be better off in a PC-12 or something else,” Waits said.
“So really, the only downsides with the M600 are if you want to go far without stopping or need to carry a ton of people and payload. But if you are going to fly trips that are less than 600 to 800 nautical miles, then this is the plane for you. I’ve been super happy with it and think it’s probably the best single engine turboprop option out there.”
