AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2020 - 81

I are designers, and I showed him some designs. He
rolled his eyes."
Jonathan McCormick of Plane Schemer started
the design, and the Bowmans worked with No Coast
Design LLC to finalize the scheme. "They were really
into this-not just a little bit." Both designers and
painter Kaminski pushed back, offering suggestions,
Bowman said. And Kaminski was very accommodating
while the Cessna was being painted. "He agreed to let
me come over any time I wanted, and be as involved as
I wanted. As time went on, I went over less and less."
They settled on a white, black, and red scheme.
"[Kaminski] talked me into this metallic black. We
had chosen a charcoal gray," Bowman said. "Cynthia
and I beat our brains out to find the right red. Some
are too orange and some are too maroon." Kaminski
added mother of pearl to red paint. "I never would
have known to do this," Bowman said.
To get the best results, Kaminski took a lot of the
airplane apart. "As much as you can disassemble an
airplane, we did," Bowman said. Many fiberglass and
plastic parts were replaced, as was the hinge to the
cabin door. Computer-designed stencils were used to
align the complex curves. "We spent weeks on this,"
Bowman said. "It was fun."
Painting led to some surprises. "When we looked at
it and it was all white, from a visual perspective there
are some things that look cool," Bowman said, like the
tail and the tip tanks. And there were some he didn't
like-such as the hump on the nose. The Bowmans
flattened the paint scheme's curve on the nose to
deemphasize that hump, then used the computer to
match the curve on the engine nacelles. "Now when
you look at it, the hump goes away. I'd like to change
the slope of the windshield, but I can't do that."
The interior was created by Dennis Wolter of Air
Mod in Batavia, Ohio. While the airplane was in his
shop, Wolter noticed that the cabin entry step was not
retracting properly. That was repaired, as well.
Next on Bowman's agenda is the panel. "The airplane's a work in progress. It's never done. The goal
is better than new," Bowman said. "I understand now
why some guys at my airport spend two or three years
building an airplane. They fly it for six months, sell it,
and start over. It's kind of a fun process.
"This may not be the best 310 in the world,"
Bowman added. "But I can assure you it's the most
expensive."
He's been trying to schedule the installation of
a touchscreen Garmin G500 TXi since last fall, but
his avionics shop was swamped. The work will be
done this spring. Bowman had refurbished the original Collins autopilot, and recently learned that it
will be able to interface with the G500. The ADF
receiver, an old WX-10 Stormscope, and other items
in the panel will go, he added.

THINKING ABOUT A 310?

The Cessna 310 has become popular with
airline pilots, based on ownership at John
Bowman's home airport (two of four based
310s). And he said people buy them knowing they're going to put money into them,
because they're fast, reliable, and safe.
"They like the numbers," he added.
"I would like to encourage people to do
what I've done," buying a twin Cessna and
upgrading it to the airplane they want, Bowman says. If you're thinking about a Cessna
310, he offers these suggestions from more
than a million and a half miles of flying over
34 years:
* Upgrade to IO-550 engines.
* Add vortex generators.
* Replace older propellers.
* Install a low thrust detector.
* Upgrade to 100-amp alternators. -MC

Only its second owner, Bowman has flown N310CJ
more than a million and a half miles. "I believe that as
far as general aviation, if you want to get into a twin,
this is the way to go," he said. "I'm certainly not a
wealthy person, but I'm not going to miss a meal. I've
been justifying this by comparing it to the cost of a
new Baron-and then I justify it because I don't fit in
a Baron," he laughed. The 310 has a better useful load,
"and I think it's better looking, too. There's nothing
else I've found to pour money into."
Bowman estimated he's invested about $300,000
into upgrades of the 310, not including the engines.
"When it's done, you have something that's better
to use and better to own than buying a brand-new
airplane. I don't want a new airplane, I want it better. And you can do it economically. You can have a
200-knot airplane."
If a Baron is the most comparable twin in production, and with a new Baron knocking on the door of
$1.5 million, Bowman's numbers make a lot of sense.
"As far as operating costs, and the payload, and the
quality of the airplane-I think I have a great deal," he
said. "Considering they haven't been made since 1982,
the legacy fleet is doing very well."
Future use of the airplane hinges on Bowman's
wife. He has retired and their children run the family
advertising business, where Cynthia still works. "She's
an integral part, she was there from day one," he said.
"Her retirement is perpetually just over the horizon."
Although it may seem like the Bowmans have been
through a lot with the airplane, he's not complaining.
"We knew there'd be issues but we love the looks of
the plane," he said. "I'm 70 years old but if I live to 95,
I know this plane will still be going strong."
AOPA
EMAIL mike.collins@aopa.org
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2020

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