Bonanza for Novice Pilot?

Jaybird180 said:
I'm thinking of an A-36
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One of my students went from 0 to 64 hours in a Cessna 150, then bought an A36. The insurance company wanted 25 hours dual. It was closer to 50 (although mostly XC time) before I signed him off. We then did his IR in it. He now uses it for personal and business travel weekly and is pushing 400 hours.

So, yes...you can have a Bonanza. They're terrific flying machines.
 
Hmm. Three adults and three growing kids. Beech 18? Sounds like jet-a is in your future.

BUT!

Who is really gonna go flying with you? My wife is it, and very infrequently making an early bonanza a good fit. Unless you have a big wallet, don't buy eight seats to fly six people once in a while.
 
Ryanb said:
Since you've got time in an SR-22, and a Mooney, the transition into a Bo shouldn't be too painstaking. Very smooth and stable machine, and most of all a great XC airplane. As others have mentioned the insurance requirements to fly PIC can be a pain, but thats part of any HP aircraft. 155 hours is certainly not too little to make the jump into a Bo. GL!
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This. Beech airplanes like the Bos, Barons, Travel Airs...etc are some of the easiest airplanes to land. You have to be having a pretty bad day to make a bad landing in a Bo or Baron.

I got my HP/Complex in a P35 Bo at under 100 hrs TT. The only thing I had trouble with at the time was getting slowed down/configured prior to the FAF (I was also doing my initial instrument training at the same time). Bos are a little slicker than the PA28s and 172s I had trained in.

With the OP's experience, he should do fine.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I got my HP/Complex in a P35 Bo at under 100 hrs TT. The only thing I had trouble with at the time was getting slowed down/configured prior to the FAF (I was also doing my initial instrument training at the same time). Bos are a little slicker than the PA28s and 172s I had trained in.
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Never had trouble slowing the Mooney down to gear speed, just have to put up with the gear warning for a minute. Should be able to fix that soon. I bet money a Bo will slow down just fine if you pull the power. You can't just point the nose down to descend, and you have to plan descents far more carefully than in a trainer. But that goes for just about any complex aircraft.
 
I can't speak for a Bonanza, but I trained in and am now flying a Cirrus at 60 hours and couldn't imagine flying anything else.
I don't see why a Bo would be any different for you.
 
steingar said:
Never had trouble slowing the Mooney down to gear speed, just have to put up with the gear warning for a minute. Should be able to fix that soon. I bet money a Bo will slow down just fine if you pull the power. You can't just point the nose down to descend, and you have to plan descents far more carefully than in a trainer. But that goes for just about any complex aircraft.
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Of course, but I was talking about a very low time PP who hadn't flown anything faster/more complicated than a PA28/172.

The only thing tricky in some of the V-tail Bos was the gear extension speed was just low enough to be problematic if you didn't start slowing down early enough.

OP says he's flown an SR22. He'll do just fine.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Of course, but I was talking about a very low time PP who hadn't flown anything faster/more complicated than a PA28/172.
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Wasn't what I'd call low time (though some might) when I got the Mooney, but hadn't flown anything other than a PA28 for a decade. Still, getting slowed down to gear speed came fast. Landing the fool thing, well I'm still working on that.
 
A flew A36's as a novice pilot. Did my complex/HP signoff in a Deb. Get checked out and familiarized. Nice flying airplanes.
 
Fearless Tower said:
This. Beech airplanes like the Bos, Barons, Travel Airs...etc are some of the easiest airplanes to land. You have to be having a pretty bad day to make a bad landing in a Bo or Baron.

I got my HP/Complex in a P35 Bo at under 100 hrs TT. The only thing I had trouble with at the time was getting slowed down/configured prior to the FAF (I was also doing my initial instrument training at the same time). Bos are a little slicker than the PA28s and 172s I had trained in.

With the OP's experience, he should do fine.
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Profound comment. The only thing I would add is that those Beechcraft teach you how to land an airplane; my experience in Bonanzas and Barons, Duchess seemed to make landings much more facile in all types that I flew. Never really thought about it until you mentioned it. F33A lands beautifully (particularly when slowed into a comfortable "slot"), the A36 i even better (pax ask, "Are we down yet?")
 
I have a "little" time in an A36, even I could land it ok. I think you would be just fine.
 
I've always thought that if I was going to train anyone de novo how to fly, I'd do it in a Bonanza (let alone insurance considerations) as I have never experienced a more honest, straight-forward aircraft. Aside from a shocking secondary stall (over-agressive stall recovery at altitude), I've never encountered anything that a pre-solo student couldn't handle with ease.
 
Fearless Tower said:
The only thing I had trouble with at the time was getting slowed down/configured prior to the FAF (I was also doing my initial instrument training at the same time).
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Hmmm. I'm doing that right now: IR in a -35. But the gear speed is 100 MPH. If I'm not level at 100MPH with 14" MP at FAF, I might as well go missed. If I am, lower the gear and the -35 will nearly land itself.
 
brian] said:
Hmmm. I'm doing that right now: IR in a -35. But the gear speed is 100 MPH. If I'm not level at 100MPH with 14" MP at FAF, I might as well go missed. If I am, lower the gear and the -35 will nearly land itself.
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Didn't know the extension speed was that low in a -35, F33A and A36 were much higher...but your point is spot-on: have your speed and power set-up outside the marker, then just drop the gear and flaps to hold the slope. It's about drag management...I used 105 kts on final, slowing to 70 over the fence.
 
I moved from a 172 into a v-tail Bonanza and love it. The transition wasn't difficult at all. Don't be afraid of the older 1950 and 1960 models. There are some great values out there but a pre-buy is a must in every case.

VLE in my P35 is 143 kts.
 
brian] said:
Hmmm. I'm doing that right now: IR in a -35. But the gear speed is 100 MPH.
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Jeebus that's slow. I doubt I could fly 100 mph clean and keep the engine happy. Think I'll find out this weekend. I have quite a bit of slow flight and a spot landing coming up soon.
 
Yes, 100 MPH. Doable in a bonanza with the gear up. But sometimes you have to nose up a bit in the pattern to slow down.

After they invented letters in '49, they invented steerable nose gear and raised the gear speed.
 
I transitioned from a Grumman Yankee to my Questair Venturewith only 165 hrs total time. Flying a lot of time in slower simpler planes only solidifies bad habits in slick complex ones. Learning to fly a complex HP will make you a better low and slow pilot.
 
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