Which aircraft to upgrade to?

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
14,487
Location
Florida
Display Name

Display name:
Right Seater
If I were to trade my Bonanza V35, I would want the following:

Air conditioning
True 4 seater (approx 400# up front and around 350 in the back two seats)
Plus another 200 pounds or so in baggage.
Minimum 150+ kts cruise

Prefer NO turbo and don't need to go to the flight levels.

What fits that bill?
 
Budget?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
My Aztec meets all of those criteria, and then some. ;)

But, I assume you prefer a single engine, so perhaps a Cirrus SR-22?
Although may be short on useful load?

You list 950 lbs total payload. Assuming minimum 400 lbs of fuel, you need 1350 lb useful load. Not sure there's a piston single out there that can do that and achieve the speed?
Cessna 206 isn't fast enough.
Maybe a Piper PA-32R, retractable Lance/Saratoga?
 
Last edited:
Why not a Bonanza with A/C ?

Real life A36s are a bit short on useful load, especially if equipped with factory AC.
The G-36 is so heavy it won't even come close.
 
Budget?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Probably around $150k plus whatever I could get for the V35.
I used to have a Cessna 172 with the 180 upgrade and I had around 850# useful load with full fuel, but it was slow.
An A36 with AC is probably still going to have load limitations.

I was thinking along the lines of a 210.

But yeah, if my boxes are too big, then I keep the V tail. That's not really a bad thing.

I'd love to have a nice twin, but the $$$ just don't make sense and they are harder to sell, unless I use a former poster's method.
 
This may be a PoA first. A which plane thread where Bonanza isn't the answer. 210 would probably work. Saratoga/Lance is gonna be just a little shy on speed.
 
If I were to trade my Bonanza V35, I would want the following:

Air conditioning
True 4 seater (approx 400# up front and around 350 in the back two seats)
Plus another 200 pounds or so in baggage.
Minimum 150+ kts cruise

Prefer NO turbo and don't need to go to the flight levels.

What fits that bill?

My 1971 A36 will do that. It doesn't have air conditioning though. If you want air, then upgrade to an IO-550. Gain useful load that offsets the weight of the AC. If you add tip tanks, UL jumps to 4000#. After factoring in the increased weight of the tip tanks and the AC, I'd have about a 1660# UL on my A36. That would be 1180# after full tanks. You're looking for 950# in people and cargo. What are your plans for the extra 230#? :)
 
206, 210, Saratoga, Lance
 
My 1971 A36 will do that. It doesn't have air conditioning though. If you want air, then upgrade to an IO-550. Gain useful load that offsets the weight of the AC. If you add tip tanks, UL jumps to 4000#. After factoring in the increased weight of the tip tanks and the AC, I'd have about a 1660# UL on my A36. That would be 1180# after full tanks. You're looking for 950# in people and cargo. What are your plans for the extra 230#? :)

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I think you mean gross weight??
 
If I were to trade my Bonanza V35, I would want the following:

Air conditioning
True 4 seater (approx 400# up front and around 350 in the back two seats)
Plus another 200 pounds or so in baggage.
Minimum 150+ kts cruise

Prefer NO turbo and don't need to go to the flight levels.

What fits that bill?

Minus the AC a Skywagon or a 210 should do it, maybe a PA24
 
This is pretty straightforward: 210 (my preference), A36, or Saratoga/Lance are pretty much it in the single engine world. If you said just a little faster, it’d only be 210 or A36.
 
Mine is a touch slower than your 150kt req, but it ticks all the other boxes
 
This is pretty straightforward: 210 (my preference), A36, or Saratoga/Lance are pretty much it in the single engine world. If you said just a little faster, it’d only be 210 or A36.
I'd say 210
 
  • Like
Reactions: JPA
If I were to trade my Bonanza V35, I would want the following:

Air conditioning
True 4 seater (approx 400# up front and around 350 in the back two seats)
Plus another 200 pounds or so in baggage.
Minimum 150+ kts cruise

Prefer NO turbo and don't need to go to the flight levels.

What fits that bill?

At your $150k budget you could get a low time really nice equipped Lance with air conditioning that would have a useful load of 1300-1400. The Saratogas have less useful load than a Lance.
 
My normally aspirated 210 had a useful load of 1710 lbs, cruised at 160kts at 12.5 gph, lop. Wish I had never sold her.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JPA
182RG? Can you get those with AC?

A 210 will be the load monster and are speed demons, though they are kinda cult priced (as are Bonanzas). A Lance might be the ticket here, as others have said.

Why the aversion to turbos?
 
Luggage for 4 people would be very close to 200 pounds if 2 are women.
THAT, plus 4 sets of golf clubs and a case or two of adult beverages. When we travel with another couple, we usually rent a house or a large suite for about a week, and we stock it well.
 
C210 all day long!
My A36 has a 1387 Useful Load. It's getting a new modern panel at the moment. I'm hoping to gain at least 13 pounds of useful load with the new lighter avionics. That would get me to 1400# WooHoo!
 
Three words: "Cessna Two Ten".

cessnac210g1.jpg
 
Back
Top