Username Protected wrote:
Just wanted to say hello to the forum. I'm a student pilot in Phoenix, AZ and currently flying out of Chandler. The Bonanza and Beech 18 are two of my favorite aircraft! Hoping to purchase a V35B or F33A sometime in the near future.
Hi Dustin,
Let me be the turd in the punchbowl...
You have a good eye for fine aircraft, but I'd suggest a more modest first step if you really want to earn your private cert in your own airplane, consider something like a PA-28-181. Will take you anywhere you want to go and is stable, slick enough to not be a fuel hog... and the big secret in aviation is: if it can fly where you want to go without refueling, the Bonanza won't be much faster, door to door. Focus on basic flying skills and start working on your instrument rating soon after you get your private, and a fixed gear airplane like any PA-28 (or the C172/182) is harder to lose control. Sometimes drag is your friend.
Once you can chew gum, aviate, navigate and communicate all at the same time, with your head always getting to your destination five minutes before the plane does, come back to the Bonanza. By then the learning curve of maintaining and managing your chosen A&P will also have better prepared for the decisions you will face as an owner of a much more complex aircraft. You may also find the simpler aircraft actually does everything you need and you won't be in a rush after all.
Most all the planes that have been successes are GREAT airplanes, well suited for their niche. That includes all the Bonanzas, all the Cherokees, all the C172/182. Don't overlook the great simpler aircraft, we call them trainers for a reason, and you have a lot to learn. There's no hurry.
