Dear fellow pilots:

I am looking at buying this plane. I got 230 hours so far, almost done with my IFR rating. I know it is a buyer's market now but I cannot afford over the 100 K mark. I think this plane has what I need unless you suggest otherwise. I am based in El Paso, TX and would like to be able to fly into Mexico to places like Puerto Penasco, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara so I need a good cruise speed.

I am told that the V tails make passengers more prone to motion sickness. I have 2 kids, 11 and 5 and would not want to them to get them sick in the back. My wife is not a pilot and still reluctant to the idea of flying together. So I guess I can always send them on a commercial flight and fly by myself at least until I become more experienced.

Trying to get my Twin rating as well, but it is so expensive that I think buying a Baron 58 would be even better than renting a 310 for 500 dollars per hour.

Any comments are welcomed!

Pedro

Pedro,
It looks like a capable airplane with a Garmin 430 and an autopilot. What model is that plane, and what engine does it have?

All of the short bodies, including the 55 Barons, wiggle more than any of the long bodies. There's no appreciable difference between the Bos and the Debs in that regard. A yaw damper is a good thing.

FWIW, my wife likes the wag, as long as it's lateral and not horizontal. "Feels like it's rocking me to sleep," she says.

1977 is an excellent year. By then, all of the major changes had been made to the 35 line except for the 24V electrical, which is not a big deal. I see that it has the yaw damper installed, which should make it just fine for your family. The combination of the 430 and the Stec 50 autopilot is a very good one, though I don't see evidence of GPSS installed anywhere, which would make it outstanding.

Thanks for your comments. BofA did not approve the loan. My Debt to Assets ratio not good. I still think it is a great plane. To answer some questions the model is V35B. The Prop is beyond its overhaul time but is running well so far.

Pardon my ignorance, what is GPSS?

Thanks for your words of wisdom!

GPSS is a set of electronics that will interpret track information from the Garmin 4/530 and feed to your autopilot.

Without GPSS, the Stec 50 will take you to a waypoint, then turn to the next track. But having overshot the waypoint, it will do a series of S turns to find the new track.

The GPSS device is able to anticipate the turn, so it will cut the corner smoothly and end up exactly on the new track. If the Garmin 4/530 has WAAS, the GPSS will even fly holds and procedure turns perfectly.

Sorry to hear about the loan. See if you can find an older model: they are all great airplanes.