Hi ladies and gentlemen. My name is Andrew Lyon of Lindsay, OK and I'm excited to be here. I'm a very low time pilot (70 hrs), with most of my time being in a Cessna 172L, and a few hours in Cherokee 150, Cherokee 235, and a couple hours of twin time in an Apache. Got my license nearly two years ago with exactly 40 hours and have obviously only put on an additional 30 or so hours since then. Not exactly burning up the skies, lol. While 70 hours is not much, especially for a complex/hp Beech, most of the reason for me not racking up hours is because a) renting things just feels like flushing money down the tiolet, b)renting limits me to short trips and multi day rental is to expensive, c) money spent on rental is money that could go toward my goal of ownership, and d) The trainer aircraft I have available for rental (150/172/PA28 150) just aren't challenging anymore, can't haul much, and don't get anywhere very quickly. While I respect the machines, and still have much to learn as a pilot, I'd rather continue my learning in a plane of my own. That being said, I love Bonanzas, and while I have not yet flown one, I understand them to be wonderful machines. I have seen several of the old birds come up for sale for reasonable prices with decent engine and airframe times, and starting to think seriously about picking one up. I have some questions about the old V tails and I look forward to perusing the site, and perhaps asking questions. Anywho, just wanted to say hello and I look forward to hearing from the members here.

Andrew,

Welcome to BT! You are quite fortunate to live in OK as it is the land of reasonable fuel prices, apparently has the best graduate school education on Bo/Baron engine management (look to the right for ABS) and home to some of the more colorful guys on Beechtalk.

There are some nearby threads debating whether new pilots should pursue a complex high performance aircraft...I for one believe you should buy your last plane first. BOs are awesome as long as you respect your limits and its limits.

Use the Search function ..." First plane" , "new pilot", "looking for a V tail" might be good places to start. You will avoid asking a well hashed out topic, learn whose opinions you seem to line up with and quickly start mining information specific to your needs.

Regarding a purchase, give us more parameters....budget, hoped for avionics, model of Bo etc. we really enjoy spending other people's money!

Hi Andrew,

I don't post much on BT, but the advise I would give you is this:

1. The Bo, with proper and continuous instruction would not be too much of a challenge for an average pilot. You will really enjoy this great airplane.
2. Before you buy a Bo, I would strongly suggest you get your instrument rating and some actual time with an instructor by your side.
3. At 40 hours you obtained a license to continue learning. According to NTSB statistics, you are in the most dangerous part of your flying career. We all have been there (in GA that is). Make it a point to continue learning, get into the FAA Wings program and take as many courses as you can get your hands on. Many of them are free. Buy the book called "The Killing Zone" - available on kindle or Apples bookstore. You will see what I am referring to.
4. Corporate, airline and military pilots fly every day, train often and are under constant supervision. That goes a long way to making for a great safety record we unfortunately don't share in GA. Make it a point to try strive for some level of this. In the past month I have witnessed a couple of unfortunate accidents close to home that could have been prevented.
5. Enjoy and be safe.

Regards

Hi Andrew and welcome.
You are already receiving great advice from Kevin and Alex.
Yes, flying is an expensive hobby and a dangerous one if you don't abide by a few simple rules.
1. Flying less than x hours year, is not sufficient to keep you proficient. Fill in your own x, probably north of 150 hrs or so
2. Bo's are incredible flying machines, but, they are complex and fast. Things happen Ina hurry and its easy to "get behind" the plane instead of staying "in front" I was a passenger in a buddy's cirrus last Sunday after flying mostly my Bo and was struck by how "easy" that was in comparison. And Cirri are by no means slouches either.
3. Get you instrument rating. It will make you a better pilot. Hand flying routes, holding assigned altitudes without ATC asking you to verify your altitude (how do I know this? ) and hand flying precision approaches with the needles solidly in a cross are skills that will give you confidence and make you a better pilot. Yes, most of us have autopilots but I find myself frequently hand flying my Bo because it is so much fun and great practice.
4. Fly, fly, fly. As much as you can. You never cease to learn and experience new things.
5. Take as many courses as you can
6. Read incessantly about your new passion
7 have fun!

Thank you for welcoming me and for the great advice.

I certainly believe I can learn to handle, respect, and love Beechcraft. I love to fly and yearn to do more of it. As is happens, I became great friends with my instructor during my training, and as a result, we fly together often. In fact, even though I got my ticket at 40hrs, most of the hours I've gained since then have been in his company. So when I do get a plane, I fully intend to have him there with me until both he and I are satisfied that I'm ready. I totally intend to get my instrument rating, but I've been sort of waiting until I find my own plane to pursue it, and frankly, I kind of just wanted to enjoy putting around for a while Now I'm ready to move on.

Thanks again fellas
Andrew

P.S. I've already started a discussion in the Beech Singles section entitled "On the hunt".

Do try to fly by yourself as much as you can.
While flying with your instructor is good, you will build more confidence through doing it alone and not being able to continually ask.
I found this out myself. Since I went almost straight from private license in to instrument rating, almost 50% of my hours were with an instructor at one time. However, it's when I started flying alone and had to make all decisions myself, that my confidence and skills really grew.
It starts with the "should I fly today" decision and goes from there. By all means, develop a network of friends who fly, including your instructor, who you can call if you're not sure or just want to double check your logic.
Good luck with your search!

Very good point Luc, thank you. To be honest, my instructor friend mostly just jumps in with me if he doesn't have a student when I go out to fly, just for the ride. Mostly he plays with his iPad while I putt around We have a good time. It's fun to fly with company.

Welcome to BeechTalk!

Welcome to BT Andrew!

I see you've already gotten some pretty good advice!