Hi friends.

I'd like to jump in here and introduce myself. I'm one half of a flying couple. My wife and I have owned a Cessna 182 for 20 years and have enjoyed it immensely. It's taken us to all over North America and beyond but we are finding that our mission has changed and we might be looking for something different.

We are based at SRQ and fly to Ohio fairly frequently to visit friends and family. It's an 808 NM trip and we'd like to be able to do it non stop, sub 5 hours.

I've got a few hours in F33's and think they are an absolute joy to fly. So, I thought I'd join up here to try and educate myself about all things Beech.

Cheers,
Phil

Welcome aboard, Phil
This is the best place to learn everything "Beech"

Welcome to BT Phil!

You came to the right place.

Phil,

Welcome to BT, glad you are here. I'm a model 36 & 55 guy so I'll let the 33 drivers respond to your questions. If you decide a longer body 36 might suit your families needs let me know.

Best wishes,

Chris

Welcome to BT.

Don't overlook the 35s - lots of them around, and they don't look like Pipers.

Welcome, Phil!

I have had the honor of knowing Phil and Pam for about 8 years. They have a gorgeous Skylane. Maybe we can convince them to own an equally gorgeous Beech.

Phil.
Welcome.

Please describe your flying a bit more..

Just you and your wife mostly? Need for cargo space?

Any of the Bo's will fit the speed mission..... it kind of depends on what you will be carrying.

You'll love one of the short body Beech models for two plus bags. The 33, 35, and 55 are perfect for the mission length that you describe although you might find that tip tanks are needed if going into headwinds nonstop for 800nm.

I'm running a 58 now for business use, and since there are five of us including a baby who doesn't "travel light". As soon as it is just Mom and I again, I'm going back to the short body. Probably an S35 or V35. They are the best flying planes that I have ever had the pleasure to operate, and I have had the good fortune to fly quite a few.

As a bonus, they are now at historically low prices when adjusted for inflation.

Phil,

I regularly fly a -35 from south of Atlanta to north of New York City. It's absolutely fantastic for 2 persons plus plenty of bags. And I don't even have tip tanks...

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

I should have been a bit more clear in my initial post in that all my Beech time is in F33's except for a treasured hour in Jack's Baron. I'm open to most anything though I'm trying to stay away from twins.

We make the trip to Ohio at least once a quarter and also do a fair bit of shorter trips and breakfast runs so our flying is not one dimensional. Our Skylane can handle all of it but we'd like to make the trip to Ohio non stop (the best speed mod is not stopping for gas) comfortably. I'd also like a turbo for the ability to climb high. Living in Florida, perhaps air conditioning would be a plus but I don't know much about AC on piston singles. I suspect it cuts into the useful load and I'm not sure how well they work.

99% of our flying is just the wife and I (no kids) so 2+ baggage. We've been camping at Airventure for the last 20 years and that is the time we like to have plenty of cubic feet. Typically, I remove the back seat from the Skylane and we fill it to the brim. Although, as we age, it holds less appeal and Airventure continues to change in a way that make us reconsider going.

All that said, due to my job, we can fly for free so I always question spending $$$ buying a new plane. However, every time we non-rev, the stress of worrying if we will get a seat makes the $$$ of flying our own plane more than worth it.

Cheers,
Phil

I may be in ksrq in January, will say hello!

Please do John!

Welcome to BeechTalk!

We love our F33A. Let me know if you have any ownership questions about these beasts.

F33A's rock!