Hi Amy,

Welcome and good luck with your search. I would second the idea of moving to a Bonanza. They are simply fabulous airplanes. I'm on my second one now.

But.....if you do want to pursue the Sundowner, there is a group called Indy Air Sales on my home field (KAID - just up the road a little ways) that currently has a pretty nice looking Sundowner for sale. I've used these guys a few times and both Pat and Mark are pretty good to deal with.

I actually went up to Anderson and checked out that plane! It's a nice bird, and I really loved the way it flew. I'm not sure that's the Sundowner for me, but I do think it convinced me I want a Sundowner!

Formation flying? Wow! How hard is that?

I’ve tried to do it a few times (without any formal training) and quickly realized we (me and the other plane) were an accident waiting to happen.

Don't get a Sundowner if you are only planning to upgrade to something faster in a few years. I also had this sense when I bought my plane as well, but I am glad I was eventually convinced to buy my M20J right away rather than working "up to" it. The used airplane market takes some time after your purchase to get your airplane right, let's just say there's a lot of transaction costs in buying, selling, learning the plane, and your first year of maintenance. I wouldn't want to do it twice. And if you are worried about a Bo or a Mooney or whatnot being "too fast" for your first plane, just pull the throttle lever back and put down the gear and you can turn it into a Sundowner or Warrior. But when the sun is setting, the weather is closing in, etc. its nice to be able to push that throttle lever forward.

I was the backseat passenger in charge of the photos for this flight. The flying was done by a 50 year pilot with an ATP and formal formation training in an RV-4, which is an incredibly agile plane. The other plane was the "lead" plane, and so we just flew near and avoided him. The pilot never took his eyes off the lead plane. It truly was an amazing learning experience.

This seems to be a very common piece of advice here, but the purchase of a complex/retractable gear airplane for my experience level has tripled my insurance costs in every quote I have gotten (from 4 different places). Plus the annual costs for those added parts really come up as well. For what I can figure we will still come out ahead to build time in a slow plane, and have to eat the costs of buying again. I would love to avoid the process of buying again, as I have really not enjoyed it. However, it does not seem like a great option for us.

I would highly recommend a close look at a Grumman (Tiger or Cheetah) as a good first plane. I don't know what your mission is, but these are quick planes, fun and easy to fly, seem to have retained their value over the last few years. They have a great support group and are reasonable for maintenance. I owned a Cheetah for 10 years and probably will retire with a Tiger.

Hi Amy-

There is some validity to the concept of jumping right into the Bonanza, for all of the reasons mentioned. However, there is also something to be said for starting with a simple airplane that you can fly through your instrument training until you decide exactly what you want as your next step. The trick is to make sure that the airplane you buy pretty much fills your needs “as is”, so you do not become engaged in a lot of expensive repairs and upgrades. Most of the money you spend customizing your plane will be left on the table when you go to sell, so just restrain those urges until you have a plane that you plan to keep for the long term.

The Sundowner may not set any speed records, but it is a well built and nice to fly plane. Make sure that you connect up with someone who knows what to look for on those planes. The Beech Aero Club is probably the place to start if you do not already have some expertise on tap.

Have fun!

Regards,

Bob

I will look into those, thank you! I need a high useful load: family of 4, fixed gear, and I'm hoping for a good plane to complete my IR training. My husband is now considering getting his private so he may end up doing primary training in the plane as well. We plan on using it for weekend trips only a state or two away, so it doesn't need *that* much speed.

as much as we all love beechcraft, everything you are wanting says C182 to me. You can't go wrong with a 182 for hauling a family and if you ever decide to trade up it will sell easily.

as much as we all love beechcraft, everything you are wanting says C182 to me. You can't go wrong with a 182 for hauling a family and if you ever decide to trade up it will sell easily.

This seems to be a very common piece of advice here, but the purchase of a complex/retractable gear airplane for my experience level has tripled my insurance costs in every quote I have gotten (from 4 different places). Plus the annual costs for those added parts really come up as well. For what I can figure we will still come out ahead to build time in a slow plane, and have to eat the costs of buying again. I would love to avoid the process of buying again, as I have really not enjoyed it. However, it does not seem like a great option for us.

the other thing is, if this is family transportation then the family is definitely not interested in "building time". My kids will periodically reach up during cruise and give the throttles a nudge, just in case one of them might have slipped 0.0001 inches back from the forward stop.

Not that I take issue with the idea that a Bonanza isn't a great first airplane purchase, but....

This is BeechTalk, where the average knowledge and financial level is pretty high. If you frequent other forums where there are a lot of new pilots looking at buying $35k airplanes, you'll find that there is a WHOLE LOT for them to learn about buying and maintaining that first airplane. Not a big problem if your hand doesn't shake while writing a $10k check for that first annual inspection, but for a lot of the less well-off crowd, well

There's several threads on other forums about folks who bought a $30k airplane and then spent MORE than that over the first two years, and it wasn't on avionics.

Sometimes the new owner needs to learn to walk before they run. A pilot/owner with 40+ years of experience may be able to judge whether a $40k Bonanza is worth buying or just a money pit. I would say that many 100 hr pilots have no idea.

+1 on Don's sentiments. Dentist at my field and I were looking for our first plane(s) at the same time. We both paid cash for "the" first plane. He went Bo. We end up in annual close in time and see each other frequently. He's getting bit with $5k+ annuals because every time he finds another part that needs replacing. In three years he's $20k beyond me in expenses.

Now knowing what we both know having owned for a few years, we both would do far better in any aircraft acquisition. Not to mention building time and the insurance savings.

Would I want a Bo for my first airplane or now, sure. What's not to want, but I'm happy with the path I've taken.