I am the type who plans two years out before I even get to step 1. Having researched airplanes that will get me pragmatically from A to B and my wife's physical limits I am looking at eventually being in a Beech Bo A36 or a Cessna 182. Looking for 150Knots or better. I understand it will take me 200 hours to move to an A36. If I start with an 182 will I be able to fly it comfortably after 60 hours? My goal is to move to an A36 in the end.

Hi John. Welcome to BT. I can share my experience, obviously your timeline will be different depending on your training experience.
I went form 0 time to private in approx 60 hours. I purchased a bonanza at 70 hours and flew it after less than 10 hours with cfi.
My private training was in a 152. I'm 50 years old.

I bought a 172 to train in, then sold it and moved to a 182. The transition wasn't hard.

That said, as great as a 182 is you're not going to get 150 knots out of it. If that's a requirement, then the Bo makes a whole lot more sense.

Welcome John!

I learned on a C172 and bought my C182 when I had about 60 hours. I flew that for 4 years and about 550 hours before I moved over to the Bonanza B36. The transition to the Bonanza was not nearly as difficult as I anticipated. I actually find it easier to land with the low wing plane.

If your wife has physical limitations, don't count on her getting into and out of the front seat. The rear cabin will be very comfortable, but she will not be joining you up front.

Also, don't count on 150 knots from a C182. At cruise you can expect 135 knots.

Good luck with your search. It is way more fun than buying a car.

Welcome John!
I have a friend who bought a 182 for ease of entry and exit for his wife. He seems happy with it, he has three planes right now. But I am guessing it is not more than 135 kts?

Welcome, John!

200 Hours? Maybe. Maybe not.

Since we're not you and not sure of your skills and how goal driven you are, it's hard to put a number around a transition like that.

I've know pilots who took 40-50 hours to PPL and others who've taken over 300! I went from y PPL straight to the A36 and did all my IFR training in it...

Yes, I had plenty of people warning me that it was a big jump, but I also had plenty of experienced pilots encouraging me on the other side. They knew how meticulous I am and how realistic I can be relative to goal-setting - separating "Get-there-itis" from realistic goals.

Find a BPPP or a BT Mentor near you who has A36 experience and have them talk about the transitions from trainers to the Bo...

Best wishes and keep us posted!

Doc

The only 182's I've owned that do more than 150 Kts are retractable. But, you'll need a minimum number of ours in complex to qualify for insurance. My suggestion would be to give AOPA Insurance a call and see what the generic requirements would be for the planes your considering.

Another suggestion is not to put a definitive number of hours on yourself before moving up to another aircraft. Having goals are great but, everyone learns at different paces depending on many different factors. So, don't pressure yourself like that. You might be ready in 200 hours and you might not, either way is just fine. Go get your private in a plane your comfortable in and then enjoy flying it for a while and you'll be surprised how quick you start building hours. You and your instructor will know when it's the right time to move up to something else. Good luck and welcome!

No hurry to get into a Bonanza.

The 182 is a great airplane to learn and build time in. So is a Cherokee PA-28-180 or 181.

Don't be fixated on speed... any plane that can get you there without a fuel stop will do just fine.

The rule is buy your last plane first if you can.

Not the easiest of planes to get in to with "physical limitations". Make sure you try it out first. SWMBO hurt her knee recently. A devil of a time getting in and out of the Bo. But I had fun putting my hands all over her......