I'm the proud owner of the 1963 P35 Bonanza that my father owned and flew in the 70s and 80s - although lately I feel like it owns me. Between ADS-B, new magnetos, and a cylinder replacement in the last two years it's got to be love that keeps us together - right?! When my dad purchased the plane in 1975 to complete his instrument training he had it repainted, reupholstered, engine overhauled, dual yoke and autopilot installed. I remember asking him if there was anything he LIKED about the airplane when he bought it since he changed just about everything! He laughed and said, 'It was a Bonanza. Now it's MY Bonanza!'. He flew it until 1984 when he traded it for a Cessna 182 RG Skylane. I never did forgive him for doing that! He passed away in 2005, and that got me wondering about the Bonanza. After searching in vain for several years I asked a pilot friend of mine if he could locate it. He found it in no time at all! A businessman in Scottsbluff, NE had purchased it in 1985 and still owned it. I called to see if he was interested in selling it - not just yet. He was in his 80s and didn't figure he could pass his physical many more times. When he did fail, the plane would be for sale. Two years later I was purchasing my very own Bonanza - wow! I suppose I should get my pilot's license now! Several months passed before I found a CFII that would train me in the Bonanza, and in June of 2013 I took my check ride in it! I do love that airplane! I'm sorry for the long post, I thought you folks might be interested in my story - I think it's fairly unique.

Welcome. Awesome story.

The P's are great. My dad owns one (in Montana), I ended up getting one.

Very cool story Roger.

The P35 is my favorite plane...not favorite Bonanza...favorite plane. Great engine, improved fuel system. Light airframe.

You and your dad picked a good one.

KJ

Hi Roger, great intro, it's like the plane choose you. You must be thrilled to be back in it!

Where in Wyoming? I need to fly back out to the Evanston area. I want to fly over the area (Uinta) where my Dad was killed in a train wreck in 1951. It's a bucket list item of mine to fly down those RR tracks with his Navy wings on my glareshield...

Great intro Roger! I too, love a nice P.

Thanks to All for the warm welcome! I hangar in Pine Bluffs, but live in Cheyenne - can't afford Cheyenne! A 40 mile road trip isn't bad, but the more I fly the more I drive! To answer an earlier post, I've been as far west as Evanston on a couple of occasions but it's not where I usually fly. I've buzzed around Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore, and have ventured as far as Phoenix - twice. I landed both times at Paradise Valley Airport in Peoria. It's a gravel strip northwest of Dear Valley Airport that caters to gliders and is close to where my mother stays when she's 'snow-birding'. I generally avoid towered airfields, being from Wyoming, and that's why I landed in Peoria. An interesting side note here: the first time I landed in Peoria I remember saying to myself 'Wow, that's a narrow runway!'. I stepped it off after I got parked and found it to be approximately 18 feet wide.