10 extra HP in the Centurion, not really fair. But then again the Bo they used is 20 years newer than their L model...

So the 42 year old Cessna beat the 25 year old Beech?

Just kidding, both great airplanes. I dont understand the rivalry. Like Ford vs Chevy people I guess... I'm not loyal to either. I would happily own a Beech someday, my only complaint is that Im a lot less comfortable sitting in the sun, but that happens in a high wing too sometimes and can be avoided in a low wing with curtains/shades.

Agreed it was a cool article from AOPA. They should have raced up to Big Bear and back.

“You’re all winners!”

The two planes chosen were convenient because they are owned by the same club. I know one of the CFIs in the club, a BPPP instructor actually. I'll have to give him a hard time.

If they do a re-match, I will bring over my 550R 36! On a short field I fly my final @ 70Knts.

If I remember correctly when I was plane shopping, insurance on a 210 was significantly more than a Bonanza.

A lot of airplane owners seem to live in a zero sum world. "If my plane is good, then yours must be bad."

Heck. If it can fly it's pretty cool. Same club no matter whose logo is on the tail.

I wonder how long it took to find a 210 that would our run a Bonanza? There couldn't be more than 1

This thread is getting interesting.

I’m curious how a Bo could outweigh a 210.

I've enjoyed my time in both the G36 Bo and the T210M.

I'm glad I own a T210M. For my precious hard-earned dollars, it gets the job done better, particularly when it comes to load-hauling at high speed over long distances, which is what I do a lot of with a family of five. And, importantly, my wife likes traveling in a high-wing aircraft a lot better -- we can see the countryside much more clearly.

They are, overall, quite comparable platforms. I like them both.

John

Obviously one can pick any performance metric to slant a competition, "which plane climbs faster from 10,000 to 17,500 feet while running LOP in rain at gross weight" to be silly. So as a thought exercise, let's suppose the two aircraft had identical performance metrics in every aspect of range, speed, fuel burn, operating and maintenance costs, climb rate, et al.

One could still favor the Bonanza for:
1) ease of fueling (no ladder required!)
2) visibility in turns
3) ramp appeal -- it's a beautiful airplane
4) simpler gear retraction system
5) lighter control feel, more like a sports car

and one could favor the Centurion for:
1) easier ingress & egress, no climbing up onto the wing
2) better off-pavement airplane for back country flying, particularly the model years with the spring steel gear (ie, before the tubular gear legs)
3) larger CG range (at the expense of heavier control feel, it flies more like a truck)

Each serves its purposes well, and each is mature and the result of optimization over many model years. I assert that both designs benefitted from being in competition with the other.

I love them both.

Nope. Bo gear stronger, especially the S model and later. It was designed for non paved surfaces also.

I thought it was my generation that was supposed to be overly sensitive.

Anyone who makes their final judgement of the Bonanza vs 210 debate from a single AOPA article doesn't deserve either one.
Also, there are good and bad aspects to both planes. Anyone who wont acknowledge that is blind.

I’ve flown both and agree that the Bo handles better from a pilot’s perspective; control is balanced as opposed to the 210 which is heavy in pitch. I own a 210 and fly it off the grass and unimproved strips and have done the same in the Bo. I don’t think gear on either is an issue. After 4500 hours I’ve had to overhaul my power pack and would think after that much time in a Bo you would consider rebuilding the gear motor. Electrohydraulic is more complex than straight electric but both are pretty bulletproof when maintained. I can see bladder replacement would have advantages over a leaking wet wing. Flap cables and motors are common to both but Cessna really “Rube Goldberged” their flap indicator/cable but I’ve never heard of any problems with these systems. I think that either airplane could be landed gear up with minimal airframe damage. I’ll never run the Bo or it’s owner down but I really like my 2x10.