I have decided to retire. I am selling the businesses and real estate holdings and the Bonanza. We are downsizing and realigning - to Florida. We have family in Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina and Colorado. I made the fortunate decision to fly my wife to Florida from Illinois, it was a good trip, we dodged a lot of weather, she asked a lot of questions. In the end she really enjoyed sitting in the right seat on that trip. In the TBM she sat in the back and rode herd on the kids and was not engaged in the work up front.

So as we are getting ready to make this 1000 mile move, my wife asks me what airplane are we getting next? Good question is my answer. I have been looking, i am on the fence about experimental or certified, i don't want turbine DOC, I "want" +- 200 KTAS and maybe pressurized. A modern AP with envelope protection and the level button is a must for her, we talked a lot about what to do if something happens to me. She wants more pinch hitter training but i want her to have more automation at her disposal. Cirrus is out - don't want to debate it. I have my reasons.

Malibu? Cessna 340? Duke? Lancair IV-P or ES? I hear bad stories about the IV-P and how engine out and clean stalls/spins are pilot killers, The maintenance on the twin Cessna's are more than some countries GDP, Dukes are great until you have to buy fuel for them or hang an engine. Finding a good Malibu is getting impossible and 350's are high 6 to low 7 digits.

The experimental air frames interest me from a cost aspect, and i can put just about anything in it i want within reason. I have only flown certified aircraft and just do not have a handle on the issues related to the experimental planes. I have nothing but time to find what i want, I just do not know what that is? Any one have any ideas that don't involve Tarver and his citation addiction. Man that guy has some nice airplanes.

Take a look at the Dark Aero kit. Not out yet, but getting close.

My first thoughts...

Keep the A36.
Add TAT, O2, GFC500, and 750xi with glide assist.

agree, you're going to have a tough time improving on the A36 if you want to stay piston powered.

Pressurized is a huge (positive) step up in functionality for a traveling airplane.

I had a C340A for 10 years, it was a great airplane. It was not cheap to own and operate, and a bit finicky - I did small maintenance a lot, like spark plug cleaning, injector cleaning, keeping the fuel flows set. It seemed like small issues frequently was the norm. But if I stayed on top of the small stuff it was a reliable machine.

But… pressurized is the way to go for travel.

I owned an A36, and now fly a Vans RV7A that I built.

Experimental is very satisfying and far cheaper. However, I miss being able to carry my whole family in the A36.

A good Vans RV10 would cost more than the A36, though it's also very nice. I don't have personal experience in the Lancair, but have also heard it is less forgiving. There aren't many other experimentals with the utility of a Bonanza.

If it's an option to hold onto the A36 and upgrade the avionics, I concur that's a terrific plane. Taking a step up in the certified world is a huge cost difference.

David

The airplanes you mentioned are very different.

Lancair has similar room to an SR22 but the back seat has no legroom. The biggest advantage is it is as fast as a turboprop (IV). Insurance will be expensive and not as easy to find someone to work on it. I personally wouldn't buy an experimental unless I built it or had a good relationship with who did. Very different ownership experience.

Malibu is the cheapest certified cabin class traveling airplane. If you are OK with the cabin size that seems like an obvious choice. Older Meridians and Jetprops are not much more expensive, and will spend less time in the shop.

340 is an excellent airplane but burns 36-38 gph. For that you get a bigger cabin and an extra 25 knots (we see 225 knots regularly on 36gph). It is a twin so you will need more recurrent training for when it becomes a single. Expect to spend much more on maintenance and have at least 6 weeks a year in the shop (combined). A duke burns more fuel for less speed and is even more maintenance. They look cooler. A 414 will do 200 knots and should be an option if you are looking at 340s and Dukes. I would expect to spend $60,000 a year excluding buying it and excluding your initial training on a 340/414. Be prepared to double that if you get unlucky. You'll see numbers all over the place on these airplanes and they are all accurate.

You may also want to look at a P210.

If I were in your position I would buy a run out Malibu and do paint, interior, panel, and whatever the engine needs. For $300-350k plus the plane you'd have a good as new traveling airplane with reasonable operating costs that won't buy your A&P a new boat.

I regularly fly a couple Certified planes and a couple Experimentals and there are compelling merits to both.

Not surprisingly, mission plays a role in the choice. I prefer experimental for simpler, fun-flying 1-2 seaters (think Vans or Carbon Cub) and Certified for anything carrying multiple passengers over long distances. The liability issues in Experimental are a consideration and there are relatively few experimental 4+ seaters in the market (either designs or examples) and limited safety data.

It used to be that the economics of avionics upgrades were compelling in Experimentals but recent approvals have nearly eliminated that distinction.

I have owned and flown a Lancair ES for 8 years, and enjoyed every bit of it. My plane is currently for sale and being represented by Neal Schwartz, listed in the Classifieds on BeechTalk

I'll share every engine log, you can read through years of my post history, and I'll let every inch of the airplane be inspected. It's been been wired by Approach/Fast Stack, has every Garmin toy imaginable, triple redundancy, onboard Oxygen, 200-210KTAS on 17gph all day long with the Tornado Alley Turbo kit, and we've got all logbooks scanned and digitized, all pictures available as well

Despite all of this, I'm astonished at the prospective buyers we have been getting. It seems to be a real task to find a mature pilot with experience, no shortage of <500hr, VFR only pilots wishing to go 1200nm with 800lbs of human cargo (that's not a viable mission profile for any single)

If you are interested, or aren't sure if you are interested, I strongly suggest you take a look and consider it- I've maintained the airplane with an open checkbook, anything gives me an issue and it gets replaced

I've stepped up to the turbine twin world and I cannot keep both airplanes in the hangar. My loss could be your gain

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=196213

An RV 10 cost more than my A36?? Not sure in what world that happens. The A36 already has the G500 Txi, GTN 750/650, G600 Autopilot, 400 hour SNEW IO550. Its a $350K+ airplane. To go faster and higher it needs TAT but it is not pressurized and i wont go to O2 altitudes on the bottle. It is either pressurized or no higher than 11,000. It was not an issue when we owned the TBM.

It is me, my wife and our English Setter. She packs more for the dog than for us. The A36 while a good candidate will stay in Illinois with the current owners group, they have asked to buy my majority share of the airplane.

I'm obviously biased...

The advantage to E/AB is that the nice instrumentation is available for experimentals before certified. And LOTS cheaper. But insurance on an experimental that cruises 200kts will be... surprising compared to certified aircraft.

My Velocity cruised at 200kts TAS on 13.5GPH and 6,000-8,000' with a 1,000nm range. Pressurization is not an option though. And no runways under 2500' unless you get a beta prop. Then you're good down to about 1,500'.

I went with Grand Rapids in the panel. Nicest A/P I've ever flown behind. Garmin has a nice panel as well with an A/P that is just as good if not better.

If you're interested, I suggest going to Sebastian and getting a demo ride at the factory.

BTW, I made the move from IL to FL 7 years ago. Where in FL are you heading.

P210 or P Baron.

[edit] Both will fit a normal 40' hangar, Malibu won't.

I saw the ad and let it get away from me. That is an interesting airplane and I would like to chat about it. I have a few operational questions. I don't have that mission anymore, the TBM was adequate for that. I need two plus our pooch and bags to see the grand kids, about 500 lbs and fuel. Let me know if you have time to talk.

Great Idea i should do that - December arrival - KCGC Crystal River area. A friend owns the FBO and i get to hang out with Capt Tom Davis. The guy is a real American hero, veteran and a great guy. He is in his early 90s and still recognizes me and and calls me by name and i only get to see him twice a year until now. Really looking forward to spending time with him.

Wow! Looks like you could sleep in that.