Howdy Gents,

Another Forum Noob here. Myself and the airplane, eh? Ok...

I was born a long time ago in Pontiac, IL but was raised the NW Chicago suburbs. A typical modest, Midwestern upbringing; I ran track and cross country in high school and did well academically.

I majored in Business while working my way through college and upon graduation worked for Arthur Andersen & Co. (major international CPA firm) in their flagship Chicago office. There I met my future Wife, also a CPA.

I was one of those kids who always stopped playing baseball to watch the small airplanes flying overhead. I've wanted to fly as long as I could remember.

In late '82, spurred on by a very close friend who had just begun pilot training I went to Schaumburg Airport and began taking lessons. My future Wife found out that evening and immediately forbid it! He he he...

I soloed on a snowpacked runway in early January. Flight training in various Cherokees went well, and I took my private check ride with Harold Holmes (IIRC) as the examiner. He was tough (and legendary for being tough). But my CFII had prepared me well.

My first major cross country with passengers was to Oshkosh for the big airshow. Great fun.

In early '84 we relocated to Southern California, I had grown weary of the Chicago winters.

In 1990 we ended up in Santa Barbara which is where we raised our kids. My oldest daughter is a recent Biomedical Engineering major / Business minor graduate of USC and is working for a major bank in NYC. The youngest is studying Chemical Engineering at UC - Berkeley.

In late '85 I bought my first airplane, a '78 Piper Arrow III which I placed on leaseback at Van Nuys airport. I got my instrument rating in that airplane in '88-'89 as by then I had finally accumulated enough hours to qualify. After a family trip in '89 to Chicago (and Oshkosh) and back in the Arrow we arrived back at Van Nuys. As my Wife got out of the plane I asked how she enjoyed the trip - her legendary response was: "This airplane is too small and too slow"!

I said "I can fix that". She said "THEN DO IT"!

Meanwhile a very good friend of mine had learned to fly after going flying with me a few times spurred his interest. He wanted a 6 seater as he had 3 kids. We started looking at Saratogas, Lances, 210's and Bonanzas.

In 1990 I traded my Arrow III for a half interest in a '76 A36 Bonanza that my good friend and I have been enjoying ever since.

In 2003 we added an aft baggage compartment mod (which gives us the identical aft baggage area as on a new A36) and a much needed new interior. At approx. 1650 hours SMOH our crankcase developed a crack near a #1 cylinder stud (our 2nd crankcase crack on that engine!) and we sent the engine to TCM in exchange for a factory reman IO-550.

In late '04 we added a CNX 80 and we have been enjoying the airplane more than ever since then.

A full list of equipment and mods is:

'76 A36, aft baggage area, BAS shoulder harnesses, GMA 340 w/ 6 place intercom, CNX 80 WAAS GPS w/ full LPV and airway capability, Collins digital Microline, KT 76A, KN 64 DME, KCS 55A HSI, JPI EDM 700, JPI FS 450 Fuel Totalizer, McCauley C76 3 blade, Rosen visors, recent all new interior (leather seats, carpet, soundproofing, headliner, glareshield and side panels), C-III autopilot fully coupled including ILS approaches and auto. elec. trim and JVC AM/FM CD Stereo.

I bought the Bonanza in Greensboro, SC and flew it back to SoCal. Since then it has been to just about every state West of the Mississippi River and a few states East of there. We often fly to Oakland (near Berkeley) to visit my daughter when she's at school.

Popular weekend or vacation destinations for us are Palm Springs, Scottsdale, Yosemite, Monterey, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes and Las Vegas.

Wish list items? A TAT turbo-normalizing system and perhaps some tip tanks would make a great airplane even better. And some of those lovely new gray windows all around.

Thanks, Tom. I am a full blooded, card carrying member of the church of Deakin (Braly and Atkinson). I currently run my engine LOP and intend to run the new one LOP from the first time I spin the propellor. I think my old engine has gained life from the way I used it, and expect the same from the new one. In truth, I only did the on-line course, and if they keep putting the live one on I WILL make one next year.

Jim

I'm Marty, I moderate AOPA forums also. Glad to be here and look forward to learning more about these Beech aircraft. I searched for N5GW 2 years before I found her and am more than happy with the performance and comfort. I was lucky to have a friend who knows Adrian Eichhorn and got to meet him @ AOPA open house this year in FDK. He gave my bird a quick look-see and said it was one of the best he has seen. Susan was good to meet also, she writes for the FAA aviation news mag and is a safety director for them.

Thanks Jeff for having this place!

Hi Marty,
Welcome! I see it has taken you a while to introduce yourself here with all that mess on the AOPA board with Patty W and the MA Angel flight threads! You should just get out the bat and keep things under control like Jeff and Jeff here.
Congrats on your beautiful plane.
Jeanné (Ladybird on the others)

Hi Marty,
Welcome! I see it has taken you a while to introduce yourself here with all that mess on the AOPA board with Patty W and the MA Angel flight threads! You should just get out the bat and keep things under control like Jeff and Jeff here.
Congrats on your beautiful plane.
Jeanné (Ladybird on the others)

Marty, welcome to the boards here. I'm a newbie to Bonanzas and to this board but I think you will find the atmosphere here very open and engaging and "professional."

You mentioned Adrian Eichorn. The name and the face sound so familiar to me. I think I might have met him about 10 years ago when I was a senior in college. Did he (or does he now) live in the Washington DC area and did he (or does he) fly the Washington Redskins jet? I was doing some acro training at VKX and my instructor introduced me to him and he was standing in front of his plane which was one of the nicest cleanest airplanes I had ever seen at the time. I think he also has an STC for some sort of lighting system for the plane?

Am I thinking of the right person? Or is my memory shot?

-Neal

Marty, I do think the "real names" requirement here leads to civility. I'm really glad Jeff/Jeff agreed to give it a try.

Lt. Col. Eichorn has had some envious assignments, including the one you mentioned. You have the right guy. He owns and knows Bonanzas. He co-authors "What's wrong with this?" in the ABS magazine each month.

The other author is Ron Timmermans.... from whom I purchased my airplane.
He is also president of the BPPP.

Ah yes, I forgot...also remembered he was career Army as well. It's weird...sometimes I can't remember faces from yesterday and other times I can remember faces/planes from 10 years ago. Go figure!

-Neal

I posted his photo, is that him?

I bet he has forgot more about Bonanzas than I'll ever know...

Super nice guy. Every time I see him a blonde is following him around.

Hi,

I live in Redmond, WA and hangar at Auburn, WA (S50). I have owned my 1974 F33A for a year and half now and recently discovered BeechTalk. Great forum!

-Sameer

Welcome Sameer, glad to have ya!

We're gonna need some more pics of that beauty of yours...

Indeed we will.

The way your plane is parked by that Cessna I thought you were rocking a pair of winglets there for a second!

Hello, My name is Brad Pierce, and I live in Madison, MS. I own a 1984 Bonanza A36, purchased in January 2008, which is based at KJAN Jackson, MS. I have been reading the site for over six months and finally decided to join.

My flying began late in life at the age of 44, and got the private and intrument done in 12 months and have been flying an average of 150 hours annually. I bought a 1978 Cessna U206G and learned to fly in the stationair, having only 3 172 hours before buying the 206.

I am in the aviation business for a living, providing Leasing & Financing soultions for Turbine aircraft buyers and operators. My market consists of TX, OK, AR, LA, MS & Al for deal sizes from $3mm to $50mm. My employer is the second largest in the business with a portfolio of corporate turbine equipment of $7 billion.

My A36 is used for trips to Oxford, MS; Gulf Shores, AL; Gulfport, MS; Dallas, TX; and BTR.

Glad to be a member, really have enjoyed the quality insight on this site.

Brad Pierce

I have a pic of the plane, just let me know how to get it to you.