Hi all,

I'm getting back into GA after a long absence due to military/airline flying & family commitments. It's been fun so far, but I'm tiring of renting and am looking to purchase an aircraft sometime in the not too distant future. I've always been drawn to Bonanza's and that's how I ended up here. I'll likely have questions (many, many questions!) but for now I plan to bury my nose in the various threads trying to learn the pros/cons of each model & narrow things down a bit. It's a bit overwhelming, but I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks!

Tim

Is that WA as in Western Australia? Or N of OR?

Hello Tim and welcome! Tell us about your typical mission and we’ll help you spend all your hard earned money.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I'm in Washington state, US.

Mission wise, I'm looking for something that will comfortably transport a family of four to family within about 200 miles away, on occasion. Ultimately I'd like it to be a good IFR platform. Other than that, it will serve as a $100 ($300?) hamburger machine on days off.

Ages of the children & rough weights of the adults and children? How much baggage? Mountains or coastal/low? Short or rough strip(s)?

I’m planning for two teenagers & two adults, approximately 650 lbs of people & less than 100ish lbs of bags at most. The longest trip would be within 1.5 hrs. I’m not planning on any back country or rough strips. I’ll likely avoid too much mountainous terrain, when able.

some things to start thinking about...

will you be crossing the cascades IFR? if so, consider your needs for deice and the kind of airfoil you want to expose to the cascades ice machine.

Speed won't be a big deal for you with those distances, and I agree, lots of very cool stuff within 200 miles. Consider what you want as far as short field capability though, you might want something that can get in and out of 1800' strips along the coast to really enjoy that.

Frankly, it sounds very 182ish to me, unless you want to spring for something like an A36 or Cherokee 6.

What's your experience level? IFR? How many hours per year do you think you'd fly for currency/etc?

Edited to add. If you're just getting back in GA, consider if a club or partnership might work for you as you get back into it and refine how your family likes to fly. There are clubs like mine with 172/182 that is a WAY better experience than renting, and I know of a couple of Bonanza partnerships (a V35B and an A36 have had openings in the Seattle area in the last two months)

I don’t think I’d be crossing the Cascades in the winter. Summer with decent weather, I’d consider it. I’ve got a fair amount of IFR experience (retired Air Force & current airline) but that’s a different animal than single pilot IFR. So, I’m gaining proficiency in that arena while renting. I’m flying about once a week, as work & family schedule permits.
I’d definitely consider a club or partnership. Ultimately, if I found something in the south sound I’d look into it. I guess that’s why I’m here, being a sponge to soak up all the advice & knowledge I can.