Ok, I'm not Amish but I am surrounded by buggies here in Lancaster PA. I've decided it will be much faster to get to the beach by flying over them rather than driving behind them.

I've always wanted to get into GA and decided that this was the year to do something about it. I recently had my first solo and I am logging as much time as I can as I work towards my PPL. I'm pretty sure I was hooked before my instructor turned out of the traffic pattern our first time up and a new passion was born.

It didn't take long for me to start thinking about owning a plane of my own. Quick trips to the beach with the family, short flights to get to business meetings instead of 5 hr drives, and heading south with the foursome for a saturday round of golf became pretty common daydreams. After reading everything I could find online about GA aircraft and considering my most common missions, I arrived at the Bonanza A36 as my plane of choice (this site sealed the deal)

RED FLAG RED FLAG

Yeah I know "rookie wants a bonanza" The plan is to get my PPL then work on my instrument rating in a rented piper arrow to get time in a complex aircraft with my instructor. Hopefully when I get around the 200hr mark I will feel ready to start shopping for my first, and hopefully last airplane.

This site has an amazing amount of information and seems to have a lot of great members with tremendous knowledge. I will continue to learn from everyone here so that when I am ready to make that glorious buy I will know exactly what I'm looking at! I will not have much to say on here for a while, so cheers until I join your ranks

Welcome, Tyler. Good Luck!

Tyler,

Welcome to BeechTalk. Good luck with your burgeoning passion.

Beautiful country....Lancaster PA.

When my original Stauffer kin came over from northern Switzerland in the 18th Century, they settled in the Lancaster area (and some of them later migrated to the Indiana/Ohio area....where I was born).

Welcome Tyler!
Enjoy the journey to ASEL
Pictures of first solo, long solo cross country and check-ride day OK!

Welcome, Tyler...you've come to the right place. Good luck with your training!

Welcome Tyler. Jim Kreider, a fellow BTer, is not too far away from your area and is a CFI that owned an A36. I am not sure if he still has access to it. I flew with him for my high performance and complex endorsements, he's a great guy. PM him if you need any advice or help.

BTW, I do the trip to OCNJ (26N) all the time, 28 minutes wheels up to wheels down, regardless of the traffic situation on the Schuylkill, which is typically bad.

My grandfather was born and raised in Lancaster. I never lived there, however, but I still feel a kindred spirit with you.

Initially I earned my PP and rented fixed-gear Cessnas for the first 200 hours of flying. I then rented a retractable "Gutless" for 25 hours before purchasing my Debonair--my first and, maybe last, aircraft.

Initially I wanted an A36, but now I'm glad I settled on the Deb.

Nothing against the A36, but it truly doesn't fit my mission, so I don't need the added weight and horsepower to pull it along.

Welcome to BT and to aviation!

Here's something to think about: you may find that it makes more sense to buy a fixed-gear airplane now, or join a partnership. There are plenty of good Cherokees on the market in the low $30k range, and it will be a good introduction to aircraft ownership. You'll learn the ins and outs of caring for an airplane while it's (relatively) cheap, an in a few years, you'll likely be able to sell for about the same price as you paid initially.

Tyler,
Welcome to BT! Great to see the aviation community growing. If you're truly interested in the Bonanza, be prepared to kiss your green goodbye! Don't get me wrong...it's definately worth every penny, but it's hard not to want to keep adding upgrades to such a great aircraft.

I came to mine about the same way you describe. Though I purchased a PA28-140 at around the 100 hour mark and flew it for a year, learning the ins and outs of aircraft ownership. It made a big difference when it came time to buy the Bo. I was a much smarter shopper and I'm a much smarter owner, having already been through it once with a MUCH less expensive aircraft. The Bo is worth the wait!

As for being a rookie. It's all about your training and your attitude. There's nothing wrong with a low time pilot owning a Bo (less than 200 when I bought mine.), as long as you respect the machine for what it is and what it's capable of, and you dedicate yourself to real, quality training from a knowledgeable and experienced Bonanza CFI.

Fly safe, and good luck. Looking forward to that first solo photo!

Hi Tyler,

I would also like to welcome you to Beechtalk. I am based just up the road from you at Deck, 9D4. You're right about the Amish buggies, I'm used to them now but for a while it seemed really odd taxiing and taking off right beside the horse drawn farm equipment working the fields adjacent to the runway. Like a time warp of technology.

The A36 is a wonderful airplane and I'd be glad to take you for a flight in mine sometime. I sent you a PM with my phone number so feel free to call me anytime.

Good luck with your training!

Richard

Welcome Tyler, you came to the best place for all things Beech.

Thank you all for the warm welcome!! I really appreciate all the great advice and encouragement from seasoned Beech pilots. I was surprised to see that a few of you have family connections to Lancaster or are fairly close by. Arian, I think most of your ancestors stayed in PA because there are a ton of Stauffers in Lancaster.

Eric, I am considering starting with a Cherokee but it would have to be a six to fit my mission. It would certainly make sense economically and provide valuable experience but I am more likely to take the path Daniel described and spend all my money on a Bonanza.

Mike, thank you for the contact info for Jim Kreider. I will definitely try to get in touch with him regarding my instrument rating as I get closer to completing my PPL. And Richard, I will be in touch. Thank you for the generous offer to take me up in your A36.

I'm finding that the aviation community is filled with great people that love to help anyone that shares their passion. I will be sure to post pics when I pass my check ride. cheers

Good luck, Tyler. That area is certainly a paradise:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/-VAp62IfXkI[/youtube]

Don't forget about the Amish Mafia either. Funny show.

Thanks Paul, it certainly is an Amish paradise here.

Scott the Amish mafia show is hilarious. BTW those pictures are amazing. That's exactly why I am so pumped to fly!