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New License, buy a retractable?

Hi Antonio,

yes, “mountain guy” sounds right :) However, as I would (mostly) not need to cross the Alps a turbo is not high on my wish list.
Same goes for the retractable. As long as it fits the mission.
The SR20 would be nice, but as you write, it is basically a 2-seater. I would need at least 260kg of load with a ~4 hours of range…

LOWI,LIPB, Italy

I wouldn’t touch an SR20. It is underpowered relative to its weight. Good enough in the Netherlands but forget it if you need to cross serious mountains. I got a few hours in one a long while ago, and crossing the SIerra Nevada at 13500 feet was a sphincter-challenging business. I have a friend in Hawaii who bought one, probably makes sense there though personally I would go for an R44 there.

The SR22 has enough power but you’re in a different category cost-wise.

Goes without saying that I love my TR182, though finding one – especially in Europe – is another story.

LFMD, France

260 kg with 4 hours, I’d say the PA28-235 or any C182 would do the job in the fixed gear market, even some PA28-180 might.

Otherwise think about a PA32 or Cessna 210. They will do this nicely.

Availability is a problem at the moment. Not many airplanes for sale and prices are up.

Also the A36 you originally were thinking about. Apparently it is still available, so maybe a good offer will buy it for you. I still look at that one as a very viable candidate which has the distinct advantage of being available…

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Hy Mooney Driver,

yes, indeed I still keep an eye on that A36. I am still a bit concerned about the space in the cockpit. Being not exactly “small” I really feel cramped for example in the P2002 (maybe also because I am hitting the canopy with my head), so I’d prefer sitting in a Bonanza before going all in with prebuy and stuff. The Bonanza would also be a keeper for the foreseeable future, whereas the PA28 might become too “slow” for what I’d lik e….

LOWI,LIPB, Italy

Hey there,

Being not exactly “small” I really feel cramped for example in the P2002 (maybe also because I am hitting the canopy with my head), so I’d prefer sitting in a Bonanza before going all in with prebuy and stuff. 

Well… I am obese and tall… when I had a beard some compared me with dear Carlo Pedrosoli in terms of height and weight…. and that was some years ago… anyway, I´ve flown the Baron and the Travel air, both of which have the same cell than the Bonanza and I never felt cramped, on the opposite.

But by all means find a Bonanza and sit in it. The basic cell is the same for all, so no problem there. I suppose Bolzano should see the occasional Bonnie, so just find one to sit in. As I said, if you find a Travel Air or Baron, you can substitute that for just a seating check.

And yea, it would be a “forever” plane, this I can see. A Bonnie, especcially an A36 will satisfy you for a long time.

I am really happy I bought my forever plane when I did. It will stay with me until I finally hang up the hat.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Ahh good Bud Spencer, we saw him a few times here
Alright, let’s see if I am lucky and can catch one in the next times when I am down at the airport. With LOWI being closed for nearly a month due to the runway extension (20th sept until 18th october, btw) maybe a little more traffic will find a way down to LIPB

LOWI,LIPB, Italy

are you based at LOWI? Surely there must be a Beech in the hangar there? Or in Zell or St.Johann?

Last Edited by Mooney_Driver at 09 Sep 13:34
LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

lukepower wrote:

With LOWI being closed for nearly a month due to the runway renovation (20th sept until 18th october, btw) maybe a little more traffic will find a way down to LIPB

FTFY

always learning
LO__, Austria

are you based at LOWI? Surely there must be a Beech in the hangar there? Or in Zell or St.Johann?

Carlo was a great guy and a real aviator. I met him several times in Geneva and Zurich at the time. He used to have a Swiss validation of his Italian license and I think he trained with a school in Geneva for a while. He is sorely missed but had a great life.

Have not met Terence Hill personally, but I hear he is also a very nice fellow. I always hoped I´d be able to one day visit his Gelateria somewhere in the Perugia region. He speaks perfect German as he was born there.

Carlo owned several planes during his flying days and founded “Mistral Air”, which eventually got sold to TNT and evolved into what today is Poste Air Cargo. He reportedly caught the bug of aviation while filming “Più forte, ragazzi!” and did his helicopter license shortly afterwards, followed by initially a PPL for conventional airplanes. Carlo pulled a hoax on the filmset on some of his co-actors during the filming of a movie in Miami involving a Bell Jetranger. The script said his character was told to fly a helicopter without knowing how in a case of mistaken identity. Carlo made a big show on how he had no idea what he was doing and to the terror of everyone present took off with Hill, a camera man and another actor on board. Turns out he had “neglected” to tell anyone that he had done his helicopter license in between films :)

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Okay, qustion to the more knowledgeable people here: I am looking for someone to do a pre-buy of the Bonanza I have been looking at since “forever”. It is located in Belgium, so somebody in that area might be helpful. Kindly let me know if you know somebody

Thanks,
Luke

LOWI,LIPB, Italy
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