hazek wrote:
What was the TT on the airframe when you bought it
It was 3167 hrs at the moment I bought it. The seller got it imported from South Africa, took care of all the VAT stuff, and registered it on N-reg from Germany.
hazek wrote:
vs sinking that capital into something newer and already setup as you want it?
Well, looking back it would have probably made more sense to sink the money in a more expensive, but “ready” aircraft. I got the plane for a good price and it was mechanically sound and well rigged, and the ~150k saved versus one that I would have liked seemed good. My reasoning was that, going this way, I could set it up exactly how I wanted it to be, plus you never know your plane until you open up everything, right? We changed all cabling, all wiring during the process, updated the insulation, cleaned up every thing imaginable. And if I do the math, then I still end up better (mostly because prices have risen in the meantime :) ).
At nowadays pricing it would have made more sense to buy the well equipped one though :) Nonetheless, I am very happy and pleased with the result. What surprises me is how well this “old” autopilot handles and how much life one can get into an “old” aircraft by switching to some modern avionic components :)
Very cool, yeah makes total sense. Enjoy it to the fullest!
My reasoning was that, going this way, I could set it up exactly how I wanted it to be, plus you never know your plane until you open up everything, right?
Yep. Its a basic risk mitigation strategy that makes sense 
Better to be sinking time and money into a basically solid plane that didn’t cost as much than doing the same thing to a ‘dream plane’ that cost all of your budget, and which will also undoubtedly need similar work done. None of them are perfect as bought and the first step is sorting out what you have, not upgrading it. Upgrades can then be pursued over time.
What surprises me is how well this “old” autopilot handles and how much life one can get into an “old” aircraft by switching to some modern avionic components
Quality planes aren’t people, they’re more like houses. They don’t get old so fast and have multiple generations of owners, some of whom are in denial but the plane outlives them anyway
lukepower wrote:
Well, looking back it would have probably made more sense to sink the money in a more expensive, but “ready” aircraft.
The question with that is always the same: IS there actually a *ready" aircraft around, short of those with integrated cockpits (and not even those are, in particular concerning WAAS).
I’d say, few and far between and usually expensive.
Basically, there are two ways of doing it on a given budget:
- Buy “ready” and then take what ever is in there on the full or close to full budget.
That variant applies for integrated cockpits, where the only “upgrade” usually available are WAAS units.
- Buy an airplane which is a good base (airframe – engine – interior) and then do it up as you want it. Obviously then you have to deduct the avionic upgrade from the budget and buy accordingly.
Tastes and preferences do indeed vary a lot, so it may well be a good thing.
lukepower wrote:
Yes, the AP actually works flawlessy with the GI275 as source. We even tried a RNAV approach and the glideslope coupler worked perfectly as well. So, no reason for now to switch to some more “modern” AP like a GFC500 :)As for the radio coupler, not sure but I think to remember it used to be like this even before the update :)
I am not surprised, those AP’s are quite good if they work. I used to fly a plane which had the predecessor (with some sort of altitude preselect) and loved it. The only trouble was, I was the only one so they sold it for cheap without telling me. Otherwise it might well have ended up as my plane. Lovely Seneca I with rajay turbos and Seneca II wings (123 USG).
What I worry is if the engine sits still for such a long time isn’t the risk for corrosion to destroy it way too high? Mike Busch promotes “pickling” the engine, but does that really protect it from sitting there for a year or more before everything else is sorted. Or would one just make sure the airframe is good and then invest in the upgrades and restoration and save the engine overhaul for the last item? This Bonanza is a very interesting example of how it can be done for those of us in search of our own wings. Certainly very compelling from the standpoint of getting the avionics exactly as one wants them as well as being sure that the guts of the plane are basically new.
@lukepower can you maybe share a bit more about how exactly you decided that the airframe meets your standards and what were those?
Sure! I was fed up with the club aircraft (little availability, quite a drive to get there) and always saw more the utility of GA for going places, so I was looking for an aircraft able to seat 4 persons with some luggage, decent range and speed.
Plenty popped up over the search which took more than one year. I had my eyes at some point on an A36 but even before the prebuy it was in a quite desolated situation (with alot of corrosion), so I walked away.
A little while later this V35A popped up from a seller in northern Germany. It was “clean” but usable without any modifications, and the price was good, so after a detailed prebuy I went for it. The rest is history :)
What would I change if I could go back then? Well, maybe choose an aircraft with a more docile CG situation (even if for what I need it it’s more than adequate). Sometimes I wish I would have gotten a Bonanza 36, but that again would be another affair cost-wise, so all good so far :)
hazek wrote:
What I worry is if the engine sits still for such a long time isn’t the risk for corrosion to destroy it way too high?
you mean while it’s under maintenance?
I would think that while under maintenance, the mechanics should be able and capable to take care of the engine as required. But it is certainly something I’d talk to them if the engine was indeed shut down for more than a few weeks.
As for “hangar queens”, it’s hugely dependent on conditions. Only a savvy mechanic with a boroscope can usually give a sufficiently educated estimate on what is really going on.
2-3 years ago, a friend bought a Piper Challenger (180 hp O360) which had been parked for 15 years roughly. The engine was run occasionally before also that stopped. I advised him to talk to Cermec who in turn got him a mechanic they work with to look at the engine. They went to the airplane, he worked and checked to the best of his capability and pronounced it safe to start. Turned out it had chrome cylinders as well. They did some engine runs, got a ferry permit and the mechanic flew it to his shop where it was brought back in annual and had more checks done. The engine performs flawless to this day.
hazek wrote:
What I worry is if the engine sits still for such a long time isn’t the risk for corrosion to destroy it way too high?
What I forgot to mention is that the upgrades we did were ade in several steps. The longest the engine was sitting still was from August to October 2023 with all wires stripped from the airframe. Otherwise it was running quite a bit from time to time. :)
Mooney_Driver wrote:
you mean while it’s under maintenance?
I always preserve the engine on our aircraft when grounded for more than a couple of weeks. I won’t take the risk. I also use these on the upper spark plug locations
and a crankcase moisture remover (multiple types available).
All within pilot-owner’s capabilities.
