brian]

Hmmm sw Kansas and only going 300 miles or so? Where at? I grew up in the area. You’ll be going MUCH further. Get one with a little more legs. (SW Kansas is in the middle of nowhere. You will have to fly at least 300 miles to get to the edge of nowhere and a few hundred more got get somewhere;) )

I'll add one more interesting item for grass strips: wind sheer! The strip I'm at has the smoothest, best maintained grass I've ever landed on. At 3200' you could probably land that Ovation mentioned earlier. (Never mind the green tipped prop on shutdown.) BUT - if the wind is blowing from the east, you have an issue to contend with. Along the east side of the runway is a run of TALL trees - 80' or so. That sets up an interesting rolling action as you are landing. With 090@12 or so at the tree tops, you will basically have light and variable on the fields. That will get your attention! Gastons is know to have this same issue - but from the south (e.g. 180@12) due to the ridge you are landing behind. Not a big deal once you get used to it.

I wasn’t sure of the fuel capacity of a C. Sounds like that would be the Mooney to look for. Not sure I’ve ever walked a grass strip. Then again, I usually know the owner or it is a well known one like Gaston’s. Grass height and how soggy the field is are things that will more likely get you. If you get used to performance under hard conditions, then you might get a surprise when hot and soggy.

My wife and I have landed at a number of grass strips. I even have the A35 hangared at a grass strip. The 35 was designed for that environment. Even so, I have a friend with a M20C a few hangers down from mine and he has no trouble getting in or out of the grass strip. (Reminds me- I’m behind and need to make a couple of low passes to catch up with his count...) 500 miles for two people and grass- sounds like flying for fun. The M20C would do that with one stop.

If memory serves, the Beech note to extend the gear was if in IMC or otherwise disoriented - not spin recovery.

Here goes: There is little chance of GA replacing all the travel I do right now with the airlines: coast to coast US and Canada. I can't afford a Jet. (I'm in Ottawa this week and I'm based out of Little Rock.) I have at least one trip a month - sometimes more. But, I'm thinking that if I set some boundaries, I can fly GA and slow down a little. (The balance would remain with the airlines.) Most flying would be just myself - with some days having one other. (I have a business trip the first week of 2018 - if VMC, I'll likely fly the 35 - a rare quick hop to Dallas.) On the weekend, I usually fly the 35. (A good chunk of the time right now is with a CFII for the IR rating. Later I'll likely get a commercial rating - just to learn the manuvers.) It is my way of relaxing. Sometimes I'll take the 35 and fly it a state or two away to visit family or "for fun". I also intend to do a lot of other training - for fun - including tail wheel, etc. The hard part right now is where to land on the aviation spectrum.

Good point and I'm adding that now -IR and experience. Not that the 400+ hours I have now doesn't count, but I'll be using the A35 to get some of needed IMC and related experience. I've seen my share of posts over the past decade where someone buys a SR22 (or similar) and starts flying all over the country. I guess I'm not that rich, bold or something. This process will take a while (sorry if someone was hoping for a quick sale of a fast Mooney). Anyway, I'll likely pull the trigger on something at some point - I'm just here to learn a few options along the way ..

TBM (or the Piper equivalent) is likely where I'll land - if the wallet can ever handle it. FIKI is possible on the Ovation and Bravo? That give me something to focus on when learning. ixnay on the selling the 35 ... aye.... That's a polished C170 in the background owned by one of the locals at the strip I hangar the 35 at.

On upgrading the A35 - this one is a "classic" and I might get shot by other "vintage" owners if I try to make it look or behave like a V35B - and I'll never get V35B performance. It's an old airplane. My interest in learning more about Mooneis kinda goes like this: I travel coast to coast US and Canada with a trip one or more times a month (one location - not the entire continent). Airline travel will always be part of the picture - realistically, it is the cost effective and safer option (flame suit on!). BUT - after a few decades I'm starting to want to change my lifestyle a bit. After talking this over with a local, we concluded that this really warrants a jet and I'm not likely to get there (hopeful). So the thought is to get maybe a single that I can afford to keep WELL MAINTAINED and with a good potential for resell if I decide to move up. While talking about 4 seat Bonanzas, SR22s, and Moonies I realize I know very little about Moonies. As for the A35 - well, every aircraft will need an annual and having the A35 as a backup is a bonus! (If I can pull off having two aircraft.) Anyway, nothing will happen quickly. Below is my idea of flying right now. A great way to unwind and enjoy the weekend. Business flying I hear from the local is a entirely different kind of flying.

Thanks for that link! That will help. (I'm still trying to map what a 201 is from the identifier - is it a M20J?) (The A35 Bonanza I have is my toy. First flight was in 1949 and is highly polished. Ok, I'm a little behind the curve at the moment. Ideal short range VFR with very light IMC. I won't be selling it anytime soon. I am flying it a little for business already. Just afraid of having a maintenance issue somewhere remote and having to explain what an electric prop is to the local A&P. If it was just costs, I would fly the A35 though: ~140KTS on a little under 10GPH MOGAS. Not bad for a <$40K airplane. Mostly trying to add access to a modern aircraft that is a lot closer to 200KTS.)

Question: any pointers on the 305 "conversion"? There is one for sale and looks good (with a few warts - history wise). Even if that isn't the one, that does sound like one impressive bird - speed wise. (Sounds like useful load isn't much - but that isn't an issue in my case.)

Ah - makes sense on FIKI. I don't have to have FIKI - but I really would like TKS or boots "just in case". Turbines are out - that's just too much money. As was hinted at - I use the airlines a lot already and I'm just looking to adjust things a bit on my terms. (A TN'd 33/35/36 is an easy choice. The BE55's look interesting - but feeding two engines ... wouldn't mind a SR22 - but that budget.) Say - Conway is close. Anything happening over there where you might already be at the airport? (I tried to go over there when EAA had the bomber a few weeks ago. I heard the "air boss" say the RV guys were taking off - just as I was starting my descent and turned back.) There is a M20C a few hangar doors from me at Country Air. That's about as much as I know about the Mooney line. Anyway, I'll drop you a PM later in the day - work is demanding my attention ...

Ok, first post from the new guy. Likely a post that has been here hundreds of times, but it takes a bit to get used to a new forum. (That is, my searching and looking at posts hasn't helped yet. Although that 200KT Mooney thread is interesting.) Here is what I'm trying to wrap my head around (e.g. mission) when trying to figure out if a Mooney might be a fit for business use One, maybe 2 people + modest bags (weight won't be an issue) Trying to stay under 800NM with no more than one stop - and fall back to the airlines for larger hauls Needs to be good a good IFR platform, autopilot, etc. Need a "get out of jail free" card if ice is encountered (e.g. FIKI would be nice) Fast counts - and the ability to climb over weather. (time for laughs): trying to stay under $200K (I already know a turbine is likely the best fit, but my wallet isn't big enough!) I just fly for fun right now and weighing options for a business traveler. I spend at least one week a month traveling and some months a lot more than that. After doing this for several decades with the airlines, I'm looking for another option. I do own an early Bonanza (2nd one) and it was purchased just to have something to do on the weekends. So I do know a little about aircraft ownership and Beech aircraft. Switching to a Mooney for business use, well, I still have a lot to learn. (Well, that is true regardless of the airframe.) So - what should I be looking for on the Mooney side? Also - what are the warts on something like a 305 conversion (whatever that is)? I'm about to get a "book" on the Mooney line to help sort things out. But it looks like I'll need to understand the upgrades and maintenance headaches first.