KLRDMD

Let me know when you come through AZ so I can see the old girl.

1) Bonanza do not necessarily have bad CG problems. My S35 had an empty CG if 77.8 which allows any reasonable loading you can come up with. 2) V-Tails never were "doctor killers". Doctors (and attorneys and others) were V-Tail killers. 3) Insurance on a Bonanza is in line with, or cheaper than a Mooney. I paid $1,380 earlier this year for $100k hull.

I don't see anyone listed in NM: https://themooneyflyer.com/cfi.html

I think you'll find it is much more airframe specific dependent than age dependent.

So a 45 year old airplane is much better in this regard than a 55 year old airplane?

The 1965 S35 Bonanza I just sold last month had 8,700 hours on the airframe and 2,100 hours on the engine. It looked practically brand new and mechanically was excellent. As a matter of fact I feel my Bonanza was in better shape and I trusted it much more than a previous 2001 Cirrus SR-22 I had (that I owned in 2005 with less than 500 hours total time). Age of an airplane is irrelevant, especially age of a Bonanza.

I owned a Bravo a few years ago so know them reasonably well but I'm not an A&P.

My shop in Marana (Tucson) knows Mooneys well and I can recommend them. Ask for Ron in maintenance. https://www.tucsonaero.com There is a Mooney Service Center at Chandler but I've never been a fan of them. I'm happy to fly up to one of the Phoenix area airports and take a look at something for you if you like.

As Paul has mentioned, I've owned a few airplanes, both singles and twins. Over and over I have demonstrated that a twin will cost 50% more per year to own and operate than a somewhat similar single. There are old threads on MS that you should be able to find.

There's an app for that. It is free too. Look up "Bonanza Performance". Plug in your numbers and it provides takeoff and landing weights and CGs. Find a Bonanza with a good empty CG and it won't be an issue. My guess is Paul's empty CG was 80 or more. Many are which leads to the false assumption that this is an issue for all Bonanzas. It isn't.

They are great airplanes. Plan on an additional 200-300 lb of useful load over a comparable Mooney and 500% better visibility. The Mooney feels a bit like a tank when looking out the windows after flying a Bonanza that feels more like a convertible. The difference is amazing. Look at empty CG for any 33 or 35 series Bonanza. I wouldn't look at one over 80. Mine was 77.8 which is perfect. If you get an empty CG low enough (below 78.5 or so) loading out the back of the W&B envelope is not an issue; all of your useful load is truly useable. The large baggage door is a very important cons

Just rest your feet on the rudders with minimal pressure and 95% of that goes away. I never had a single passenger ever mention it being an issue.

The F33 and the V-Tail are two different airplanes. The 33 series are "traditional" tail where the 35 series are V-Tails. Really, there's almost no difference between them except the V-Tail is a whole lot better looking.

With no limitations on purchase price or operating expenses - for an ideal owner flown GA aircraft I would have to go with a Phenom 300. As has been demonstrated by previous posts in this thread, sometimes ya gotta love the one you're with.

Have them convert it.