On 8/28/2007 6:52:16 PM, wrote:


Do you think I would be less safe in such an airplane, or would some
extra training be sufficient?

I own and fly a turbo-normalized Bonanza primarily to commute to my customers
every week. I had about 500 hours with an instrument rating in a C172 before
making the move up to this aircraft. In my case, I spent around 12 hours with
a CFI in the right seat (and with a rented dual yoke) before becoming
comfortable with the aircraft.

As everyone else pointed out, you are wise to recognize your limitations and
address those limitations with quality CFI instruction. The Bo (and Mooney)
are faster airplanes, which require you to be thinking about and planning
your next phase of flight well before encountering it. This, in turn,
requires you to have a level of comfort with the current workload the
aircraft hands you. Get behind the workload early does not mean more time to
catch up.

Additionally, the other big issue will be that these aircraft are slippery.
Drop the nose without a throttle reduction and it won't be long before you
are at Vne. In IMC, you need to be on top of your instrument scan at all
times. I believe most complex, hi-performance aircraft these days are
equipped with an autopilot, which is a great workload reliever. Trade flying
duties with the AP to stay proficient, but allow it to do its job and give
you the breathing room you need.



--
Peter