This is the story of owning and operating a 1993 Beech Bonanza A36 in the UK and some of its adventures and flights. I have owned this plane for over six years now.
Last week we headed off for the annual Forrest family UK holiday in the plane which this year we decided was to be in Jersey. This was a great example of a trip that is made easier by owning a plane. Well it would be easier if we didn’t have to try to cram six people of which four are ladies and one has a wheelchair and two of the male species with the corresponding luggage for a week away and clothes for every kind of weather.
Surprising as it may sound it is definitely possible to cram all this in to a Bonanza A36 and stay within weight and balance requirements. To do this you need to practice however as the Bonanza A36 is not well endowed with storage space, the most being in the rear compartment but is limited to eighty pounds and the other compartment behind the pilot seat narrows quickly as you stack things up.
You can also pack smaller bags under the co-pilots feet and under all the seats but only so long as you put everything in smaller bags. Now we have done this before so this holiday we bought some very soft but strong holdalls and also packed much of our clobber in small bags which we then crammed in to every nook and cranny but it certainly was tight. To put it in perspective though when we got back we had to have bags on a laps in our Audi Q7 even with one of the seats folded down so the Bonanza ha actually swallowed an enormous amount but I would still like more room as the ladies in my life get bigger!
The journey to Jersey at economy cruise of about 155 knots took 1.9 hours. Parking A Beech Bonanza A36 at Jersey Airport for a week and including the landing fee was about £25. Absolutely incredible!
