My partnership in the Bonanza worked well. Several times we were approched by someone wanting to buy a third, and while it would have been nice to reduce the bills a bit, we always decided to keep it just the two of us. I knew he treated the airplane well, and he knew I also treated it well. We never had scheduling conflicts. The more people involved, the less time available, and a greater chance of disagreements over maintenance issues.

If I were to build a homebuilt, I would probably go with one of the RV series, simply because if you go to any fly-in or show, there are more of them than anything else. That tells me that people actually complete the kits. The bugs should be worked out of the plans, and parts are easily available.

The other temptation would be a Falco. To my eyes, the prettiest plane on this planet.

Joe A

Do you have any comments regarding the much-discussed spin issues with the Tomahawk?

Mike,

My feeling is that if you are going to take any airplane into anything other than straight and level flight, then you need to have chutes on and be ready to get out of the plane if needed.

The Tomahawk got a bad reputation because of the spin situation and it deserves part of it but then also the people putting the plane into the spin may not have been very experienced either. This airplane was built to compete in the pilot training market and was not really engineered to the point where it should have been. If you keep it in normal parameters I would not be afraid to fly it. Do spin training in something else, something designed for it.

Bottom line for me is that if you want to do anything other than normal flight, fly a Citabria like John has, wear a chute and remember that the airplane is expendable.

Dantilla,

Boy, agree with you about the Falco but talk about a time hog, it takes 5-7 years minimum to build as its a wooden bird and everything is hand built. Might buy one but only if I knew the builder and trusted him. Would get a RV in a heartbeat if I wanted a modern bird. They make a very nice airplane and its supported by the factory and forums very well.

JoeA

This is a true story - we have it all on tape!

My brother was taking flying lessons up in Washington State. His friend, Micky, wanted to ride along. So my brother gets permission from the instructor and they all pile in the plane - my brother and the pilot up front and Micky in the back. So they get up to altitude and Micky's just sitting there enjoying the view and taping the flight with the video camera while the pilot instructs my brother. Unbeknownst to Micky, today they will be stalling the plane. So my brother pulls back on the yoke and cuts engine power to stall the plane. It starts to stall and on the video you can hear mickey yelling whoa whoa whoa! Then the plane begins tumbling towards the ground. At this point the video camera is clearly out of control and Micky is screaming uncontrolably until finally my brother regains control. Well Micky was quite ticked and was calling my brother every name in the book until my brother turned around - the camera still rolling - and casually asks, "That was pretty cool, huh?" Micky did not respond. Poor guy. I would have hated to be in his shoes- but it's pretty funny. :D

I have done spins in a 150 Aerobat on several occasions. With a 150, if you simply let go of the controls, it recovers on its own. You have to intentionally hold it in a spin if you want to do several turns.