DFW Arrival in a Bonanza 

Baron Pilot I agree! The ground ops can be intimidating...

Hi Shane, yes, DFW is incredibly large. Even flying from one end to the other takes a couple of minutes in my Bonanza. But they are kind and accommodating to GA traffic. Regards, Martin

Thanks, Ian. Are you referring to the noise in the radio? That was an issue with my ignition system, which has since then been fixed. You can hear that on my newer videos. Best regards, Martin

Hi Don, I wish I could say I had a job that gives me the opportunity to fly into these big airports, but no - all these trips were for fun, like vacation trips where I flew the Bonanza instead of the airlines. I figure if I fly ~100 hours a year, I might as well go see some fun places in the process.

Yes, these ATC visits are very valuable, for pilots and probably to some extent for the controllers, too.

Thanks, Ronald. I agree, flying into DCA would be a fantastic treat, though with the security procedures in place for that airport, I doubt I can find a way to make it work. I have visited DC twice before (flying in commercially), and I agree it's a great destination with lots of things to see.

Thank you, Jim. Regards, Martin

Greg, you are right, there are many more convenient and more affordable alternatives. It's just that I really enjoy going to large airports with my small airplane, so very now and then I treat myself to an experience like this. The video is secondary, to create a memory for myself for later, but also as a learning tool for me (what could I improve?) and possibly for others that want to do the same and look for an idea of what to expect.

Thank you, Windtee!

Thank you, Tomas.

Russell, you are close - I attended an engine seminar (APS) that the "three amigos" (George, Walter and John) were teaching in Ada.

George is one of the best Bonanza guys out there. He checked me out in my Bonanza.

No argument there, Russell!

Russell, you can't see it in the video, but I did use flaps on this landing. I just waited until very short final to lower them, and retracted them shortly after touch-down. Lowering them at the last minute obviously helps keep the speed reasonably high for the jet behind you at a busy airport. Raising the flaps on roll-out is somewhat disputed in the Bonanza pilot community (and maybe beyond), but for a variety of reasons that is my normal operation in this airplane.

I also retract flaps on roll-out. I once had a wing come up after touchdown on a very windy day. My partner in the plane waits until clear of runway. We agree to disagree.

I'm always scared cleaning up the bird too early. Was taught to keep flying the plane until you leave the active then you can clean up. Less chance or accidentally touching that gear lever in a rush.

Glad to hear this is useful, AdvWasi. As for performance calculations, you may be disappointed to hear that I rarely do them. Most of my flights are such that take-off and climb performance are no-brainers due to the good performance of the Bonanza. There are some exceptions, for example with high altitude flying, but that's very rare for me. More important are fuel calculations, for which I rely a lot on the good estimates from fltplan.com, and - sometimes - weight and balance. I say sometimes because the A36 has a wide CG envelope that makes it very hard to get out of CG limits. Which makes weight the controlling factor on most flight, which in turn means that unless I bring more than three passengers or a lot of luggage, weight and balance is a non-issue. I spend a lot more time on studying the weather before each flight, and - if the flight is in an unfamiliar area - the airspace structure and the general geography of the area. What are the names of airports and ATC facilities I'll be flying over/through? What are the elevations of the terrain I'm flying over? And so on. I'll think about if or how this can be presented in a future video. - Martin

The app is called "WingX Pro".

How do you like it? Have you used Foreflight or the Garmin app? I ask because I'm considering Foreflight.

I can't compare WingX Pro with ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot, because I've only ever used WingX Pro. From what I hear, these apps do more or less the same things, with different looks and user interface concepts. I don't think you can go wrong with either one - some of them have free trials; you may want to download them and experiment, to see which one you like best.

I have only used Garmin pilot. But I love it.

I've used "FltPlan GO" about 3 years for my IFR flights around the US. It's robust, reliable, and FREE! They're on my 2 Android-based OS tablets. If you have an iOS-based tab, you can download it too. Lot's of features like US TERPS, Low & High Enroute charts, Sectionals, and GPS for both enroute & terminal overlays are available. I won't use Foreflight because it's not Android-based and won't be, according to Foreflight's developers.