THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION FOR BONANZA, BARON & TRAVEl ...

they thought I was about to become initiated
into the "More Money Than
Brains" club. Everyone of my aviation
friends, along with my family, encouraged
me and said, "You can do this!"
My confidence swelled. So ...
In April 2007, I contacted Byron
Severson, the regional salesperson for
Hawker Beechcraft (HB C) in the
Northeast, and told him I wanted to buy
a new G58. We came to terms and I put
a deposit down that month. Now there
was no turning back! And in October
2007, I sold my beloved Bonanza. It
was a sad day!
Training lor Ihe Baron
Immediately. I began renting my
friend Mike Cain's 1976 B55 to start
building multiengine time. In ovember
2007, I completed the BPPP Baron Initial
in that airplane. I also began reviewing
the FAA's muitiengine resources as well
as at-home study courses. I went back
over King Schools' Cleared for Multi­
Eugiues that I completed when I earned
my multiengine rating.
Since the G58 is equipped with the
Garmin G 1000, I also felt the need to
start studying up on the avionics. I purchased
King Schools' Cleared for
Flyiug the G1000 and took copious
notes. I also purchased the G I 000
avionics simulator for my PC and
installed a joystick so I could start
working on the instrument scan.
Then I contacted FlightSafety to
request the G58 8arou Pilot Traiuing
Manual so I could start studyi ng it prior
to my arrival. This turned out to be
worthwhile because when I got 10
FlightSafety, I was in a position to ask
better questions about the airplane and
its systems.
h was the beginning of January. My
Baron was scheduled for delivery on
February I . I found myself with really
nothing more to prepare for other than
the actual acquisition of the aircraft.
Beechcraft originally wanted to do
the customer acceptance night on
Friday. Febmary I. the day before my
flight horne to Long Island. This pre-
sented a problem since FlightSafety
training was to end with a course-completion
flight on that Friday. That also
would have left me with very little time
to address any last-minute issues wi th
the airplane as well as deal with any
weather issues for the trip home.
HBC accommodated me and I did
my acceptance flight on Wednesday,
January 30. The plane wasn' t detailed
yet-a fact they kept reminding me
of-but I didn't care. The goal was 10
identify any glaring issues before
accepti ng the airplane.
I completed the acceptance and
identified only some minor cosmetic
squawks. The plane was perfect! After
the flight, the Baron went immediately
to detail and spent all day Thursday the
31 st having the finishing touches done
along with addressing my concerns.
Taking dellverv
On Friday morning, Febmary I, I
met my new salesperson, Jenny
Elsenrath, at the CuslOmer Delivery
Center. Since Byron Severson had been
transferred to Austria, Jenny handled
the final aspects of my Baron's delivery.
She was excellent.
After the photo shoot that morning,
I was schedu led to fl y my course-completion
flight with Dylan Lamb of
FlightSafety. During that flight, the
MFD on the G 1000 reported a "stuck"
joystick. So HBC replaced the MFD
and also fixed a software configuration
issue with the GWX-68.
[ was sweating a little bit; concerned
Nancy and Hal Staniloff absolutely love their beautiful new Boron.
that they wouldn't get this done in time
for my departure the next day. But HBC
is running three shifts to meet the
demand of the European market, which
seems to be exploding due to the weak
dollar. [n the end, they got it done and we
were able to depart on Saturday to Long
Island, MacArthur Airport (KJSP).
The G1000 panel
The G I 000 panel is a quantum leap
forward in avionics design and implementation.
Anyone thinking about transitioning
10 a G 1000-equipped airplane
shou ld know that extensive experience
with the GNS530/430 will make the
G I 000 seem like old hat.
I had no problem dealing with the
interface. !n fact, with a few exceptions,
it's the same as the 530/430. But be
warned: The instmment scan on the
PFD is different. Gone are the days of
the "music-beat" scan and the like. The
G I 000 PFD compresses your scan and
puts everything you need right in front
of you. It's a brave new world.
As for the Baron? Well. what else
needs to be said? h's beautiful. It's
totally awesome. Lots of power along
with great styling and superb handling
characteristics. I absolutely love my
new G58!
For more photos, visit http://
gallery.mac.comihstaniloff# I 00 154.
Hal Staniloff is a commercial. instrument,
multiengine pilot and advanced/instrument
ground instructor wtth more than
1,200 hours of time. He con be reached
at halagi@mac.com.
ABS April 2008
www.bonanza.org Page 10720