Page 4 - March21T

Introducing 121RW
No sooner did the February Editor’s Briefing hit the ink that we found “The One.” I am thrilled to an- nounce my husband Jared and I are the PROUD co-owners of a beautiful 1970 F33A Bonanza!
It has yet to sink in fully, but we could not be more ex- cited to start this journey – and with the type of aircraft we truly wanted and needed for our mission (primarily 500 to 1,000-mile cross country’s). Not only was the Bonanza highly recommended to us by many, but the F33 also holds sentimental value to me personally. It is the same model aircraft I grew up in as a child, with countless memories of flying to gatherings and vacations as a family.
Certainly, 121RW is already special to us for a number of reasons, and the story of how it all happened (in what felt like a blink of an eye!) is a true example of the stars aligning.
Jared Jacobs: It was late, and I was about to turn in for the night. But something compelled me to pull up “BeechTalk” for my periodic check of the Peddler Talk Forum. There were mostly familiar posts, but then I noticed one that was only a couple of hours old describing a 1970 F33A Bonanza. I followed the link to Controller and my pulse quickened... it had a nice exterior and interior, upgraded avionics, a mid-time engine, no damage history, full logs, and within the budget. I immediately shared and discussed the listing with Rebecca then tried to go to sleep – emphasis on “tried.”
The next morning, I was up early to re-examine the ad and reach out to the seller. I typed up a quick email ask- ing about access to maintenance logs, mentioned I was a Beechcraft Demonstration Pilot and sent it. I tried to go about my morning, but the F33A consumed my thoughts. Fortunately, the owner replied within a couple of hours with scanned copies of the logs and ended his email with a strange question: “Are you in Wichita today?” Shortly after, a Texas phone number popped up on my phone and I was greeted by the name I had seen on the Controller ad.
2 • TWIN & TURBINE / March 2021
Excitedly, I listened as my new friend, Justin, described to me his beloved Bonanza.
With only a handful of owners in its lifetime, the owner before Justin had the airplane for 37 years. They kept im- maculate logs and completed maintenance above and beyond the minimum required. Justin kept this trend throughout his three years with the aircraft, even recently investing in new spark plugs, magnetos, control rod end bearings, brake disks and pads, LED lights all around, a G5 backup flight display, and D’Shannon 20 Gallon Tip Tanks. He had not planned to sell the airplane but was loading it up for the long haul. The only reason he decided to put the airplane on the market was the realization he required a FIKI-equipped airplane. It was all of the types of things you want to hear from someone selling an airplane. This Bonanza had clearly been loved.
Adding to the excitement and too-good-to-be-true feeling, Justin was literally on his way to the airport to fly the air- plane from Texas to Wichita to attend a recurrent training at FlightSafety. In a few short hours, he would be landing at an airport 15 minutes from our house. I was in disbelief but quickly made plans to meet him later that afternoon.
Once we hung up, I made a flurry of other calls. First, to our partner, Peter. He had grown accustomed to receiving calls about aircraft, but I think he could tell by the tone in my voice and how things were lining up, this was a serious opportunity. To end the phone call, he referenced a well- known phrase about a bodily function and a pot...I think you know the one. Next, I called a few friends who had been moonlighting as my used aircraft advisors. The consensus was that this one deserved a serious look.
A couple of hours later, Rebecca and I made our way to KAAO (Jabara Airport) along with our good friend and Bonanza enthusiast, Ryan. We looked out across the ramp as N121RW touched down and taxied in. The blue and gold paint was striking against the late afternoon sky, and I remember the distinct feeling that I just laid eyes on the airplane that would bring our search to a close. Justin and his friend hopped out of the airplane and immediately of- fered to let us climb all over it.
Ryan dove into some technical conversations while I acquainted myself with the interior and avionics. 1RW had great bones – leather seats and nice carpet, Aspen 1000 Pro PFD linked to a G530 and MX200 MFD, and backed up by a G5 standby display, eliminating the need for a vacuum system. The new paint on the tip tanks blended in beautifully with the 30-year-old paint – a testament to the pristine care the airplane had received. The big-ticket items were easy to see, but it was the subtle cues about the aircraft that were really calling to me (to be more detailed in a future article).
Editor’s Briefing
by Rebecca Groom Jacobs