Ottopilot

I enjoyed the Saratoga and Bonanza, but would lean towards the A36. Don't tell my parents with the Mooney 252.

GearMover

This is what you need! Twin engine reliability, can go anywhere, very docile single engine. It can go anywhere and haul 7 people and bags! I've flow many hours in these things and they are perfect in any conditions plus if money was an object it’s priced affordable for....some.

2011 P68C Vulcanair

BBJay

Hard to beat an A-36

Good Rate

How much value does the parachute system add? Is it worth it? Has it been successful? Seems that would be more important to a family man than fuel burn and speed

Good Rate

Also, I think we need to spend more time discussing the money is no object! How do you get to that point? That's a real topic

HIFLYR

A36 all the way!! I toured the Cirrus plant and let me tell you its not bonanza. Ill probably never get in a cirrus after watching one built.

JamesNoBrakes

It has definitely been successful multiple times. Some people don't like it because they think it means you "don't have to have flying skills" or that "doctors will pull the chute at the first sign of trouble", but those are cop-outs. I wouldn't necessarily buy a airplane just because it has a chute, but like you say, it's an important factor if you have a family IMO.

Also, consider this story: Wife helps fly small plane over Colorado after husband suffers oxygen deprivation - The Denver Post

No parachute deployment, but what were the chances that someone knew that system so well and the wife was able to follow the instructions? I think that was amazing, but if the situation repeated itself with only slight differences, wouldn't it be nice to have that parachute? I mean literally, it's a parachute, and this would have been a great time to use it if other methods weren't successful. As pilots we may tend to over-estimate our "control" over situations, but crazy stuff happens. Every once and a while a prop flies off, cylinder heads crack, crankshafts bust, control cables break, mid-airs, etc. Sometimes it's something we "could have seen coming", but as we know more and more, it might be more likely that it's the perfect storm of factors that no one has foreseen yet.

FieldsField

A36 Beech really knows how to build a nice flying aircraft. They sound great too!