zatatime wrote:
A plane that can put full size adults in every seat and still fill
the
tanks has tanks that are too small.

Not true. I can put 4 full sized adults and full fuel, and still
have
over 500 pounds left for baggage! All this and I can fly 6 hours
without stopping!

VFR. Now try flying when the weather is widespread IFR with an iffy
forecast. Your nearest solid gold alternate might be 2+ hours away -
and all of a sudden, when it's just you and maybe one other guy in the
plane, you start wishing you could carry more fuel. Or maybe you
wouldn't but I know I would. More than once I've had to make an extra
fuel stop I really didn't want to make not because I couldn't make my
destination but because I didn't have enough reserve fuel to miss at my
destination and then make an alternate I was sure of.

Of course I suppose this is the sort of attitude that might lead others
to believe I should never fly anything but a kerosene-burner with a
crew, but to me it just seems like a reasonable plan for staying alive
while flying in crappy weather.

The 235 is a wonderful plane....and a 182 can do it too, among many
others.

Actually, I like both of those planes - but there are at least a few
people who agree with me that the tanks are sometimes too small, since
extended range tanks are available for both.

Remember - just because the tanks are there does NOT mean you have to
fill them for every flight. On my airplane you can fill every seat
with a full sized adult and carry bags and still make 500 mile legs
with reserves - but not by filling all the tanks.

Michael