TheBeechcraft Bonanza is an Americangeneral aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 byBeech Aircraft Corporation ofWichita, Kansas. The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous production longer than any other aircraft in history.[5][6] More than 17,000 Bonanzas of all variants have been built,[7][8] produced in both distinctiveV-tail and conventional tail configurations; early conventional-tail versions were marketed as theDebonair.[8][9]
A 1947 advertisement for the first Model 35 Bonanza
At the end ofWorld War II, two all-metallight aircraft emerged, the Model 35 Bonanza and theCessna 195, that represented very different approaches to the premium end of the postwar civil-aviation market.[citation needed] With its high-wing, seven-cylinderradial engine, fixedtailwheel undercarriage, and roll-down side windows, the Cessna 195 was a continuation of prewar technology. The Bonanza, however, featured an easier-to-manage, horizontally opposed, six-cylinder engine, retractabletricycle undercarriage (although the nosewheel initially was not steerable, but castering)[10][verification needed] and low-wing configuration.
Designed by a team led byRalph Harmon,[3] the model 35 Bonanza was a relatively fast, low-wing, all-aluminum design, at a time when most light aircraft were still made of wood and fabric.[citation needed] The Model 35 featuredretractable landing gear, and its signatureV-tail (equipped with combination elevator-rudders called "ruddervators").[11] The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on December 22, 1945, with the type receiving an airworthiness certificate on March 25, 1947.[3] Production began that year.[3] The first 30–40 Bonanzas produced had fabric-covered flaps and ailerons, after which those surfaces were covered withmagnesium alloy sheet.[12]
The Bonanza family eventually comprised three major variants:
Model 33 Debonair or Bonanza (1960–1995; conventional tail)[14]
Model 36 Bonanza (1968–present; a stretched Model 33)[14]
The Model 33Debonair was introduced in 1960 as a lower-priced model with more austere standard instrumentation, exterior equipment, paint schemes, and interior fabrics and trim than the more prestigious V-tail Bonanza.[9][15] However, most Bonanza features were available as factory options on the Debonair, and by the mid 1960s, most Debonair buyers were ordering most or all of these options. Realizing this, Beechcraft dropped the Debonair name and most of the basic and seldom-ordered standard features with the introduction of the E33 in 1968.[15]
Despite its name, theTwin Bonanza is a substantially wider and heavier aircraft that is mostly dissimilar to the single-engined Bonanza; the only major shared parts are the front fuselage sides, windows, and main cabin door.[16] However, the Twin Bonanza had trouble competing with the similarly capable but substantially lighterCessna 310 andPiper PA-23, so Beechcraft used the basic Bonanza fuselage and many other Bonanza parts to create the twin-enginedTravel Air, which was later developed into theBaron.[17]
The V-tail design gained a reputation as the "forked-tail doctor killer",[18] due to crashes by overconfident wealthy amateur pilots,[19] fatal accidents, and in-flight breakups.[20] "Doctor killer" has sometimes been used to describe the conventional-tailed version, as well.[21][22] However, a detailed analysis by theAircraft Owners and Pilots Association of accident records for common single-engine retractable-gear airplanes in the United States between 1982 and 1989 found that the Bonanza had a slightly lower accident rate than other types in the study.Pilot error was cited in 73% of V-tail crashes and 83% of conventional-tail crashes, with aircraft-related causes accounting for 15% and 11% of crashes respectively.[23] However, the study noted that the aircraft had an unusually high incidence ofgear-up landings and inadvertentlanding gear retractions on the ground, which were attributed to a non-standard gear-retraction switch on early models that is easily confused with the switch that operates theflaps. Models starting in 1984 use a more distinctive relocated landing-gear switch, augmented by "squat switches" in the landing gear that prevent its operation while compressed by the aircraft's weight, and a throttle position switch that prevents gear retraction at low engine power settings.[23]
In 1982, the production of the V-tail Model 35 ended.[24] In the late 1980s, repeated V-tail structural failures prompted theUnited States Department of Transportation andFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct extensivewind tunnel and flight tests, which proved that the V-tail did not meettype certification standards under certain conditions; the effort culminated with the issuance of anairworthiness directive to strengthen the tail, which significantly reduced the incidence of in-flight breakups. Despite this, Beech has long contended that most V-tail failures involve operations well beyond the aircraft's intendedflight envelope.[23][14]Subsequent analysis ofNational Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records between 1962 and 2007 revealed an average of three V-tail structural failures per year, while the conventional-tailed Bonanza 33 and 36 suffered only eleven such failures in total during the same 45 years. Most V-tail failures involved flight undervisual flight rules intoinstrument meteorological conditions, flight intothunderstorms, or airframeicing.[25]
In addition to the structural issues, the Bonanza 35 has a relatively narrowcenter of gravity envelope, and the tail design is intolerant of imbalances caused by damage, improper maintenance, or repainting. Such imbalances may induce dangerousaeroelastic flutter.[23] Due to theanodic properties of themagnesium used for the V-tail ruddervator skins, they tend to corrode, often resulting in permanent grounding of affected aircraft because the problem can only be fixed by complete replacement of the skins or the entireempennage, and the required parts are no longer available.[26] The American Bonanza Society has issued a reward of $500,000 to encourage the development of aftermarket replacement skins under asupplemental type certificate.[26] Despite these issues, many Bonanza 35 owners insist that the aircraft is reasonably safe, and its reputation has resulted in reduced purchase costs for budget-conscious buyers.[25]
The conventional-tail Model 33 continued in production until 1995.[8][27] Still built today is the Model 36 Bonanza, a longer-bodied, straight-tail variant of the original design,[28] introduced in 1968.[8][29] No Bonanzas were delivered in 2021, but on April 10, 2022, it was announced that production of the Bonanza G36 had restarted.[30]
In January 2012, the AustralianCivil Aviation Safety Authority issued anairworthiness directive grounding all Bonanzas, Twin Bonanzas, and Debonairs equipped with a single pole-style yoke and that have forwarded elevator control cables that are more than 15 years old until they could be inspected. The AD was issued based on two aircraft found to have frayed cables, one of which suffered a cable failure just prior to takeoff, and resulting concerns about the age of the cables in fleet aircraft of this age. At the time of the grounding, some Bonanzas had reached 64 years in service. Aircraft with frayed cables were grounded until the cables were replaced, and those that passed inspection were required to have their cables replaced within 60 days regardless. The AD affected only Australian aircraft and was not adopted by the airworthiness authority responsible for thetype certificate, the USFederal Aviation Administration. The FAA instead opted to issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin requesting that the elevator control cables be inspected during the annual inspection.[31][32][33]
TheQU-22 was a Beech 36/A36 Bonanza modified during theVietnam War to be an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft, developed under the project name "Pave Eagle" for theUnited States Air Force. AnAiResearch turbocharged, reduction-geared Continental GTSIO-520-G engine was used to reduce its noise signature, much like the laterArmy-Lockheed YO-3A.[citation needed] These aircraft were intended to be used as unmanned drones to monitor seismic and acoustic sensors dropped along theHo Chi Minh Trail inLaos and report troop and supply movements. When the project was put into operation in 1968, however, the aircraft were all flown by pilots of the554th Reconnaissance Squadron Detachment 1, call sign "Vampire". A separate operation "Compass Flag" monitored the General Directorate of Rear Services along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, linking to the 6908th security squadron.[34]
Six YQU-22A prototypes (Model 1074,[35] modifications of the Beech 33 Debonair) were combat-tested in 1968, and two were lost during operations, with a civilian test pilot killed. Twenty-seven QU-22Bs (Model 1079)[35]were modified, 13 in 1969 and 14 in 1970, with six lost in combat. Two Air Force pilots were killed in action. All the losses were due to engine failures or effects of turbulence.[36] A large cowl bump above the spinner was faired-in for an AC current generator, and a higher weight set of Baron wings and spars were used to handle the 236-US-gallon (890 L) fuel load.[34]
"BE35" redirects here. For EU NUTS II statistical region, seeNamur Province.
35
(1947–1948), initial production version with 165 hp (123 kW) Continental E-185 or E-185-1 engine, five prototypes and 1,500 production aircraft built.[37]
A35
(1949) Model 35 with higher takeoff weight, tubularwing spars and nosewheel steering, 701 built.[13]
B35
(1950) A35 with a Continental E-185-8 engine, 480 built.[13]
C35
(1950-1952) B35 with a 185hp Continental E-185-11 engine, metal propeller, larger tail surfaces, and higher takeoff weight, approved for theLycoming GO-435-D1 engine,[38] 719 built.[13]
35R
(1951) Remanufactured Model 35 with many of the improvements introduced on the B35 and C35, meant as an alternative to new C35 production as the latter suffered from delays due to theKorean War. 14 Model 35s were modified to this standard, with each having the suffix "R1" through "R14" appended to their original serial numbers.[8][39]
D35
(1953) C35 with increased takeoff weight and minor changes, approved for the Lycoming GO-435-D1 engine.[38] 298 built.[13]
E35
(1954) Powered by E-185-11 or 225 hp (168 kW) Continental E-225-8 engine, 301 built.[40]
F35
(1955) Powered by E-185-11 or E-225-8 engine. Extra rear window each side, strengthened wing leading edges and tail spar caps. 392 built.[40]
G35
(1956) Powered by Continental E-225-8 engine, thicker windshield. 476 built.[40]
(1961) Powered by a 260 hp (190 kW) Continental IO-470-N engine, increased fuel capacity, increased takeoff weight, and larger rear side windows,[41] 280 built.[40]
O35
(1961) Experimental version fitted with laminar flow airfoil. Only one built.[40]
(1964–1966) Powered by Continental IO-520-B engine, higher takeoff weight, longer cabin interior, optional fifth and sixth seat and new rear window,[42] 667 built.[40]
V35
(1966–1967) Fitted with single-piece windshield, powered by IO-520-B or optional 285 hp (213 kW) turbocharged TSIO-520-D engine (asV35-TC). 873 built, including 79 V35-TCs.[43]
V35A
(1968–1969) Fitted with revised windshield, powered by IO-520-B or by optional turbocharged TSIO-520-D engine (asV35A-TC), 470 built, including 46 V35A-TCs.[44]
V35B
(1970–1982) Initially with minor improvements over V35A, but had major internal redesign in 1972, and 24-volt electrical system in 1978. Normally powered by IO-520B, but available with optional TSIO-520-D (asV35TC) until 1971. 1335 built, including 7 V35TCs.[45][46]
"BE33" redirects here. For the European NUTS II statistical region, seeLiège Province.
1987 Bonanza F33A
35-33 Debonair
(1959) Based on Bonanza with conventional fin and tailplane, and basic trim and interior, powered by one 225 hp (168 kW)Continental IO-470-J, 233 built. First flown on 14 September 1959.[49][50]
35-A33 Debonair
(1961) Fitted with improved interior trim, and powered by IO-470J or IO-470K. 154 built.[50]
B33 Debonair
(1961-1965) Further refined version, with new instrument panel, contoured fin leading edge and fuel tank modifications (as per N35 Bonanza). IO-470K engine. 426 built.[50]
C33 Debonair
(1965-1967) Higher gross weight and provision for enlarged rear windows. 304 built.[51]
C33A Debonair
(1966-1967) Powered by 285 hp (213 kW) Continental IO-520-B engine. 179 built.[52]
D33
One S35 modified as a military close-support prototype, with conventional tail assembly and six underwing hardpoints.[52]
E33 Bonanza
(1968-1969) Powered by 225 hp (168 kW) IO-470K. 116 built.[52]
E33A Bonanza
(1968-1969) E33 with a 285 hp Continental IO-520-B engine, 85 built.[52]
E33B Bonanza
E33 with strengthened airframe and certified for aerobatics. Unbuilt.[52]
E33C Bonanza
(1968-1969) E33B with a 285 hp Continental IO-520-B engine, 25 built.[53]
F33 Bonanza
(1970) E33 with modified rear side windows and minor improvements, 20 built[54]
F33A Bonanza
(1970-1994) F33 with a 285 hp Continental IO-520-B engine, later aircraft have a longer S35/V35 cabin and extra seats, 1502 built.[27][54][8]
Beechcraft F33C
F33C Bonanza
(1970 onwards) F33A certified for aerobatics, 154 built on special order up to 1987[54][8]
G33 Bonanza
(1972-1973) F33 with a 260 hp (190 kW) Continental IO-470-N engine and V35B trim, 50 built.[54]
A36 BonanzaA36AT Bonanza ofKLM Flight Academy with exhaust baffles under the nose.
36
(1968–1969) Revised utility aircraft with similar tail to Model 33 with a 10 in (25 cm) fuselage stretch, four cabin windows each side, starboard rear double doors and seats for six, one 285 hp Continental IO-520-B engine, 184 built.[55][56]
A36
(1970–2005) Model 36 with improved deluxe interior, a new fuel system, higher takeoff weight, from 1984 fitted with aContinental IO-550-BB engine and redesigned instrument panel and controls, 2128 built[29][57]
A36AT
Model A36 "Airline Trainer" with reduced-diameter propeller, exhaust baffles, and reduced RPM to reduce noise for flight schools.[58]
A36TC
(1979–1981) Model 36 with a three-bladed propeller and a 300 hp turbocharged Continental TSIO-520-UB engine, 280 built
T36TC
(1979) A36 fitted with T-tail and a 325 hp Continental TSIO-520 engine, one built
B36TC
(1982–2002) A36TC with longer span wing, increased range, redesigned instrument panel and controls, higher takeoff weight, 116 built[59]
The Beechcraft Model 40 was an experimental twin-engined aircraft based on the Bonanza. Only one prototype was built in 1948. It featured a unique over/under arrangement of two 180-hpFranklin engines mounted with one on top of the other and driving a single propeller. The plane had a different engine cowl from a standard Bonanza, and the nose gear could not fully retract, but otherwise it greatly resembled the production Bonanzas of the time.Certification rules demanded a firewall be fitted between the two engines, however, thus stopping development.[62][63] The FAA registration of the Model 40 was canceled on January 26, 1951.[64]
Standard aircraft modified by Tradewind Turbines with anAllison250-B17F/2turboprop engine (OriginalSTC # 3523NM by Soloy).[68]
TurbineAir Bonanza (B36TC)
Modification by Rocket Engineering subsidiary West Pacific Air, LLC with a 500 hpPratt & Whitney PT6A-21turboprop engine and 124 U.S. gallons (470 L; 103 imp gal) fuel capacity.[69][70][71][72]
Whirlwind System II Turbonormalized Bonanza (36, A36, G36)
Standard aircraft modified by Tornado Alley Turbo with a Tornado Alley Turbonormalizing (keeps power up to 20,000ft)[73] system and approved for a 4000 lbMTOW
Whirlwind TCP Bonanza (A36TC or B36TC)
Standard aircraft modified by Tornado Alley Turbo with aTCM IO-550B engine and Tornado Alley Turbonormalizing system, this airframe is approved for a 4042 lb MTOW.
Astronaut Gordon Cooper, ofGemini V, poses on the wing of his personal Beechcraft Bonanza in 1963.
The Bonanza is popular with air charter companies, and is operated by private individuals and companies.
In 1949, Turner Airlines (later renamedLake Central Airlines) commenced operations using three V-tail Bonanzas.[76] That same year,Central Airlines began operations using eight Bonanzas,[77] later adding three more to the fleet before starting to phase them out in 1950 in favor of theDouglas DC-3.[78]
In January 1949, the fourth Bonanza to come off the production line was piloted by Captain William Odom fromHonolulu, Hawaii, to the continental United States (2,900 statute miles), the first light airplane to do so.[92] The airplane was calledWaikiki Beech, and its 40-gallon (150 L) fuel capacity was increased (using fuselage and wing tanks) to 268 gallons (1010 L), which gave a still-air range of nearly 5,000 statute miles.
In March 1949, Captain Odom pilotedWaikiki Beech a distance of 5,273 miles (8,486 km) from Honolulu toTeterboro, New Jersey, setting a nonstop record. The flight time was 36:01 hours, at an average speed of 146.3 miles per hour (235.4 km/h), consuming 272.25 US gallons (1,030.6 L; 226.70 imp gal) of fuel. After that flight, the airplane was donated to theSmithsonian Institution's National Air Museum, as theNational Air and Space Museum was then called.[93][94]
On October 7, 1951, an American congressman fromIllinois,Peter F. Mack, Jr., began an around-the-world trip inWaikiki Beech, on loan from the museum and reconditioned at the Beech factory, and renamedFriendship Flame. He spent 15 weeks traveling through 30 countries (223 hours flight time). The plane was again refurbished in 1975 and returned to the National Air and Space Museum. It is still on display there, with both names painted on its sides.[95]
On May 31, 2014, 19-year-old MIT studentMatt Guthmiller fromAberdeen, South Dakota, departedGillespie Field inEl Cajon, California, in a 1981 A36 Bonanza on a 44-day-12-hour solo circumnavigation, making him theGuinness World Record holder as the youngest person to fly solo around the world when he landed back in El Cajon on July 14, 2014, at 19 years, 7 months, and 15 days of age. During 170 hours of flight time, he made 23 stops in 15 countries on five continents, and covered about 30,500 miles (49,100 km), while raising awareness for computer science education and supportingCode.org.[96]
On October 28, 1947, Oregon GovernorEarl Snell, Oregon Secretary of StateRobert S. Farrell Jr., and State Senate PresidentMarshall E. Cornett were killed along with pilot Cliff Hogue when their Bonanza 35crashed in stormy weather southwest of Dog Lake in Lake County, Oregon.[97]
On January 26, 1952,Zubeida Begum andHanwant Singh,Maharaja of Jodhpur, died when their Beechcraft Bonanza crashed inGodwar (Rajasthan),India. Hanwant Singh was overworked while campaigning for elections and is reported to have been sleeping only four hours a night. The wreckage from this crash was discovered in storage in the cellar of the Central Jail in Jodhpur in 2011.[98]
On July 31, 1955, the rising Hollywood starRobert Francis died with two others when the Bonanza he was piloting crashed immediately after take-off fromBurbank Airport.[99]
On February 3, 1959, rock and roll starsBuddy Holly,Ritchie Valens, andThe Big Bopper, as well as pilot Roger Peterson, died when their Beechcraft Bonanza 35, registration N3794N, crashed shortly after takeoff at night in poor weather.[100] The accident in northernIowa later became known as "The Day the Music Died", afterDon McLean referred to it by that name in his song "American Pie".
On July 31, 1964, country music starJim Reeves and his pianist Dean Manuel died when the Beechcraft Debonair N8972M Reeves was piloting crashed in the Brentwood area ofNashville during a violent thunderstorm.[101]
On February 14, 1975, CongressmanJerry Pettis was killed when the Beechcraft Model V35B Bonanza he was piloting crashed nearCherry Valley, California, after he encountered adverse weather conditions. The Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital inLoma Linda, California, is named in his honor.[102]
On February 7, 1981,Apple Computer cofounderSteve Wozniak crashed his Beechcraft Bonanza while taking off fromSanta Cruz Sky Park. The NTSB investigation revealed Wozniak did not have a "high performance" endorsement (meaning he was not legally qualified to operate the airplane) and had a "lack of familiarity with the aircraft." The cause of the crash was determined to be a premature liftoff, followed by a stall and "mush" into a 12-foot embankment.[103] Wozniak later made a full recovery, albeit with a case of temporaryanterograde amnesia.
On March 19, 1982,Ozzy Osbourne's guitaristRandy Rhoads was killed when the wing of the Bonanza F35 in which he was riding hit the band's tour bus then crashed into a tree and a nearby residence. Both of the other people on the aircraft, pilot Andrew Aycock and Osbourne's makeup artist Rachel Youngblood, also died in the crash. The NTSB cited the causes of the crash as poor judgement, buzzing, and misjudged clearance, as well as indicating that the use of the aircraft was not authorized by the aircraft's owner.[104]
On January 14, 1996, Armenian-Turkish musicianOnno Tunç died when a private Bonanza crashed in bad weather on a mountain at Tazdağ near Selimiye village of Armutlu, Yalova on his journey fromBursa toIstanbul.[105]
On July 23, 2014,Haris Suleman, a Pakistani-American pilot attempting to fly around the world in 30 days to promote education, crashed his Beechcraft Bonanza in thePacific Ocean, killing him and leaving his father Babar Suleman, also on board, missing.[107]
^Simpson, R.W. (1995).Airlife's General Aviation: A guide to Postwar General Aviation Manufacturers and their aircraft (2nd ed.). Airlife Publishing. pp. 75–77.ISBN1-85310-577-5.
^"Central Airlines to Start DC-3 Service over Routes".The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas. September 7, 1950. RetrievedNovember 5, 2019.Until other DC-3's are added to the present three, Central will continue using its Bonanzas—of which there are eleven—on the Fort Worth–Texarkana and Fort Worth–Wichita routes.
Jackson, Paul, ed. (2005).Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2005–2006. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group.ISBN0-7106-2684-3.
Niccoli, Riccardo (May–June 1998). "Portuguese Numerology: Serial systems used by the Aeronautica Militar and the Força Aerea Portuguesa".Air Enthusiast. No. 75. pp. 33–45.ISSN0143-5450.
Pelletier, A. J. (1995).Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-062-2.
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