Plane Facts: Beech Bonanzas

Model 35 first flight: December 22, 1945

First delivery: 1947

Years before comparable Cessna (retractable gear, opposed engine, variable speed/adjustable prop, no-strut wing) appeared: 20

Construction: All-metal*, low-wing, monoplane

*Note on construction: First few dozen Bonanzas had fabric-covered flaps and ailerons

Covering for flight control surfaces after that: Magnesium alloy

Cruise speed of original Bonanza: 152 ktas

Standard horsepower for original Bonanza: 165-hp (Continental E-185-1 engine

Horsepower of today's G-36 Bonanza: 310 (Continental IO-550G)

1949 Bonanza non-stop world record: William Odom, Bonanza A35, Hawaii to Teterboro, New Jersey, 4,957 miles, 36 hours, two minutes

Throwback control: "Throw-over" yoke. One set of transferable controls for both front seaters

First Beech with throw-over yoke: Model 17 Staggerwing, produced 1933-1949

Popular Bonanza modification: Dual yoke conversion

Last Bonanza with throw-over yoke: 1983

Model 35 naming convention: Just Model 35 until 1948, then letter+"35" starting with "A" and ending with "S"

Letters skipped: I, L, Q, R

Last year-lettered Bonanza: S-Model (1966)

Nickname for Model 35 Bonanzas: Fork-tailed doctor (or lawyer) killer

Noteworthy accident: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, along with pilot Roger Peterson, killed, Clear Lake, Iowa, February 3, 1959

Cause of accident: Pilot error (took off VFR into a snow storm)

Age of pilot: 21

First six-seat Bonanza: S-35 (optional fifth and sixth seats)

First standard six-seater: A36, 1968

Number of Model 36 Bonanzas produced: More than 2,500

Twin Bonanza relation to Bonanza: Not related

Bonanza offshoot twins: Travel Air and Baron

1958 long distance record: Pat Boling, Manila, Philippines, to Pendleton, Oregon, 7,090 miles, 45 hours, 43 minutes---in a Beechcraft Bonanza

Turboprop modifications of Model 36: 3

Number of different turboprops therein: 3

Bonanzas built since its introduction: 17,000+

Years in production: 70

Number of basic "Bonanza" models in 70 years: 3 (Models 33, 35, 36)

Models developed specifically for military operations: 4, not counting the Beech T-34 Mentor or Fuji offshoots

Number of companies that have owned the Beechcraft brand: 5---Beech Aircraft, Raytheon, Hawker Beech (Goldman Sachs), Beechcraft Corp., Textron Aviation

Model 36 naming convention: Simply 36 until 1970, then all A-36s until 2005

After 2005: G36 (indicated Garmin G1000-avionics-equippped)

G-35 Bonanza: 1956 model; Garmin founders Gary Burrell and Min Kao were 19 and 7 years old, respectively

First year with a conventional, non-V tail: 1959, Debonair

Years "Debonairs" produced: 35

Last year for a V-tail Bonanza: 1982

Weirdest Bonanza: Model 40---Twin with two Franklin engines on nose driving a single prop (never produced)

Parastu: Iranian reverse-engineered F-33 Bonanza (unlicensed)

Bonanzas certified for aerobatics: E33C and F33C