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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
