Plane Facts: Beech Bonanzas

Cool and interesting facts about Beech Bonanzas

Plane & Pilot

Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 09:18 AM ET

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Beech Bonanza Model 35

Key Takeaways:

The Beechcraft Bonanza is a historically significant and enduring aircraft, having been in continuous production for over 70 years with more than 17,000 units built across its three main models (33, 35, 36).
It featured pioneering designs for its time, including all-metal construction, retractable gear, and a variable-pitch propeller, setting it apart from contemporaries.
The Bonanza has undergone significant evolution, from its original 165hp V-tail with a "throw-over" yoke to today's 310hp G36 models with six seats, conventional tails, and dual yokes.
It holds several long-distance flight records but is also famously associated with the tragic 1959 crash that killed musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper.

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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