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Beechcraft Bonanza

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Beechcraft Bonanza
A Belgian owned F33A Bonanza taking off at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England.
Role Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer Beechcraft
Designer Ralph Harmon (lead engineer)
First flight 22 December 1945
Introduction 1947 [1]
Status Active service
Produced 1947-present
Number built >17,000
Variants Beechcraft Baron
Bay Super V Bonanza
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
File:Fork Tailed Doctor Killer.jpg
1965 S35 V-Tailed Bonanza
BE33 (N567M) at Cambridge Bay Airport, Nunavut, Canada
1950 B35 operated by the National Test Pilot School at the Mojave Airport

The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by The Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. As of 2009 it is still being produced by Hawker Beechcraft and has been in continuous production longer than any other airplane in history. More than 17,000 Bonanzas of all variants have been built.[2]

Design and development

At the end of World War II two all-metal aircraft emerged, the Model 35 Bonanza and the Cessna 195, that represented very different approaches to the premium-end of the postwar civil aviation market. With its high wing, seven-cylinder radial engine, fixed tailwheel undercarriage and roll-down side windows, the Cessna 195 was little more than a continuation of prewar technology; the 35 Bonanza, however, was more like the fighters developed during the war, featuring an easier-to-manage horizontally-opposed six cylinder engine, a rakishly streamlined shape, retractable nosewheel undercarriage (although the nosewheel initially was non-steerable, or castering)[3] and low-wing configuration.

Designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon, the model 35 Bonanza was the first truly modern high-performance personal aircraft.[citation needed] It was a very fast, low-wing monoplane at a time when most light aircraft were still made of wood and fabric. The Model 35 featured retractable landing gear and its signature V-tail (equipped with a combination elevator-rudder called a ruddervator), which made it both efficient and the most distinctive private aircraft in the sky. The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on 22 December 1945, with the first production aircraft debuting as 1947 models. The first 30-40 Bonanzas produced had fabric-covered flaps and ailerons, after which, those surfaces were covered with magnesium alloy sheet.[4]

The V-tail design was a marketing issue, as it gave a distinctive look to the airplane, but afforded no aerodynamic advantage. Theoretically, two control surfaces instead of three (the traditional vertical stabilizer/rudder and two horizontal stabilizer/elevators) would present a smaller surface area and therefore less drag. However, the V-tail Bonanza was no faster than its conventional-tail sister ship (Beech marketing publications claimed a 2-knot advantage, a false claim, as uncovered by The Aviation Consumer magazine's investigation). In fact, the V-tail was a flawed design from the beginning. During the testing phase of the airplane, test pilot Vernon Carstens was killed when the V-tail empennage failed in flight. Some modifications were done and the aircraft released for production.

It was an immediate success, as its speed nearly matched the speed of the DC-3, a popular airliner of the day. It could carry a decent useful load and was a good-looking airplane to boot. However, its design flaws soon became apparent in its flimsy wings. In order to save weight, the main spar did not have a spar web in the outer wing stations. Only the top and bottom spar caps sustained the structure in the outboard panels. After some tragic accidents with loss of life, the wing was strengthened. Then the V-tails started failing. Ultimately, it was calculated that the V-tail Bonanza had an airframe failure rate 24 times that of comparable airplanes. The model 36, the Bonanza with a conventional tail, was an excellent airplane with no increase in structural airframe failures.

V-tail failures became more apparent when the stabilizer chord was increased, in order to increase stability. One of the aerodynamic flaws of the design was an irritating yawing motion in turbulence, even light or moderate turbulence. Various yaw-dampening devices were tried, but ultimately the size of the stabilizers was increased. Unfortunately, since the V-stabilizers had only one spar, this meant that the stabilizer overhang (that is, the usupported structure ahead of the spar) overstressed the spar, and more tragedy ensued as V-tails began failing with alarming recurrence. In the end, a riveted cuff installed on the leading edge of the stabilizers, and affixed to the fuselage, ameliorated the V-tail failures.

Beech has, through all the years of accidents, deaths and tragedies, steadfastedly defended the airplane, ascribing the accidents to pilot error. The egregious nature of this denial at the expense of death and suffering, in order to avoid legal liability, is of such a degree that Lawrence Salinger, author of Encyclopedia of White Collar Crime, has included the story of the V-tail Bonanza and Beech's corporate response.

Despite its execrable safety record, the V-tail Bonanza remained a popular aircraft until cessation of production in 1982. Encouraged by Beech efforts, and supported by various V-tail Bonanza owner's groups, the aircraft has remained inexplicably a desired aircraft which retains its resale value. In fact, the V-tail Bonanza, a pure cosmetic gimmick, was structurally flawed, ill-behaved in turbulence, and offered no discernible aerodynamic advantage. In 1982 the V-tail Bonanza was dropped from production, though more than 6,000 V-tail models are still flying today.[citation needed] In general aviation circles, the epithet "fork-tailed doctor killer" became a familiar denigration of the V-tail model.[5] Many V-tailed Model 35 Bonanzas are still flying, and they command a premium price on the used aircraft market.

The conventional-tail Model 33 continued in production until 1995. Still built today is the Model 36 Bonanza, a longer-bodied, straight-tail variant of the original design, introduced in 1968.

All Bonanzas share an unusual feature: The yoke and rudder pedals are interconnected by a system of bungee cords that assist in keeping the airplane in coordinated flight during turns. The bungee system allows the pilot to make coordinated turns using the yoke alone, or with minimal rudder input, during cruise flight. Increased right-rudder pressure is still required on takeoff to overcome torque and P-factor. In the landing phase the bungee system must be overridden by the pilot when making crosswind landings, which require cross-controlled inputs to keep the nose of the airplane aligned with the runway centerline without drifting left or right. This feature started with the V-tail and persists on the current production model.[citation needed]

The twin-engine variant of the Bonanza is called the Baron, whereas the Twin Bonanza is a different design and not based on the original single-engine Bonanza fuselage.

QU-22 Pave Eagle

The QU-22 was a Beech 36/A36 Bonanza modified during the Vietnam War to be an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft, developed under the project name "Pave Eagle" for the United States Air Force. A reduction geared Continental IO-520 engine was used to reduce its noise signature, much like the later Army-Lockheed YO-3A. These aircraft were intended to be used as unmanned drones to monitor sensors along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and report troop and supply movements. However when the project was put into operation in 1968, the drones were all flown by pilots of the 554th Reconnaissance Squadron.

Six YQU-22A prototypes (modifications of the Beech 33 Debonair) were combat-tested in 1968 and two were lost during operations, with a civilian test pilot killed. 27 QU-22Bs were modified, 13 in 1969 and 14 in 1970, with 6 lost in combat. Two Air Force pilots were killed in action. All of the losses were due to engine failures or effects of turbulence.[6]

Variants

Model 33 Debonair/Bonanza (BE33)

Rear view of V-tail variant, showing tail design
35-33 Debonair
(1959) An M35 Bonanza with conventional fin and tailplane, one 225hp Continental IO-470-J, 233 built.
35-A33 Debonair
(1961) Model 33 with rear side windows and improved interior trim, 154 built.
35-B33 Debonair
(1962-1964) A33 with contoured fin leading edge, N35 fuel tank modifications and P35 instrument panel, 426 built.
35-C33 Debonair
(1965-1967) B33 with teardrop rear side windows, enlarged fin fairing and improved seats, 305 built.
35-C33A Debonair
(1966-1967) C33 with a 285hp Continental IO-520-B engine and optional fifth seat, 179 built.
D33 Debonair
One S35 modified as a military close-support prototype.
E33 Bonanza
(1968-1969) C33 with improved Bonanza trim, 116 built.
E33A Bonanza
(1968) E33 with a 285hp Continental IO-520-B engine, 85 built.
E33B Bonanza
E33 with strengthened airframe and certified for aerobatics.
E33C Bonanza
(1968-1969) E33B with a 285hp Continental IO-520-B engine, 25 built.
F33 Bonanza
(1970) E33 with deeper rear side windows and minor improvements, 20 built.
F33A Bonanza
(1970-1994) F33 with a 285hp Continental IO-520-B engine, later aircraft have a longer S35/V35 cabin and extra seats, 821 built.
F33C Bonanza
(1970) F33A certified for aerobatics, 118 built.
G33 Bonanza
(1972-1980) F33 with a 260hp Continental IO-470-N engine and V35B trim, 50 built.

Model 35 Bonanza (BE35)

1965 Model V35
35

(1947–1948), main production with 165 hp (123 kW) Continental E-185-1 engine, 1500 built.

A35
(1949) Model 35 with higher take-off weight, and minor internal changes, 701 built.
B35
(1950) A35 with a 165hp Continental E-185-8 engine and other minor changes, 480 built.
C35
(1951-1952) B35 with a 185hp Continental E-185-11 engine, metal propeller, larger tail surfaces and higher take-off weight, 719 built.
D35
(1953) C35 with increased Take-off weight and minor changes, 298 built.
E35
(1954) D35 with optional E-225-8 engine and minor changes, 301 built.
F35
(1955) E35 with extra rear window each side, 392 built.
G35
(1956) F35 with a Continental E-225-8 engine, 476 built.
H35
1957 Model H35 (N5589D) at Jackson Hole (KJAC) in Winter
(1957) G35 with a Continental O-470-G engine, strengthened structure and internal trim changes, 464 built.
J35
(1958) H35 with a fuel injected Continental IO-470-C engine, optional autopilot and improved instruments, 396 built.
K35
(1959) J35 with fuel load increase, optional fifth seat and increased take-off weight, 436 built.
M35
(1960) K35 with cambered wingtips and minor changes, 400 built.
N35
(1961) M35 with a 260hp Continental IO-470-N engine, increased fuel capacity, increased take-off weight and teardrop rear side windows, 280 built.
035
(1961) Experimental version, an N35 fitted with laminar flow airfoil and redesigned landing gear; only one built.
P35
(1962-1963) N35 with new instrument panel and improved seating, 467 built.
S35
(1964-1965) P35 with a Continental IO-520-B engine, higher take-off weight, longer cabin interior, optional fifth and sixth seat, 667 built.
V35
(1966-1967) S35 with higher take-off weight single-piece windshield, optional turbocharged TSIO-520-D engine (as V35-TC), 873 built.
V35A
(1968-1969) V35 with a streamlined windshield and minor changes, optional turbocharged TSIO-520-D engine (as V35A-TC), 470 built.
V35B
(1970-1982) V35A with minor improvements to systems and trim, optional turbocharged TSIO-520-D engine (as V35B-TC), 873 built.

Model 36 Bonanza (BE36)

One of IFTA's A36 Bonanzas takes off from Mojave Airport
Beechcraft A36 Bonanza modified with the Tradewind Turbine's turboprop conversion
36
(1968-1969) E33A with a ten-inch fuselage stretch, four cabin windows each side, starboard rear double doors and seats for six, one 285hp Continental IO-520-B engine, 184 built.
A36
(1970-2005) Model 36 with improved deluxe interior, a new fuel system, higher take-off weight, from 1984 fitted with a Continental IO-550-BB engine and re-designed instrument panel and controls, 2128 built.
A36TC
(1979-1981) Model 36 with a 3-bladed propeller and a 300hp turbo-charged Continental TSIO-520-UB engine, 280 built.
T36TC
(1979) A36 fitted with T-tail and a 325hp Continental TSIO-520 engine, one-built.
B36TC
(1982-2002) A36TC with longer span wing, increased range, re-designed instrument panel and controls, higher take-off weight, 116 built.
G36
(2006-present) - glass cockpit update of the A36 with the Garmin G1000 system.[2]

QU-22

YQU-22A (Model P.1079)
USAF military designation for a prototype intelligence-gathering drone version of the Bonanza 36, six built.
YAU-22A (Model PD.249)
Prototype low-cost close-support version using Bonanza A36 fuselage and Baron B55 wings, one built.
QU-22B
Production drone model for the USAF operation Pave Eagle, 27 built.

Modifications

Propjet Bonanza (A36)
standard aircraft modified by Tradewind Turbines with an Allison 250-B17F/2 turboprop engine (Original STC by Soloy).[7]
Turbine Air Bonanza
B36TC modified by West Pacific Air, LLC and Rocket Engineering with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-21 turboprop engine.
Whirlwind System II Turbonormalized Bonanza (36, A36, G36)
standard aircraft modified by Tornado Alley Turbo with a Tornado Alley Turbonormalizing System and approved for a 4000 lb MTOW.
Whirlwind TCP Bonanza (A36TC or B36TC)
standard aircraft modified by Tornado Alley Turbo with a TCM IO-550B Engine and Tornado Alley Turbonormalizing system. This airframe is approved for a 4042 lb MTOW.

Model 40

The Beechcraft Model 40A 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 hp Franklin engines mounted on top of each other and driving a single propeller. The plane had a different engine cowl than 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 that a firewall be fitted between the two engines, however, thus stopping development.[8] The status of the prototype is unknown.

Parastu

This is the standard F33 (1970) variant of the Bonanza that Iran has reverse engineered and is manufacturing without a license.[9][10]

Operators

Civil

The Bonanza is popular with air charter companies and is operated by private individuals and companies.

Military

 Argentina
 Bolivia
 Brazil
 Haiti
 Iran
 Israel
 Indonesia
 Ivory Coast
 Mexico
 Netherlands
 Nicaragua
 Paraguay
 Saudi Arabia
 Spain
 Thailand
 United States

Notable flights

  • In January 1949 the fourth Bonanza to come off the production line was piloted by Captain William Odom from Honolulu, Hawaii to the continental United States (2,900 statute miles), the first light airplane to do so.[11] The airplane was called Waikiki 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 piloted Waikiki Beech a distance of 5,273 miles (8,486 km) from Honolulu to Teterboro, New Jersey, setting a nonstop record. 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 the Smithsonian Institution's National Air Museum, as the National Air and Space Museum was then called.[12][13]
  • On 7 October 1951 an American congressman from Illinois, Peter F. Mack, Jr. began an around-the-world trip in Waikiki Beech, on loan from the Museum and reconditioned at the Beech factory and renamed Friendship 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.[14]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 3 February 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, as well as the pilot Roger Peterson died when their Beechcraft B35 Bonanza, registration N3794N, crashed shortly after takeoff, at night and in bad weather. This accident has become known as The Day the Music Died.
  • On July 31, 1964, country music star Jim Reeves and his pianist Dean Manuel died when the Beechcraft Debonair Jim was piloting crashed in the Brentwood area of Nashville during a violent thunderstorm. The wreckage and bodies were discovered on 2 August 1964 amid dense foliage in a wooded area just off Baxter Lane next to US interstate 65.
  • In February 1981, Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak crashed his Beechcraft Bonanza while taking off from Santa Cruz Sky Park. The NTSB investigation revealed that Wozniak did not have a "high performance" endorsement (making him legally unqualified 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. Wozniak later made a full recovery, albeit with a case of temporary retrograde amnesia.
  • On 19 March 1982, Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads was killed when the wing of the Bonanza F35 he was riding in clipped Ozzy's tour bus and crashed into a nearby mansion garage. The pilot and another passenger were also killed.[15]
  • On 13 March 2006, game show host Peter Tomarken crashed his Bonanza A36 into Santa Monica Bay during climb-out from the Santa Monica Airport in California. He was en route to San Diego to pick up a cancer patient who needed transportation to UCLA Medical Center for treatment. Tomarken and his wife were killed in the crash.[16]

Specifications (2009 model G36)

Data from Beechcraft[17]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 5 passengersFuel capacity: 80 gal (300 L), 74 gal (280 L) usable

Performance

  • Max Payload: 909 lb (412 kg)
  • Takeoff distance: 1,250 ft
  • Minimum landing distance: 950 ft

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Beech Bonanza: Celebrating 60 years of continuous production, and still going strong." by Mike Potts. World Aircraft Sales Magazine / www.AvBuyer.com. July 2007. Page 109.
  2. ^ a b Beechcraft Bonanza G36. Product Analysis. Hawker Beechcraft Corporation.
  3. ^ Flying magazine, ibid.
  4. ^ FLYING Magazine, Vol. 134, No. 8, August 2007, p. 62 "60 Years of Continuous Bonanza Production
  5. ^ Why is the “Doctor Killer” Airplane So Dangerous?
  6. ^ USAF Qu-22 Pave Eagle
  7. ^ Tradewind Turbines
  8. ^ Colby, Douglas. "The Ultimate V-Tail". Plane & Pilot Magazine. Werner Publishing Corporation. Retrieved 21 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ GlobalSecurity.org - Parastu
  10. ^ Payvand - Iranian Air Force Highly Equipped
  11. ^ Air & Space Vol. 22, No. 3, August 2007, "A Bonanza Anniversary", p. 14
  12. ^ Air & Space, V 22, N 3, p. 14
  13. ^ Ball 1971
  14. ^ Air & Space, V 22, N 3, p. 15
  15. ^ NTSB preliminary report
  16. ^ NTSB preliminary report
  17. ^ "Beechcraft Bonanza G36 - Specifications". Retrieved 2009-04-28.
Bibliography
  • Ball, Larry A. Those Incomparable Bonanzas. McCormick-Armstrong, 1971. ASIN B003B9BEWU
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