Beechcraft Bonanza

Beechcraft Bonanza
Beechcraft K35 Bonanza D-ELTA
Type:	Light aircraft
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Beech Aircraft Corporation
First flight:	December 22, 1945
Commissioning:	March 25, 1947
Production time:	In series production since 1947
Quantity:	> 17,000 (as of end of 2007)

Beech V35B Bonanza, cockpit

Beechcraft Bonanza F33A (BE33) N567M

The Beechcraft Bonanza has been produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation as a travel and business aircraft for around 70 years . This makes it the aircraft with the longest series production. With more than 17,000 copies, it is also one of the most widely built aircraft . As the third design by Beech, after the pre-war models Model 17 and Model 18 , the Model 35 Bonanza presented in 1945 was a commercial success from the start. Even before the exact performance data of the new model became known, there were 500 pre-orders. In 1947, Beech was able to produce almost 1,000 copies in a period of eight months.

Currently (2017) the Bonanza is offered in the G36 version.

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Series overview

• Model 35 Bonanza (production period 1947–1982)
• Model 33 Debonair (1959–1967) and Bonanza (1968–1973)
• Model 36 Bonanza (1968 - today (2017))

development

The company Beechcraft was founded by Walter Beech, having from 1932 Curtiss-Wright had separated. With a handful of employees he took with him from his former company Travel Air, he founded Beech Aircraft in April 1932. With the Bonanza, Beech intended to build an aircraft that would be able to transport four people and their luggage with a level of comfort similar to that of a car and at 290 km / h. Of the five prototypes built, only two were airworthy, the other three served as dynamic fracture cells. Serial number 3 (NX80150) received a Lycoming GO 290-A engine, while the second flying prototype (serial number 4) used a 165 hp Continental engine. On December 22nd, 1945 the work no. 3 her maiden flight with Vern L. Carstens at the wheel. The type certificate was issued on March 25, 1947.

Model 35 and variants

A G35 (HB-EBG, 225 PS, 1956) with additional tanks approaching the Ecuvillens airfield

Cockpit of a Beechcraft G35 (HB-EBG)

The Model 35 was the first production version of the Bonanza, of which 1,500 copies were made, more than any other variant. The drive consisted of a 121 kW Continental E-165. The range was 1200 km with the normal fuel capacity of 151 L. Machines of the late production period had a Continental E-185-1 with 136 kW (185 PS) maximum and 121 kW (165 PS) continuous output. One of the most famous bonanzas is the Waikiki Beach (registration number N80040, serial number D-4), with which William Odom made two remarkable long-haul flights. In mid-January 1949, he flew the route from Honolulu to Oakland in 22 hours; The machine consumed 1,100 liters of fuel over the 8,480 km route. He made a second non-stop flight on March 7 and 8, 1950, with the route from Hickam Field (Hawaii) to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. It took Odom 36 hours to do this. The aircraft is on display at the National Air and Space Museum today .

The A35 model was introduced in 1949 . Special features were the steerable nose wheel and the introduction of a box spar for the wing structure, instead of the tubular spar used up until then. A total of 701 A35s were produced. The B35 introduced in 1950 largely corresponded to the A35, but had a 144 kW (196 hp) Continental E-185-8 engine and had minor changes in the interior. Production was 480 machines, priced at $ 11,975 each.

The C35 was introduced in late 1950. It was equipped with a Continental E-185-11 with 136 kW (185 PS). The tail surface was slightly enlarged. Total production was 719, with 410 machines manufactured in 1950 and 1951, and 309 in 1952. The purchase price was $ 12,990 for the 1950/51 models and $ 18,990 for the 1952 model. The D35 only introduced a new paint scheme in 1953. The price of the variant, which was built 298 times, was US $ 18,990.

The E35 from 1954 was available with a 136 kW Continental E-185-11 and a 165 kW (225 hp) Continental E-225-8. Production included 301 machines, which cost $ 18,990 (E-185) or $ 19,990 (E-225). A third side window was introduced with the F35 of 1955. The E-185-11 and E-225-8 engines were also available for the F35, which had been built 392 times. The E-225-8 was the standard engine of the G35 , which appeared in 1956 . A total of 476 G35s were built and sold for $ 21,990. The H35 , introduced in 1957, used the Continental O-470-G with 177 kW (240 PS) for the first time and 464 units were built.

For the J35 , Beechcraft used the Continental IO-470-C for the first time, a motor with gasoline injection that drove a controllable pitch propeller with a diameter of 2.08 m. The price for the 396 machines built was US $ 24,300 each. The 1959 K35 offered an optional fifth seat. Together with a larger tank capacity, this increased the take-off weight to 1336 kg. 436 K35s were produced at a retail price of $ 25,300. The M35 , 400 of which were produced, was unchanged from the K35 in 1960. The 1961 N35 had an enlarged third side window and a 260 hp Continental IO 470 N engine. The production comprised 280 aircraft. Only one example of the O35 with a laminar wing was made in 1961. The P35 received the same engine as the N35, but with a completely redesigned instrument panel and, as an option, larger fuel tanks. The total production was 467 units (1962: 225, 1963: 242).

In the case of the S35 introduced in 1964 , the fuselage was lengthened by 48 cm and now offered space for six passengers. The drive consisted of a Continental IO-520-B with 285 hp. Of the total of 667 S35s produced, 331 were in 1964, 327 in 1965 and 9 in 1966. The drive of the V35 from 1966 remained unchanged compared to the S35. The biggest improvement was the introduction of a one-piece windshield. 622 examples were built (325 in 1966 and 297 in 1967). The V35 was further developed in some sub-variants. The V35TC offered a TSIO-520-D with turbocharging, which enabled the output of 285 hp to be maintained up to an altitude of 5790 m. The V35A could optionally be equipped with a three-blade propeller and received a further modified windscreen. The price of the V35A, built 470 times, was $ 36,850 in 1969. The otherwise unchanged V35A-TC received a turbo-charged engine. The V35B 1972 had required made against the V35A only a redesigned interior, but also structural changes. Until the end of production in 1982, the V35B was continuously developed without changing the name.

On February 17, 1977 Beechcraft built the 10,000th Bonanza, a V35B, which received the registration number N35VB and was shown on a presentation tour through the USA.

Model 33 Debonair / Bonanza

In response to the new competition from the Cessna 182 and Piper Comanche , Beech developed the Debonair from the Bonanza . With the exception of the conventional swept tail, it largely corresponded to the bonanza. The prototype (registration number N832R) flew for the first time on September 14, 1959 with a very simple interior. By the end of 1966, 1195 Debonair aircraft were built, followed by 1910 aircraft by January 1, 1991, which were again sold under the Bonanza name.

The series aircraft offered from November 1959 bore the designation Model 35-33 Debonair . They had a Continental IO 470 J engine with 225 hp as a drive. After a good start with 233 units built in the first year, interest waned, something that was attributed to the spartan interior and the very simple paintwork. Beechraft reacted with the 35-A33 Debonair introduced in 1961 , which was designed to be more comfortable on the inside and had a complete exterior paintwork. The production comprised 154 copies. The B33 Debonair from the end of 1961 received further improvements, as they were already standard on the N35 Bonanza. A total of 426 B33s were built. The C33 Debonair, introduced in 1965, of which 304 machines were built, had only minor changes compared to its predecessor. In the 1966 C33A Debonair, Beech introduced the more powerful 285 hp Continental IO 520-B engine. A total of 179 C33A were manufactured. The Model D33 was a military test variant of the S35 Bonanza from 1965, which was followed by the improved Model PD 249. The project was discontinued in the early 1970s.

With the E33 produced 116 times in 1968, Debonair's nickname changed to Bonanza. In the case of the E33A, only the engine was changed from the IO-470-K to the IO-520-B. The production was 85 pieces. The E33B from 1968 received structural reinforcements so that aerobatics would now also have been possible. In fact, not a single E33B was built. The 25 built E33C received the structural improvements of the E33B. It was followed by the F33, introduced in 1970, in which improvements from the V35A and B were adopted. This included a third side window and a modified windshield. The drive consisted of a 165 kW IO-470-K. 20 F33s were built. There were two variants of the F33A with a standard hull (26 units) and a version produced until after 1985 with an interior space that was 48 cm longer, similar to that of the V35B, which could accommodate six occupants. The Lufthansa Aviation Training continued the F33A since 1972 in greater numbers than one trainer aircraft; the pattern is currently (2017) being gradually replaced by the Cirrus SR20 . As an aerobatic bonanza, the F33C received some structural features of the E33C. The G33, which was available from 1972, was fitted with a 191 kW IO 470N engine in an F33 cell. Ten of the 50 copies built were used by Pacific Southwest Airlines for training purposes.

Model 36

Beechcraft A36 near Citrusdal South Africa ( V5-ELZ)

The current and only version that Beech still makes is the G36. In the meantime, along with numerous other changes, it has received a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit , which combines the entire avionics with all primary and secondary flight and engine instruments, as well as navigation and communication in one integrated system and displays it on two redundant screens.

Further development

Beechcraft also developed a twin-engine version from the Bonanza, which was first called the Twin Bonanza and then the Baron . These were even available with a pressurized cabin.

A total of 33 Beech 33 Debonair aircraft were converted to QU-22 Pave Eagle , which were used as electronic reconnaissance aircraft during the Vietnam War .

As a Beechcraft T-34 mentor, there is a military training version of the Bonanza that flew for the first time in 1948. The four-seater cabin was replaced by a tandem cockpit for two men. While the T-34A and T-34B features such as the civil type with a piston engine, the T-34C has a turboprop -drive Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A-25th Over 2,300 T-34s were built by 1990, mostly for the US Air Force and the US Navy .

Incidents

• On February 3, 1959, a Bonanza B35 crashed with the three rock 'n' roll musicians, Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens and Jiles Perry Richardson (The Big Bopper), which were very popular at the time . All passengers and the pilot were killed. Valens was only 17 years old at the time. The cause should not have been a technical error, but bad weather conditions and human error on the part of the pilot. This day was also referred to in the media as " The Day the Music Died ".

• On February 7, 1981 Steve Wozniak , co-founder of the IT company Apple , crashed while taking off from Santa Cruz Sky Park with a Beechcraft Bonanza. The investigation revealed that his license was insufficient to fly an aircraft of this type. After the crash, he suffered intermittent short-term memory loss.

• On March 19, 1982, Randy Rhoads , lead guitarist of Ozzy Osbourne, who is still one of the most talented and influential rock guitarists , crashed with a 1955 built Bonanza F35 (license number N567LT ) . Rhoads, the stylist of the band Rachel Youngblood, and the pilot Andrew Aycock were killed. Aycock, the driver of the bus, had stopped driving to a concert ("Saturday's Rock Superbowl XIV" opening show in Orlando, Florida) near Leesburg, Florida to take Ozzy Osbourne's band members for a sightseeing flight. As it turned out, he - at the time of the accident under the influence of cocaine - flew several mock attacks in low flight on the tour bus. Everything went well twice, then the machine went too low so that a wing brushed the roof of the bus in which Ozzy Osbourne and his future wife Sharon Arden , drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Rudy Sarzo were still sleeping. The wing tore off, the plane brushed against a tree and crashed into a building behind, where it exploded.

• On April 7, 1982, the racing driver Harald Ertl was with members of his family on the flight from Mannheim to Sylt , where they were going to spend the Easter holidays, when the machine crashed in Central Hesse after an engine failure. Harald Ertl died in the rubble, his wife Vera Ertl and his son Sebastian Ertl were seriously injured. His sister-in-law, his brother-in-law who operated the machine, and his niece were also killed.

• On May 30, 2008, an A36 coming from Maastricht crashed at around 5:26 p.m. while approaching Sylt Airport due to an engine failure . In the accident, the pilot was killed and the two passengers injured. The cause of the failure arises from the content of the evaluation by the Federal Office for Aircraft Accident Investigation as a lack of fuel due to an empty left tank. Failure to switch to the “both” position before landing in accordance with the A36 flight manual can therefore be assumed to be the cause of the accident.

Technical data A36

Beechcraft V35B Bonanza

• Length: 8.38 m
• Span: 10.21 m
• Height: 2.62 m
• Drive: 1 × Teledyne-Continental IO-550-B , 221 kW / 300 PS
• Top speed: 325 km / h (176 kts)
• Cruising speed: 305 km / h (165 kts)
• Maximum range ("Ferry Flight"): 1,700 km (920 NM)
• Standard range (pilot + 4 passengers): 850 km (460 NM)
• Cruising speed at 65% power: 160 knots
• Range at 65% in 10,000 ft: 810 NM
• Demolition speed
  • without flaps: 71 kts
  • with flaps: 51 kts
• Climbing rate: 1230 ft / min (375 m / min)
• Service ceiling: 18,500 ft (5,630 m)

See also

• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Beechcraft Bonanza  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Type certification of G36 (Bonanza) - EASA-TCDS-A.279 (PDF; 503 kB)

literature

• Alain J. Pelletier: Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors. Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1995, ISBN 0-85177-863-1

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bonanza G36 on the Beechcraft-Textron website (accessed April 15, 2017)
2. ↑ Long distance record with small aircraft. In:  Salzburger Volkszeitung , May 25, 1949, p. 4 (online at ANNO ).
3. ↑ Mike Collins: The Bonanza Goes to War Meet the QU-22B and the men that flew her . In: AOPA Pilot . September 2014. , AOPA pilot
4. ↑ http://www.theapplemuseum.com/index.php?id=50
5. ↑ Manfred J. Heinze: Apple founder Steve Wozniak: From computer construction to Segway polo. In: Focus Online . October 7, 2011, accessed December 26, 2014 . 
6. ^ Accident report Bonanza N567LT , Aviation Safety Network WikiBase , accessed on April 2, 2017.
7. ↑ Investigation Report BFU 3X056-08 the accident of 30 May 2008 Westerland / Sylt, Beech Aircraft Corp. A 36. (PDF, 35 kB) Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, March 24, 2011, accessed on December 26, 2014 .