The Beechcraft Bonanza is one of the most important civil aircraft in aviation history. Introduced in 1945 by The Beech Aircraft Corporation, it is still in production as of 2004. Despite relatively high prices, the Bonanza line has been enduringly popular, with more than 17,000 airplanes sold by 2004.

Designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon, the original model 35 Bonanza was the first truly modern high performance personal airplane: a very fast, all-metal, retractable gear, low-wing monoplane at a time when most light aircraft were still made of wood and fabric. The model 35 featured a signature V-tail which made it the most distinctive private airplane in the sky. However, over time the V-tail proved to have serious design flaws. Accident analysis showed the V-tail Bonanza had a fatal in-flight failure rate 24 times that of the conventional (straight-tail) variant, the model 33 Debonair (called the 33 Bonanza after 1967). In 1982 the V-tail Bonanza was dropped from production. More than 6000 are still flying today, most of which have been modified to strengthen the tail structure. The straight-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.

Note that the twin-engine variant of the Bonanza is called the Baron, whereas the Twin Bonanza is a completely different design not based on the original single-engine Bonanza.

Development

At the end of World War II two aircraft emerged that were hoped to launch a major postwar civil aviation industry. These were the Cessna 195 and the Beechcraft Bonanza. The Cessna 195, with its seven cylinder radial engine and fixed undercarriage, was little more than a continuation of prewar technology. the Beechcraft Bonanza, however, with its more powerful, more manageable, horizontally-opposed six cylinder engine, streamlined shape, retractable undercarriage and low-wing configuration, was more like the great fighters developed during the war. The Cessna was unable to compete with the more-advanced Bonanza (although it was the progenitor of the highly successful Cessna 172 and its variants). The Bonanza became one of the most popular civil aircraft ever and is, superficially, little-changed today.

Operational history

Variants

Model 33 Debonair/Bonanza

• E33
• F33A
• F33C

Model 35 Bonanza

• A35
• B35
• C35
• D35
• E35
• G35
• H35
• J35
• M35
• N35
• P35
• S35
• V35
  • V35 TC
  • V35A
  • V35A TC
  • V35B
  • V35B TC

Model 36 Bonanza

• 36
• A36
• A36TC
• B36TC
• UA-22A
• QU-22B

Specifications (D35)

General Characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Capacity: three passengers
• Length: 25 ft 2 in (7.67 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
• Height: ft in ( m)
• Wing area: 178 ft² (16.5 m²)
• Empty: 1,675 lb (760 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 2,725 lb (1,236 kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Continental E-185 -11, 205 hp (153 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 191 mph (306 km/h)
• Range: 779 miles (1,247 km)
• Service ceiling: ft ( m)
• Rate of climb: 1,100 ft/min (335 m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/Mass:

External links

• American Bonanza Society
• History of the V-tail safety issue

Related content

Related development: T-34 Mentor - Beechcraft Travel Air - Beechcraft Baron - Bay Super V Bonanza - IAI Paratsu

Comparable aircraft: Piper Comanche - Mooney M20

Designation sequence (Beechcraft): 25 - 26 - 28 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 38 - 45 - 50

Designation sequence (US military): U-16 - U-17 - U-18 - U-22 - U-23 - U-24 - U-25