182 vs early Bo?

[UngaWunga]

I do like the looks of the 33 over the 35. Is there a good place to read up more on them?

 

[brian]]

Get a copy of "Those incomparable Bonanzas":
https://www.amazon.com/Those-Incomparable-Bonanzas-Larry-Ball/dp/0964151413

Two things to note:
- Each year Beech made small improvements to the Bonanza line. (Ok, until about 86 or so when Raytheon took over)
- MOST of these aircraft have been upgraded - and some have been upgraded a lot

I've seen a V35B go for $65K or so with a tired original engine and panel and then a $280K V35B with a low time 550, TKS and a glass panel! Pretty much the same thing with the 33's.

But, yea, a late (ish) 33 with a TN'd 550 would be a very nice ride. The 35 might be a smidge faster and definitely prettier!

 

[alaskan9974]

Evening, I was trying to plan ahead for engine and avionics overhauls on my 182L, and started to think about a new plane rather then buying new stuff. I generally fly 300 to 480nm flights nonstop, I had wanted to put a 430w and autopilot in the 182 for gps rnav but at those costs I could just sell the plane and buy something that has it cheaper.

I looked on vref and ballpark it shows around 60k, I'd be surprised if I got 50, but including just the cost of avionics it lands me in the v35 territory anyway. It has better load carrying, 1300s vs just 1050, better speed, 160-175ktas vs the 140ktas I plan for, higher fuel burn 14-16 vs 10.5-12gph but cuts out enough time to balance out.

Is my thinking on track or have I missed something

Ended up selling the 182...bought a S35.

Handles so much better, gets in and out of 2k ft strips with ease. Handles gravel and dirt just fine, prop clearance is better then my 182 was.

Ruddervator scarcity scares me, and the aft CG as fuel burns kind of sucks sometimes, but a much more capable aircraft.

No ragrets.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

Bo's are nice.....

 

[Groundpounder]

One data point....I took my F33A to OSH last year, and someone from the flying club I was in took the clubs 172. It took them 11 hours to get from NH to OSH. It took me 11.2 hours round trip. I ended up saving 8 hours of flying compared to them. I also did a quick financial calculation, and it cost me about $200 less for the entire trip, and that took into consideration most of my fixed costs and the money I am putting aside for engine reserve. The one big difference is purchase price, obviously.

 

[mooneyflyfast]

Time difference on your trips won't be too much UNLESS you have a big headwind. It's torture to be on a long trip and see double digit groundspeeds. If you ever plan to fly four adults and any baggage you need to calculate weight and balance for the particular airplane you are considering at both beginning and especially the end of your typical trip. The V tail Bonanza ruddervator unavailability is a real deal. I you fly ifr go to utube and watch the one about spiral divergence in Bonanzas.

 

[Pilawt]

If you fly ifr go to utube and watch the one about spiral divergence in Bonanzas.

Flying the Beech Bonanza by John C. Eckalbar is a highly-recommended book for anyone flying a Bonanza. It's a comprehensive overview of the performance and handling characteristics of the entire 33/35/36 line.

 

[weilke]

Ended up selling the 182...bought a S35.

Another example that the old POA quip 'buy a bonanza, cus that's what you'll end up with anyway' is actually true ;-)

Congrats! Sounds like a plane well matched to your mission.

Given the size of the fleet, I expect that there will be a pma replacement for the skins. When that will happen, I don't know.

 

[Aviator305]

I sat on an 1957 H35, and I was not impressed with the interior space compared to my PA-28-236. Is the cabin space on subsequent generation of Bonanzas significantly larger?

 

[Groundpounder]

I sat on an 1957 H35, and I was not impressed with the interior space compared to my PA-28-236. Is the cabin space on subsequent generation of Bonanzas significantly larger?

Newer ones have a bigger baggage compartment, and obviously the 36 is larger, but the height and width are the same throughout.

 

[Non Compos Mentis]

I once sat in two Bonanzas.
First one was an early model with only two side windows and a dark interior.
Then a later model with the large third windows and a white headliner.

Though the interior dementions were the same, the newer airplane seemed twice as big.

 

[Tusayan]

Ergonomics is an area where the ‘we’re all different’ is actually true. Despite understanding that they are wonderful on many levels, I’ve come to the conclusion that Bonanza ergonomics are a disaster for me: upright seating hurts my back, head hits the corner of the curved roof, engine controls are bizarrely out of reach. Most of that could be improved by some seat customization but that situation in combination with the interior cosmetics done in the 60s-70s American car style just doesn’t motivate me the ways some other planes do. On the other hand, a V-tail Bonanza sure looks good taxiing by, there’s not much better in that regard.

 

[N1120A]

The difference is retractable gear. Thats a fairly big issue. You can never forget it. All it takes is once. Bo is going to be more expensive to own and burn more fuel. But it will go faster. They are both nice airplanes.

Bo's are pretty good about reminding you if you don't have the gear down, and they probably have the second most reliable gear ever made - after Mooney. They won't burn more fuel though, and the difference in expense is marginal. Most Bo's can't form carb ice at all, let alone with the alarming regularity of that giant carb on the 182.

Here's what the control surfaces end up like when they are left to the elements. All the people I know that have Bonanzas hangar them, and this is one reason.

Does anybody know if the straight tail Debonair/33 control surfaces were also magnesium?

View attachment 58890

All 33s and 36s can take aluminum.

I can’t remember if all of them started as aluminum, but all the 33s can become aluminum tail feathers.

Here is another interesting item I read somewhere- there are few if any in flight breakups of a 33. There are even acrobatic veariants.

The E33C and F33C. Scott Perdue has been doing a bunch of videos where he rolls and spins his F33C recently. As pretty as the V is, the straight tail is the better design.

 

[Eldorado]

I believe there is an STC for the be33 to convert from mag to alum, but not for the 35s.

 

[OneCharlieTango]

I believe there is an STC for the be33 to convert from mag to alum, but not for the 35s.

That's correct. But there's a price: the aluminum skins weigh significantly more, exacerbating an already tenuous aft cg location in many Debs.

 

[j1b3h0]

I would be looking at S models or the Debonair equivalent. When Beech installed the IO-520, they moved the backwall of the cabin 19 inches, so they’re much larger airplanes, inside, at least. 1964-5 or later.