Tell me about older Bonanza's

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Brad W

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Bonanza's have never really been on my radar to learn much about. As a young pilot I always just thought of them as uber high priced 6 place birds way out of my price range...and low wing to boot (most of my time is Cessna high wing).

Recently youtube routed me to a young lady flying her older V-Tail Bonaza (Stevie Triesenberg flying a 1952 vintage C35 Bonanza).

I know there are countless threads here that have touted and discussed Bonanzas and how they compare to others...Comanche's, Mooney's, etc.... but I never really paid all that much attention to the Bonanza side of those discussions before.
Stevie has sparked an interest to finally pay attention. Her plane seems to be a nice vintage example of a capable 4 place, and now that I'm older and a bit more financially grounded, I suppose I see them in a new light.

Are these the planes that have a magnesium tail assembly that is hard to replace? Is that why I see some older Bonanza's listed on sale sites with fairly low asking prices?
 
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I don’t know for a fact, but I seem to recall there was an A&D issued for the v-tail models that covered the elevon flutter problem. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

Most of the lower priced models probably have electric props, which IIRC can be difficult to service.
 
It depends on what you mean by an older Bonanza. My V35A is 54 years old and in excellent shape. It will haul 3 adults and baggage or 4 adults and 50 pounds of baggage. I cruise it at 168 Kts, 12.5 GPH and a range of over 650 NM with plenty of reserves. Any Bonanza would need to be inspected by a Bonanza knowledgeable mechanic. They can be in excellent condition like mine, or a nightmare. Engines are especially expensive to replace. If there is corrosion in the ruddervators, they can be next to impossible to replace. The straight tail versions of the Debonair and 33 can use aluminum tail feathers, but it is slower and hauls less on average. The A36 has 6 seats, but most are really just 4 place airplanes with luggage when load is considered.
 
The vintage Bonanzas (by which I mean 1947 - 1956, straight 35 through G35 -- anything powered by an E-series continental) are really light and nimble things. Enjoyable to fly and easy to teach. Legroom is snug if you're over 6' tall compared to the later models with the fore/aft seat rails. Some early planes have been modified with the seat tracks and bucket seats instead of bench.

The engine is a real antique with a few quirks, but otherwise fine and durable.

The propeller choices on this old spline-shaft engine are sort of a pain. The Beech electric has an unobtanium pitch change bearing that needs serviced regularly and has fiddly electrical/electronic pitch controls. The hartzell "V" has a mean little 500 hour AD on it. The "MV" is without the AD, but both hartzells use a goofball OTU and T-drive arrangement that varies the prop speed by use of an oil pump powered behind the engine off of a vacuum pump pad, a rubber high-pressure oil line on top of the engine crank, and a propeller knob "wherever we can find room" in the panel. It's bizarre.

The magnesium ruddervator problem is critical in the newer generation of these planes (1964+) -- I understand skins and spares are available for the early birds.

Personally I would try for a J35 or later and get into the modern propellers and SAE flanged motors. And I could make a case for getting into at least a P35, but they all have their charms, and there's a Bonanza for nearly any budget, even in the current nutso market :)

$0.02.
 
If you really want the details, see “Those Incomparable Bonanzas” and “They Called Me Mr Bonanza,” both by Larry Ball and available from the American Bonanza Society.
 
I am admittedly biased. I’ve owned an S35 Bonanza for over twenty years. It’s a good all around airplane. Roomy, rugged gear, fast, and well supported for after market modifications ( tip tanks, turbo normalizer, etc). The S model is the oldest of the newer Bonanzas. Magnesium ruddervator skins are a problem right now. There are efforts ongoing to figure out a replacement. The American Bonanza Society is a offering prize money to anybody who comes up with a workable replacement.
 
I've got a copy of "Those Incomparable Bonanzas" I'd be happy to sell if anyone is interested. I don't know if I can find the dust cover... See, I take those off to protect them when I read the book, and...
 
schmookeeg said:
The vintage Bonanzas (by which I mean 1947 - 1956, straight 35 through G35 -- anything powered by an E-series continental) are really light and nimble things. Enjoyable to fly and easy to teach. Legroom is snug if you're over 6' tall compared to the later models with the fore/aft seat rails. Some early planes have been modified with the seat tracks and bucket seats instead of bench.

The engine is a real antique with a few quirks, but otherwise fine and durable.

The propeller choices on this old spline-shaft engine are sort of a pain. The Beech electric has an unobtanium pitch change bearing that needs serviced regularly and has fiddly electrical/electronic pitch controls. The hartzell "V" has a mean little 500 hour AD on it. The "MV" is without the AD, but both hartzells use a goofball OTU and T-drive arrangement that varies the prop speed by use of an oil pump powered behind the engine off of a vacuum pump pad, a rubber high-pressure oil line on top of the engine crank, and a propeller knob "wherever we can find room" in the panel. It's bizarre.

The magnesium ruddervator problem is critical in the newer generation of these planes (1964+) -- I understand skins and spares are available for the early birds.

Personally I would try for a J35 or later and get into the modern propellers and SAE flanged motors. And I could make a case for getting into at least a P35, but they all have their charms, and there's a Bonanza for nearly any budget, even in the current nutso market :)

$0.02.
Click to expand...

My response was going to be similar…

I owned an early Bonanza for close to a decade. I would not recommend them to someone as a first airplane, or as an airplane that you expect high uptime out of. They’re an antique with antique airplane problems, including some parts problems. My airplane sat down for 6+ months on several occasions while I looked for parts. It wasn’t uncommon to buy a “good” part that was worse than the part I had rejected.

I had the MV prop on mine. Regardless of whether you have the V or MV, it is my opinion that the hartzell equipped airplanes are the ones you’d want. As long as it wasn’t one of the variable pitch props with the big rubber diaphragm on it. (I had one of those too on another airplane.)

The airplanes are light and very pleasant to fly, but useful load is a bit lacking if that is a need. I think they are the nicest flying Bonanzas, but it comes at a price, which is that the usefulness of the airplane is potentially somewhat limited.
 
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