Jurassic Bonanza

[Doug R]

Anybody have an HONEST true airspeed at book power settings for an older V35 1957 vintage to the early 60's models. I've heard depending upon temp and loading you can get about 155kts true. Currently to busy flying for work to justify owning one to fly for fun, but thinking it would be a good plane to own later if things were to slow down. Who knows when that will be though .

 

[Richard]

Anybody have an HONEST true airspeed at book power settings for an older V35 1957 vintage to the early 60's models. I've heard depending upon temp and loading you can get about 155kts true. Currently to busy flying for work to justify owning one to fly for fun, but thinking it would be a good plane to own later if things were to slow down. Who knows when that will be though .

A guy I know has a '57 V-tail with tip tanks. He flight plans 145 for long x/c.

 

[Pilawt]

I have a 1959 K35 Bonanza with the 260 hp IO-470-N (upgraded from the original 250 hp IO-470-C), original windshield, no speed mods, no exterior modifications other than M-style wingtips. 65% power yields 156 knots TAS at lower altitudes. I've had it up to over 16,000' density altitude, and at full throttle it still goes about 150 KTAS up there.

My normal cruise is at around 12,000 feet, where full throttle and 2450 rpm produce 155 KTAS, and fuel consumption is about 11.5 GPH. I flight plan for 150 knots and 13 GPH, and always wind up with more in the tank than was calculated.

By the way, "V35" only refers to the 1966-67 models with 285 hp. The 1957 was the H35 (240 hp with pressure carburetor); 1958-60 were the J35, K35 and M35, respectively, all built with the 250 hp fuel-injected Continental; 1961-63 were the 260-hp injected N35 and P35. From 1964 onward (S35, V35, V35A, V35B ) through end of V-tail production in 1982, all had 285 hp. Bear in mind that many older Bonanzas have been upgraded to larger engines, and there is a wide variety of airframe/engine combinations out there.

Recommended reading includes Those Incomparable Bonanzas by Larry A. Ball, and Flying The Beech Bonanza by John C. Eckalbar. Membership in American Bonanza Society and/or World Beechcraft Society is well worth the investment for anyone seriously considering one of these magnifient airplanes.

For more on my K35, click here.

Good luck and happy hunting.

-- Pilawt

 

[gismo]

Anybody have an HONEST true airspeed at book power settings for an older V35 1957 vintage to the early 60's models. I've heard depending upon temp and loading you can get about 155kts true. Currently to busy flying for work to justify owning one to fly for fun, but thinking it would be a good plane to own later if things were to slow down. Who knows when that will be though .

I used to own a 1954 E35 (BTW V35's were made from 1966 on) and I would flight plan 145 Kt @ 10-12 GPH depending on altitude. At 6000 MSL I could get very close to 160 KTAS @ 13.5 GPH if I wasn't real heavy (I had tip tanks that allowed a 200 lb GW increase) at 2300 RPM and full throttle (about 78% power). The "book" said I could get 164 KTAS but I never saw that.

 

[Doug R]

thx guys great info! Don't get me wrong I enjoy flying, but would rather get to my destination as quickly as possible..I guess I'm getting spoiled.

I have noticed that there is alot of flavors running around out in the Bonanza world. Not to say there is a bad year ...but how old is to old with one of these planes regarding engines / prop systems. I think the 57 to mid 60's range would work best for me...I have two kids to put through college down the road at the same time so will be limited on funds regarding college/investments taking the bulk of the doe and leaving a little for fun. I have owned a Cherokee 140 and Cessna 172 in the past. Used the 172 to travel around for a while it was slow but did a solid job. Cost of ownership anymore than any other high performance retract?

 

[SCCutler]

It seems to me that the "sweet spot" for the Bo's is either the P or the S; P for go far, pretty fast, on modest fuel flow, or the S for just plain fast. I'd love to have one of these beautiful beasts, but for now I am still a club flyer of F33, C33 (w/ 300hp) or A36. Which ain't too bad, neither!

 

[jkaduk]

It seems to me that the "sweet spot" for the Bo's is either the P or the S; P for go far, pretty fast, on modest fuel flow, or the S for just plain fast. I'd love to have one of these beautiful beasts, but for now I am still a club flyer of F33, C33 (w/ 300hp) or A36. Which ain't too bad, neither!

I rented an S until I got into the F33 partnership. I don't think it was any faster than the F. But ours is maintained with pride in ownership and it was a rental, so I think that explains it.

 

[Pilawt]

Unless one needs to haul a big load, the short-cabin, fuel-injected Bonanzas (1958-60, J35, K35 and M35) are a lot of bang for the buck. At their lighter gross weights (2900 for the J35, 2950 for the K35 and M35), the 250-hp IO-470 pulls them along at close to the same speeds as the 285-hp IO-520 does the heavier S35, and does so more economically.

Prices go up considerably for the 1961 N35, the first model built with the extended hat shelf, 80-gallon fuel and lengthened third window, and for the 1962-63 P35, with modernized instrument panel layout (both of these had the 260 hp IO-470-N). CG range is an issue with all Bonanzas, but becomes tougher to deal with in the newer, heavier models with extended baggage areas and large fuel cells in the wing leading edges.

All Bonanzas are delightful to fly, but in my humble, biased opinion, the lighter J35-M35 are especially nice.

-- Pilawt

I have noticed that there is alot of flavors running around out in the Bonanza world.

With over 10,400 V-tails built between 1947 and 1982 (plus about 3,000 straight-tail 33's and 4,000 - and counting - long-body 36's), there is quite a variety indeed. You might even find a J35 retrofitted with a turbo-normalized IO-550 -- a real movin' machine.

how old is to old with one of these planes regarding engines / prop systems.

Bonanzas built before 1957 (i.e. Model 35 through G35) had Continental's E-series engines. They were good, smooth engines, but I'm told parts are getting harder to come by. The IO-470's and IO-520's in the J35 and newer models are modern engines with full factory support. Thanks to a gear-up by the prior owner in 1998, my K35 has a recent factory reman and a new McCauley two-blade prop. The Beech-built props were pretty good, too, I understand. There is an AD to watch for on Hartzells.

The 1957 H35 was an inbetweener. It had a 240 hp O-470 with a pressure carburetor and automatic mixture control. Some folks like it, some don't, but many H35's have been converted to a more conventional fuel-injected engine. With its significant structural and aerodynamic improvements, Bonanza guru Larry Ball considers the H35 the first of the "modern" Bonanzas.

-- Pilawt

 

[gismo]

It seems to me that the "sweet spot" for the Bo's is either the P or the S; P for go far, pretty fast, on modest fuel flow, or the S for just plain fast. I'd love to have one of these beautiful beasts, but for now I am still a club flyer of F33, C33 (w/ 300hp) or A36. Which ain't too bad, neither!

The 'S' is considered the fastest NA Bonanza, but not by much, as the difference in speed between an S an a V (all later model years were V's) is only due to the slightly higher MGW of those models.

Personally if money is a concern, I'd look for either an H converted to fuel injection, or a J-M version. The extra horses in the S-V range don't give enough more speed to be worth the significantly higher price they command IMO. Typically the 240-260 HP models will do an honest 155 KTAS and the 285 goes a whopping 5-7 Kt faster while burning more fuel. The IO-520 in the S and V is also famous for eating alternator couplings which can trash the whole engine.

 

[John J]

The first Bonanza I flew was a C-35 with a 225hp pressure carb model. I would flight plan at 145kt at 7- 9k burning 10.5 per hour. The M,N and P had the 260hp fuel enjected and I would flight plan 155 flying between 7- 11k. burning just over 12 per hour at the lower altlitudes Yes the S was fast but thirstier. The last one I flew was a C-33 with the 225hp IO-470K and at 75% at 7k I would get 152 which is not bad for a 225hp. The fuel burn ranged from 12.5 to 13 per hour at 75%. At 65% the C-33 would see 148-150 knots depending on altitude. The early 33's are very simular to the H-P models in weights and fuel loads. The difference was power and the convential tail which did cut down on some of the yawing motions in turbulence

As lance suggested take a look at the early models (H to P 35s) and also look at the early 33's. They are all fun to fly and are quite efficent.

Good luck

John

 

[AirBaker]

I've got a 66 V35 with the IO-520. I'll see about 165 true, with the occaisional 168 knots true on a good day. Groundspeed is usually always around 160+ depending on the winds. I'll burn about 15/hr at 24/24. Haven't quite got the lean of peak thing figured out yet.

The real slick setup is the IO-550. Little to no change in weight and appears to be a more efficient engine.