https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Bonanza
The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in
1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. The six-seater,
single-engine aircraft is still being produced by Beechcraft and has been in
continuous production longer than any other airplane in history. More than
17,000 Bonanzas of all variants have been built, produced in both distinctive
V-tail as well as conventional tail configurations.
At the end of World War II, two all-metal light aircraft emerged, the Model 35
Bonanza and the Cessna 195, that represented very different approaches to the
premium-end of the postwar civil aviation market. With its high wing,
seven-cylinder radial engine, fixed tailwheel undercarriage and roll-down side
windows, the Cessna 195 was little more than a continuation of prewar
technology; the 35 Bonanza, however, was more like the fighters developed during
the war, featuring an easier-to-manage horizontally-opposed six cylinder engine,
a rakishly streamlined shape, retractable nosewheel undercarriage (although the
nosewheel initially was not steerable, but castering) and low-wing
configuration.
Designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon, the model 35 Bonanza was a relatively
fast, low-wing monoplane at a time when most light aircraft were still made of
wood and fabric. The Model 35 featured retractable landing gear, and its
signature V-tail (equipped with a combination elevator-rudder called a
ruddervator), which made it both efficient and the most distinctive private
aircraft in the sky. The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on December
22, 1945, with the first production aircraft debuting as 1947 models. The first
those surfaces were covered with magnesium alloy sheet. The V-tail design gained
a reputation as the "forked-tail doctor killer", due to crashes by overconfident
amateur pilots with high-level skills outside aviation, fatal accidents, and
inflight breakups. "Doctor killer" has sometimes been used to describe the
conventional-tailed version as well.
Three aircraft eventually comprised the Bonanza family:
conventional tail)
Role Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer Beechcraft
First flight December 22, 1945
Introduction 1947[1]
Status In service
Number built >17,000
Variants Beechcraft Baron
Bay Super V
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
RTAF-2
In 1982 the production of the V-tail Bonanza stopped but the conventional-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,[18]
introduced in 1968.
All Bonanzas share an unusual feature: The yoke and rudder pedals are
interconnected by a system of bungee cords that assist in keeping the airplane
in coordinated flight during turns. The bungee system allows the pilot to make
coordinated turns using the yoke alone, or with minimal rudder input, during
cruise flight. Increased right-rudder pressure is still required on takeoff to
overcome engine torque and P-factor. In the landing phase, the bungee system
must be overridden by the pilot when making crosswind landings, which require
cross-controlled inputs to keep the nose of the airplane aligned with the runway
centerline without drifting left or right. This feature started with the V-tail
and persists on the current production model
Specifications (2011 model G36)
General characteristics
Crew: one
Capacity: five passengers
Length: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Height: 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m)
Empty weight: 2,517 lb (1,142 kg)
Gross weight: 3,650 lb (1,656 kg)
Propellers: three-bladed Hartzell Propeller, 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) diameter
Performance
Cruise speed: 176 kn (203 mph; 326 km/h)
Range: 716 nmi (824 mi; 1,326 km) with full passenger load
Ferry range: 930 nmi (1,070 mi; 1,720 km)
Service ceiling: 18,500 ft (5,600 m)
Rate of climb: 1,230 ft/min (6.2 m/s)
Avionics
Garmin G1000
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