Hey Geoff Groupies! A V-Tail feast for the eyes....

[Guest]

For you Bonanza V-tail fans (and who isn't?)...or Geoff Groupies! :))))AND the chap who CREATED the VIRTUAL Lovely.... James!Here's a great site to feast your eyes upon the hardware.V-tail hardware...gotta love it!Mitch R.-----------------------------------------------------------http://www.beechcraft.org/vtail/------------------------------------------------------------In article 396A@jumppoint.com, Jeff Newton () writes:>>I'd like opinions/information about Beech Bonanza aircraft from those >>with Bonanza time. I'm specifically interested in fly-ability, >>performance, reliability, likes/dislikes, etc. >>>>Comparative information between this and Mooney would be greatly >>appreciated.>Just transitioned to a 1970 V-35B after 475 hours in Archers,Warriors, Super Cubs, and Great Lakes (akro biplane). Big change! After 30+ hours and an ICC my impressions are:PROS: finely harmonized control feel (makes the few otherretracts I've flown feel like lead sleds!) .. significantlylighter than the Archer I was used to and about as far asyou can get from a C-210! A true joy to fly!High speed, second only to Mooney's and some homebuilts. Iseem to be able to flight plan 165kts w/ no wind and get it withmoderate power settings like 23/24/13.5gph @ 6500-8500' w/IO-520. I'll guess you'll get a little less with an IO-470 but with lessfuel burn as well.Roomy cabin with normal shoulder room and extrodinary height.Yards and yards of glass to see through without that annoyingwindshield centerpost (retrofittable for older models). Mid sidewindows that open for air or emergency egress!Very high quality of construction ... puts Pipers, Cessnas, andMooneys to shame. Parts cost on the other hand....!Tremendous flexibility in operation ... Vle is 154kts! Who needsspeed brakes? BTW the landing gear is the same used on the Baronand is way overdesigned for a single like the Bonanza. I'd guessthat it my be stronger than the fixed gear on many others! Flies very well with gear and flaps down at 60kts ... easier MCA than my Archer!A truly outstanding owners/operators organization ... the AmericanBonanza Society offers service inspection clinics, pilot proficiencytraining through the Baron/Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program, books on flying and maintaining the 33, 35, and 36 models, ... We had ourV-35B looked at by an ABS service clinic inspector during the prebuyand he pointed out many things your generic A&P probably won't know.. no charge! My insurance checkout was done by a BBPPP instructorwith over 5000 hrs in his own F33A ... he provided insights into Bonanza specific operation I didn't get from my normal CFII such asemergency procedures, instrument PAC's (power-attitude-configuration),and a full autopilot checkout (see below!). Why don't other makeshave organizations like this??CONS: (I own a Bonanza, so judge my comments accordingly!)Neutral stabilty ... drop a wing and it will just smoothly roll intoa spiral dive. You need to really keep your scan going in IMC toprevent this. A good, reliable 2-axis A/P is a necessity unless you always stay day VFR. Just try to copy a clearance in turbulence while holding heading and altitude :^o BTW, most Bonanza pilotsI've talked to seem to recommend the S-TEC 50 or 60. 19A has abasic 3-axis 50 and it works extremely well! Be sure and get an EXHAUSTIVE checkout by someone who really knows Bonanza's. A good example: spiral dives and the unusual attitude recovery insimulated IMC ... you'll need to PUSH on the yoke when you levelthe wings or the airplane will pull a LOT of G's when all of thathorizontal component of lift in the spiral becomes vertical! Howdid my ABS CFII demonstrate this ... he had me close my eyes, fold my hands, and we both sat there for 15-20 seconds it took the airplane to hit 60 degrees and/or 1/2-way into the yellow!Dutch roll ... worse with the v-tails. A product of the clean areo-dynamics, CG, and short body this is really noticeable in the rear seats. A good yaw damper (S-TEC) helps a lot!Aileron/rudder bungee ... you can make very nice coordinatedturns with your feet only but I dislike the effect of the rudderon the otherwise very light yoke forces. Right rudder on climbouttakes opposite aileron against the bungee.CG ... very limited in the V-tails and not much better in the -33's.This is a 3 person airplane unless your rear seat passengers are ofmoderate weight! (4 170 pounders won't cut it, particularly as fuelburns off although it would be fine in terms of gross weight/CG if they all fit in the front seat!). And BTW, the fuel is in FRONT of the empty CG and the loaded CG will burn aft. Offloading fuel will obviously NOT help! If you get a -33 or -35, do a lot of W&B's before loading it up the first time! This is a direct resultof the wonderful control feel and almost neutral stability. I'dhate to imagine the control sensitivity with a CG beyond the aft limit!Funky control placement: mixture below the throttle, landinggear on the right and flaps on the left, BIG control bar forthe yoke (although you can have one or two yokes as you please!).This is no big deal if you are transitioning from a simpleairplane, but a hassle if you're used to conventional retract's.If you have a single yoke, you'll probably need to rent a dualyoke for training ($available here from the local Beech palacefor $15/day).Summary:Any airplane made and modified as little over 50 years must havea lot going for it. I think that it is a great airplane with a lot of strengths and a few quirks. If you prize the physical sensations and joy of flying, you'll love it! If your airplane is simply transportation and you want to carry 4-5 passengers (our V-35B actually has 6 seats!) and a load of baggage, you'll hate it!

[Geofa 108]

Should be James groupies-he did the vtail! :-)That is a great site! :-jumpyCheck James's Deb site out also-http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/edenw/http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

[Guest]

I read your post..and gave the credit where it was due!Thanks!I LOVE this plane...and you are very lucky to own the real McCoy, sir!Cheers!Mitch

[Geofa 108]

Thanks-you made my day! :-)http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

[Guest]

Here's something interesting..... The paint schemes can be swapped between the V-tail and the Debonair. It doesn't work perfectly, but it does work.

[Guest RobA]

Thanks Geof and James, I'm enjoying the Deb all over again with that V tail. Beautiful :-)Rob

[Geofa 108]

Thank you Rob! :-)http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg