Page 25 - Volume 11 Number 4

By the 1961 model year, the Model 35-B33 Debonair was a Beechcraft worthy of its name. Overall external paint, improved interior quality, a new instrument panel and the front seat backs were adjustable. In addition, 80-gallon fuel capacity was made an option. The 35-B33 was produced from 1961-1964 and 426 were built. Note the mannequin in a full business suit seated behind the pilot. (WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES)
faster than his Piper Tri-Pacer or Cessna 182 could take him, he had only one choice. While he could be happy with his choice, Piper and Cessna certainly could not.”1
In the late 1950s and hot on the heels of its successful, light twin-engine PA-23 “Apache,” Piper executives decided to proceed with development of a single-engine airplane that would complement the Apache and provide the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer with a second strong foothold in the marketplace. Designated PA-24 “Comanche,” the four-place airplane featured an all-metal airframe, retractable tricycle landing gear, a vertical stabilizer swept aft to increase aesthetics, and a stabilator for pitch control. In addition, the wing design took advantage of natural laminar flow to help achieve a projected cruise speed of 160 mph. By the time Piper’s Comanche made its first fight in the summer of 1956, Beech Aircraft had already sold thousands of Bonanzas and the latest version, the Model G35, was selling for $21,990 for a standard-equipped airplane.2
Piper began production of the Comanche in October 1957 for the 1958 model year. Powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1A, carbureted, four-cylinder, air-cooled piston engine and featuring a price tag of $14,500, the PA-24 was quickly embraced by pilots and sales soared. With a maximum speed of nearly 170 mph and a range of 750 statute miles, the new Piper proved to be a tempting alternative to the Bonanza and made selling the Model 35 more difficult.
Not to be outclassed by Piper and its Comanche, Cessna Aircraft, under the capable leadership of Dwane L. Wallace, introduced the high-performance Model 210 in August 1959 for the 1960 model year. Development had begun in 1956 and the first prototype flew in 1957 followed by a second airplane in 1959. The latest addition to Cessna’s ever-expanding product line was powered by a fuel-injected Continental engine rated at 260 horsepower,
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and the airplane was equipped with an electro-hydraulic, retractable tricycle landing gear that gave it a 20-mph speed advantage over the Model 182. Cessna built 577 of the Model 210 in 1960. A standard-equipped airplane carried a price tag of $22,450 compared with $25,300 for a 1960 Model M35 Bonanza (400 built), and about $17,000 for Piper’s PA-24-180.
Therefore, by 1959, the Bonanza had not one but two worthy competitors that possessed both high performance and cabin comfort at a lower acquisition cost. Although the Model 210 and the PA-24 were not equal to the Bonanza in every category, “they did join its class of performance and provided for the first time an opportunity for owners of Piper and Cessna airplanes to step up in brand.”3
In the face of intense competition, Beech Aircraft was for the first time in its history forced to compete on price without sacrificing quality, performance and overall value. It was decided to use “33” for the model number and, after considerable debate, the name “Debonair” was chosen for the new Beechcraft’s moniker. When the Model 33 was announced in 1959, Beech officials explained that the word was chosen not because of the modern definition contained in Webster’s dictionary, but was actually of old French origin.
Webster defines “Debonair” as someone or something that is jaunty, of good breed, affable and courteous. The French word the company chose, however, was from the medieval period and was derived from “De Bonne Aire.” During that time, the word was associated with
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