Page 29 - Volume 11 Number 4

than 1,000 of the Model 35-33 series Debonair, and management came to the realization that the company was marketing two versions of the same airplane. The Debonair was so similar to the Bonanza in every respect that the decision was made to drop the name “Debonair” and sell that airplane as a straight-tail Bonanza.
The Model E33 was the first to carry the new name, but still retained the 225-horsepower Continental IO-470 engine and 50-gallon standard fuel capacity that set it apart from the V35A. A third cabin window and the new “Speed Sweep” one-piece windshield were made standard. The E33 sold for a base price of $31,750, and 116 airplanes were manufactured during the 1968- 1969 model years. A second version known as the E33A was available with the IO-520-B engine rated at 285 horsepower, and sold for $35,750. Only 79 were built.
In addition to the giving the customer a choice of engines, Beech engineers developed an aerobatic option for the Model E33 designated E33B and E33C. Both were certificated in the Acrobatic Category at a maximum gross weight of 2,800 pounds, or could operate in the Utility Category at a gross weight of 3,300 pounds. The airframes were reinforced for aerobatics, and during maneuvers only the front seats were occupied. A quick-release door was standard along with a G-meter, shoulder harnesses and a special fuel boost pump for inverted flight. The E33B/E33C were approved for inside loops, aileron and barrel rolls, Immelman turns, Cuban eights and split-S. Because of the limited appeal of these airplanes, customers preferred the 285-horsepower E33C, of which 25 were manufactured. No E33B models were built. Price of the E33C was $38,250.
The 1970 F33 Bonanza was a slightly refined E33 and was among the last of the short-fuselage 35-33 series. It sold for $34,150 but only 20 of F33 were built before production shifted to the F33A for the 1971 model year. Beech Aircraft offered a short- and long-fuselage option and 26 of the former were built compared with 34 of the latter. The 1971 F33A finally offered customers all of the V35B’s glamour, both inside and out, with the only difference being the empennage. Maximum speed was 208 mph while maximum gross weight was increased to 3,400 pounds. The short-cabin F33A sold for $38,150 and the longer edition cost $41,600.
It should be noted that in 1970 the company built five F33C aerobatic versions but none were produced for the 1971-1972 model years. In 1986, 23 F33C were built including 21 for the Mexican Air Force. Beginning in 1973, all of the F33A and F33C Bonanzas featured the longer fuselage. By the late 1980s the price of a Bonanza, regardless of which empennage a customer chose, had increased astronomically. For example, a 1987 F33C cost $184,500.
One other special version of the 35-33 series Bonanza is worthy of mention – the Model G33. Created for the
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1972 model year, the G33 filled the gap left in the product line by the 1970 F33. The G33 featured a Continental IO-470-N engine rated at 260 horsepower at 2,625 RPM (same as the 1963 P35 Bonanza), and the all-new interior and instrument panel installed across the entire Bonanza product line. Priced at $41,450, only 50 of the rare G33 Beechcraft were built before production ended in 1973.
More than 1,250 of the Model 35-33 were built from 1960-1973. As of 2016, these sturdy and fast Beechcraft airplanes still are in demand and bring strong prices on the used aircraft market. The same is true of the V-tail Model 35 Bonanza series, of which 10,403 were built during a period of 35 years. Production ended in 1982. KA
NOTES:
1. Ball, Larry A.: “Those Incomparable Bonanzas;” McCormick- Armstrong Co., Inc., Wichita, Kansas, 1971.
2. Phillips, Edward H.: “Piper – A Legend Aloft;” Flying Books International, Eagan, Minnesota, 1993.
3. Ball, Larry A.: “Those Incomparable Bonanzas.” 4. Ibid
Ed Phillips, now retired and living in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kan. His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the “Air Capital of the World” for more than 80 years.
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