Page 22 - August 2015 Volume 9, Number 8

BONANZA!
In the wake of World War II, America’s lethargic general aviation market was ripe for an airplane that was fast, comfortable and above all, affordable. Walter H. Beech and his “Beech Boys” answered that call with the all-metal Model 35 “Bonanza.”
by Edward H. Phillips
When the world’s bloodiest conflict ended in 1945, thousands of military pilots returned home and began flying for airlines, air taxi and flight schools. Civilian aviation was essentially banned during the war because of security concerns, the consumption of fuel and oil, as well as a critical need for war materiel. After suffering through more than three years of war, the American general aviation market exploded with demand for new aircraft. The market seemed unlimited, and sales of airplanes built by Piper, Taylorcraft, Aeronca and other airframe manufacturers skyrocketed.
Unfortunately, for airmen returning from the war-torn skies over the European and Pacific battlegrounds, so- called “new” airplanes were nothing more than warmed- over remakes of prewar models. Although reliable and well-designed for their time, these ships were saddled with technology stemming from the late 1920s. Their airframes were chiefly welded steel tubing covered with cotton fabric, and their wings were wood enveloped in doped cloth. There were a few exceptions, namely the Cessna 120 and 140 whose all-metal fuselages and metal wings (still covered in fabric) represented a step in the right direction. Cessna Aircraft Company, led by Dwane Wallace, recognized the need for an entirely new type of small airplane that would finally relegate the days of tube-and-fabric construction to history.
Wallace wanted to be ready for the postwar airplane boom, and late in the war put his engineers to work to design what he called “The Family Car of the Air.” Officially, the airplane was designated the P-370 but it failed to progress beyond the mockup stage and was cancelled in 1945. If the P-370 had made it to production, it was projected to have had a maximum speed of 165 mph, cruise speed of 140 and a landing speed of 50 mph.1
Other airframe manufacturers were looking to the future, including North American Aviation. The famed builder of the war’s best all-around fighter, the P-51 “Mustang,” introduced the “Navion,” a four-place, all- metal design powered by a 260-hp Lycoming engine. Equipped with a fighter-like sliding canopy and retractable landing gear, the Navion could cruise at 170 mph and land at 55. In 1947, California-based Ryan Aeronautical Company bought design and manufacturing rights to the Navion, and more than 1,000 were built from 1948-1950.
20 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
In Wichita, Kansas, the anticipated, postwar demand for a modern light airplane had not escaped the notice and attention of Walter H. Beech. As early 1943 the leader of Beech Aircraft Corporation had already realized that the days of the classic Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing cabin biplane would soon end. As a result, the company studied design of a four-place monoplane designated the Model 33. A wood fuselage mockup was completed, but the concept was shelved.2
During its heyday in the mid-to-late 1930s, the Model 17 had earned a reputation as the “Cadillac” of single- engine business aircraft and had no peer in terms of style, comfort and performance. Walter knew, however, that his beloved old biplane had an “Achilles heel” – cost. From its introduction in 1934, the Model 17 had been a hand-made machine that required thousands of man- hours to fabricate, assemble and complete.
Worst of all, perhaps, was the fact that a postwar version was projected to cost customers a stunning $29,000. Despite the “sticker shock,” in January 1946 the company established a production schedule for 50 Model G17S, but only 20 were eventually built because manufacturing costs proved prohibitive. Although a myth has arisen during the past 80 years that Walter
In 1944, a Beechcraft Model 26, known as the AT-10 “Wichita” in military form, was the first Beech Aircraft design to fly with a V-tail empennage. The flight test program centered on investigating stability and control characteristics of the unusual configuration. A series of flights continued into 1945 and contributed valuable information to engineers designing the Model 35 Bonanza. (TEXTRON AVIATION)
OCTOBER 2015