40-478: The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas . The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous production longer than any other aircraft in history. More than 17,000 Bonanzas of all variants have been built, produced in both distinctive V-tail and conventional tail configurations; early conventional-tail versions were marketed as
80-520: A supplemental type certificate . Despite these issues, many Bonanza 35 owners insist that the aircraft is reasonably safe, and its reputation has resulted in reduced purchase costs for budget-conscious buyers. 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, introduced in 1968. No Bonanzas were delivered in 2021, but on April 10, 2022, it
120-420: A cable failure just prior to takeoff, and resulting concerns about the age of the cables in fleet aircraft of this age. At the time of the grounding, some Bonanzas had reached 64 years in service. Aircraft with frayed cables were grounded until the cables were replaced, and those that passed inspection were required to have their cables replaced within 60 days regardless. The AD affected only Australian aircraft and
160-447: A civilian test pilot killed. Twenty-seven QU-22Bs (Model 1079) were modified, 13 in 1969 and 14 in 1970, with six lost in combat. Two Air Force pilots were killed in action. All the losses were due to engine failures or effects of turbulence. A large cowl bump above the spinner was faired-in for an AC current generator, and a higher weight set of Baron wings and spars were used to handle the 236-US-gallon (890 L) fuel load. The Bonanza
200-452: A mission to ensure that federal funds were effectively used to support the national transportation program. Johnson proclaimed upon signing the act: "Transportation has truly emerged as a significant part of our national life. As a basic force in our society, its progress must be accelerated so that the quality of our life can be improved." In 2012, the DOT awarded $ 742.5 million in funds from
240-533: A point of responsibility below the President capable of taking an evenhanded, comprehensive, authoritarian approach to the development of transportation policies or even able to assure reasonable coordination and balance among the various transportation programs of the government." Johnson convinced Congress to act and The Department of Transportation was authorized in October 1966 and launched on 1 April 1967, with
280-466: A substantially wider and heavier aircraft that is mostly dissimilar to the single-engined Bonanza; the only major shared parts are the front fuselage sides, windows, and main cabin door. However, the Twin Bonanza had trouble competing with the similarly capable but substantially lighter Cessna 310 and Piper PA-23 , so Beechcraft used the basic Bonanza fuselage and many other Bonanza parts to create
320-640: Is accomplished with light aircraft . The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines civil aviation aircraft operations in three categories: General Aviation (GA), Aerial Work (AW) and Commercial Air Transport (CAT). Aerial work operations are separated from general aviation by ICAO by this definition. Aerial work is when an aircraft is used for specialized services such as agriculture, construction, photography, surveying, observation and patrol, search and rescue, and aerial advertisement. However, for statistical purposes ICAO includes aerial work within general aviation, and has proposed officially extending
360-550: Is broken down as follows: In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . The $ 1.2 trillion act included over $ 660 billion in funding for transportation-related infrastructure projects over the five-year period of fiscal years 2022–2026. In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act FOIA requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data,
400-560: Is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other purposes. However, for statistical purposes, ICAO uses a definition of general aviation which includes aerial work. General aviation thus represents the " private transport " and recreational components of aviation, most of which
440-493: Is not limited to: Commercial air transport includes: However, in some countries, air taxi is regarded as being part of GA/AW. Private flights are made in a wide variety of aircraft: light and ultra-light aircraft, sport aircraft , homebuilt aircraft , business aircraft (like private jets ), gliders and helicopters . Flights can be carried out under both visual flight and instrument flight rules, and can use controlled airspace with permission. The majority of
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#1732783014949480-534: Is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government . It is headed by the secretary of transportation , who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet . The department's fiscal year 2022–2026 strategic plan states that its mission is "to deliver the world's leading transportation system, serving the American people and economy through
520-707: Is popular with air charter companies, and is operated by private individuals and companies. In 1949, Turner Airlines (later renamed Lake Central Airlines ) commenced operations using three V-tail Bonanzas. That same year, Central Airlines began operations using eight Bonanzas, later adding three more to the fleet before starting to phase them out in 1950 in favor of the Douglas DC-3 . Data from Hawker Beechcraft General characteristics Performance Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists General aviation General aviation ( GA )
560-655: Is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority . The main focus is on standards of airworthiness and pilot licensing , and the objective is to promote high standards of safety. General aviation is particularly popular in North America, with over 6,300 airports available for public use by pilots of general aviation aircraft (around 5,200 airports in the U.S. and over 1,000 in Canada ). In comparison, scheduled flights operate from around 560 airports in
600-754: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to 11 transit projects. The awardees include light rail projects. Other projects include both a commuter rail extension and a subway project in New York City , and a bus rapid transit system in Springfield, Oregon . The funds subsidize a heavy rail project in northern Virginia , completing the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 's Metro Silver Line to connect Washington, D.C., and
640-701: The Debonair . 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 a continuation of prewar technology. The Bonanza, however, featured an easier-to-manage, horizontally opposed, six-cylinder engine, retractable tricycle undercarriage (although
680-607: The Washington Dulles International Airport (DOT had previously agreed to subsidize the Silver Line construction to Reston, Virginia ). President Barack Obama 's budget request for 2010 also included $ 1.83 billion in funding for major transit projects. More than $ 600 million went towards ten new or expanding transit projects. The budget provided additional funding for all of the projects currently receiving Recovery Act funding, except for
720-495: The anodic properties of the magnesium used for the V-tail ruddervator skins, they tend to corrode, often resulting in permanent grounding of affected aircraft because the problem can only be fixed by complete replacement of the skins or the entire empennage , and the required parts are no longer available. The American Bonanza Society has issued a reward of $ 500,000 to encourage the development of aftermarket replacement skins under
760-620: The 21,000 civil aircraft registered in the United Kingdom, 96 percent are engaged in GA operations, and annually the GA fleet accounts for between 1.25 and 1.35 million hours flown. There are 28,000 private pilot licence holders, and 10,000 certified glider pilots . Some of the 19,000 pilots who hold professional licences are also engaged in GA activities. GA operates from more than 1,800 airports and landing sites or aerodromes , ranging in size from large regional airports to farm strips. GA
800-518: The U.S. According to the U.S. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association , general aviation provides more than one percent of the United States' GDP , accounting for 1.3 million jobs in professional services and manufacturing . Most countries have a civil aviation authority that oversees all civil aviation , including general aviation, adhering to the standardized codes of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Aviation accident rate statistics are necessarily estimates. According to
840-454: The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board , general aviation in the United States (excluding charter) suffered 1.31 fatal accidents for every 100,000 hours of flying in 2005, compared to 0.016 for scheduled airline flights. In Canada, recreational flying accounted for 0.7 fatal accidents for every 1000 aircraft, while air taxi accounted for 1.1 fatal accidents for every 100,000 hours. More experienced GA pilots appear generally safer, although
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#1732783014949880-494: The United States between 1982 and 1989 found that the Bonanza had a slightly lower accident rate than other types in the study. Pilot error was cited in 73% of V-tail crashes and 83% of conventional-tail crashes, with aircraft-related causes accounting for 15% and 11% of crashes respectively. However, the study noted that the aircraft had an unusually high incidence of gear-up landings and inadvertent landing gear retractions on
920-519: The bus rapid transit project. It also continued funding for another 18 transit projects that are either currently under construction or soon will be. Following the same, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 delegated $ 600 million for Infrastructure Investments, referred to as Discretionary Grants. The Department of Transportation was authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2016 of $ 75.1 billion. The budget authorization
960-539: The definition of general aviation to include aerial work, to reflect common usage. The proposed ICAO classification includes instructional flying as part of general aviation (non-aerial-work). The International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) refers to the category as general aviation/aerial work (GA/AW) to avoid ambiguity. Their definition of general aviation includes: General aviation thus includes both commercial and non-commercial activities. IAOPA's definition of aerial work includes, but
1000-616: The federal government was granted authority over aviation and railroads through the commerce clause of the Constitution, the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration primarily provided funding for state and local projects, without significant influence over road construction and operation. Halaby emphasized the need for improved coordination and expressed frustration at the lack of an overall plan. "One looks in vain", he told Johnson, "for
1040-457: The ground, which were attributed to a non-standard gear-retraction switch on early models that is easily confused with the switch that operates the flaps . Models starting in 1984 use a more distinctive relocated landing-gear switch, augmented by "squat switches" in the landing gear that prevent its operation while compressed by the aircraft's weight, and a throttle position switch that prevents gear retraction at low engine power settings. In 1982,
1080-566: The more prestigious V-tail Bonanza. However, most Bonanza features were available as factory options on the Debonair, and by the mid 1960s, most Debonair buyers were ordering most or all of these options. Realizing this, Beechcraft dropped the Debonair name and most of the basic and seldom-ordered standard features with the introduction of the E33 in 1968. Despite its name, the Twin Bonanza is
1120-494: 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, all-aluminum design, 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 combination elevator-rudders called "ruddervators"). The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on December 22, 1945, with
1160-576: The production of the V-tail Model 35 ended. In the late 1980s, repeated V-tail structural failures prompted the United States Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct extensive wind tunnel and flight tests, which proved that the V-tail did not meet type certification standards under certain conditions; the effort culminated with the issuance of an airworthiness directive to strengthen
1200-608: The project name "Pave Eagle" for the United States Air Force . An AiResearch turbocharged, reduction-geared Continental GTSIO-520-G engine was used to reduce its noise signature, much like the later Army-Lockheed YO-3A . These aircraft were intended to be used as unmanned drones to monitor seismic and acoustic sensors dropped along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and report troop and supply movements. When
1240-660: The project was put into operation in 1968, however, the aircraft were all flown by pilots of the 554th Reconnaissance Squadron Detachment 1, call sign "Vampire". A separate operation "Compass Flag" monitored the General Directorate of Rear Services along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, linking to the 6908th security squadron. Six YQU-22A prototypes (Model 1074, modifications of the Beech 33 Debonair) were combat-tested in 1968, and two were lost during operations, with
Beechcraft Bonanza - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-508: The relationship between flight hours, accident frequency, and accident rates are complex and often difficult to assess. A small number of commercial aviation accidents in the United States have involved collisions with general aviation flights, notably TWA Flight 553 , Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 , Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 , PSA Flight 182 and Aeroméxico Flight 498 . United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation ( USDOT or DOT )
1320-494: The safe, efficient, sustainable, and equitable movement of people and goods." In 1965, Najeeb Halaby , the chief of the independent Federal Aviation Agency strongly urged President Lyndon Johnson to set up a cabinet-level Department of Transportation. Halaby proposed merging the responsibilities of the undersecretary of commerce for transportation and the Federal Aviation Agency to achieve this goal. While
1360-457: The same 45 years. Most V-tail failures involved flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions , flight into thunderstorms , or airframe icing . In addition to the structural issues, the Bonanza 35 has a relatively narrow center of gravity envelope, and the tail design is intolerant of imbalances caused by damage, improper maintenance, or repainting. Such imbalances may induce dangerous aeroelastic flutter . Due to
1400-486: The tail, which significantly reduced the incidence of in-flight breakups. Despite this, Beech has long contended that most V-tail failures involve operations well beyond the aircraft's intended flight envelope . Subsequent analysis of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records between 1962 and 2007 revealed an average of three V-tail structural failures per year, while the conventional-tailed Bonanza 33 and 36 suffered only eleven such failures in total during
1440-608: The twin-engined Travel Air , which was later developed into the Baron . The V-tail design gained a reputation as the "forked-tail doctor killer", due to crashes by overconfident wealthy amateur pilots, fatal accidents, and in-flight breakups. "Doctor killer" has sometimes been used to describe the conventional-tailed version, as well. However, a detailed analysis by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of accident records for common single-engine retractable-gear airplanes in
1480-488: The type receiving an airworthiness certificate on March 25, 1947. Production began that year. The first 30–40 Bonanzas produced had fabric-covered flaps and ailerons, after which those surfaces were covered with magnesium alloy sheet. The Bonanza family eventually comprised three major variants: The Model 33 Debonair was introduced in 1960 as a lower-priced model with more austere standard instrumentation, exterior equipment, paint schemes, and interior fabrics and trim than
1520-485: The world's air traffic falls into the category of general aviation, and most of the world's airports serve GA exclusively. Flying clubs are considered a part of general aviation. In 2003, the European Aviation Safety Agency was established as the central EU regulator, taking over responsibility for legislating airworthiness and environmental regulation from the national authorities. Of
1560-678: Was announced that production of the Bonanza G36 had restarted. In January 2012, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority issued an airworthiness directive grounding all Bonanzas, Twin Bonanzas, and Debonairs equipped with a single pole-style yoke and that have forwarded elevator control cables that are more than 15 years old until they could be inspected. The AD was issued based on two aircraft found to have frayed cables, one of which suffered
1600-586: Was not adopted by the airworthiness authority responsible for the type certificate , the US Federal Aviation Administration . The FAA instead opted to issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin requesting that the elevator control cables be inspected during the annual inspection. The QU-22 was a Beech 36/A36 Bonanza modified during the Vietnam War to be an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft, developed under
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