Thanks for allowing me to be a part of BT. I have been a "guest" for a while.

Currently own / fly a 2007 Cirrus SR22 based in Pensacola, FL. Great Airplane.....But not a Beech! I have 2,000 hours and CFI-I and Multi.

Joined BT to better understand the F33A vs. V35B aircraft. I will purchase one of these models when I better understand the nuances of each.

Welcome aboard. There's really not much difference between them from any practical perspective. Some will tell you that all the V tails exhibit more roll/yaw coupling (tail waging in turbulence) than the straight tail on the same fuselage but IMO that's pretty much BS. Other nuances are the 2nd row windows on a 33 don't open while the same windows on a 35 can open a couple inches for ventilation and all the way for emergency egress. Beyond that it's mostly esthetics with one camp insisting the 35s are better looking and another with the opposite opinion on that.

At one point in the past, a V35B with the same equipment was worth more than a similar F33A but that trend reversed several years ago, possibly due to the "doctor killer" moniker for the 35s and the (proven false) belief that V-tails were less safe.

The V-tail is supposed to have less drag but if there's a measurable difference in speed on the same power it's no more than a knot. Some folks will claim that the V-tail has less rudder authority than the straight tail but if anything the opposite is true and I think you'd find that after flying each on the same day in the same conditions, that you couldn't honestly tell which you were flying without actually looking at the tail.

Lance has a lot of great points, but he glossed over one important fact.

The V Tail just looks so good...

And all the later 33s have opening middle windows. 1968 had one operative one. 69 and newer had both.

The biggest difference is no tail flutter propensity on the straight tails and almost no inflight breakups.

You must have missed:

"Beyond that it's mostly esthetics with one camp insisting the 35s are better looking and another with the opposite opinion on that."

I thought I'd seen openable windows on a F33A before, thanks for correcting that.



I disagree on both counts. I'm pretty sure there have been inflight breakups on BE33s, my recollection is that mishandled V-tails tend to fail the wings downward (after the tail fails) and the straight tail versions tend to fail the wings upward when penetrating a thunderstorm. Also AFaIK there are very few examples of inflight breakups that didn't involve losing control in a thunderstorm or due to SD in IMC in either type.

I'd also be very surprised if a straight tail wouldn't experience elevator flutter at high speeds with loose cables and/or trim tabs. I do agree that the newer examples of both versions are more robust in this regard along with higher Vne limits and since the model 33 came along much later than the 35, most if not all of the 33s are less susceptible to flutter.

For definitive model differences, Larry Ball wrote 2 books.
Those incomparable Bonanzas (through about 1972)
They called me Mr. Bonanza (later, to 1990).

Good reads.

Hi Russ, great looking plane, welcome to BT!

Just get an A36 and have the best bonanza

I thought I'd seen openable windows on a F33A before, thanks for correcting that.



I disagree on both counts. I'm pretty sure there have been inflight breakups on BE33s, my recollection is that mishandled V-tails tend to fail the wings downward (after the tail fails) and the straight tail versions tend to fail the wings upward when penetrating a thunderstorm. Also AFaIK there are very few examples of inflight breakups that didn't involve losing control in a thunderstorm or due to SD in IMC in either type.

I'd also be very surprised if a straight tail wouldn't experience elevator flutter at high speeds with loose cables and/or trim tabs. I do agree that the newer examples of both versions are more robust in this regard along with higher Vne limits and since the model 33 came along much later than the 35, most if not all of the 33s are less susceptible to flutter.

You must have missed:

"Beyond that it's mostly esthetics with one camp insisting the 35s are better looking and another with the opposite opinion on that." [/quote]
Yeah, I missed that...

At this late date, you’re likely to see bigger differences between two V35Bs than you’ll see between a random V35B and an F33A. Weight and balance is the most important thing.

Most of the differences are myths. I don’t know if V-tails really come apart or not. But I do know that V35Bs don’t have a history of that unless flown above Vne out the bottom of a thunderstorm. If that happens, you might wish you were in a Navion instead of any Bo.

There are people who’ve owned both who swear the V-tail wag is real. I think it has more to do with the short coupling, as I’ve felt it in a 55 Baron.

There are those who say a V-tail can’t handle a crosswind. No one who’s ever owned one says that; only people who look at pictures but don’t fly.

The wag and crosswind allegations rest on a faulty premise: the V-tail has less vertical surface than the 33. According to Norm Colvin, if you total the vertical components of the two ruddervators, you’ll see more surface on a V-tail. And particularly regarding crosswinds [according to me, not Colvin], the ruddervators are less blanked by the fuselage in the flare, meaning there’s more yaw control.

As long as I’m here, a little aesthetic note: Imagine you’ve just arrived somewhere in your Bo, and a student pilot approaches. If you taxi up in a V-tail, he might say, “Beautiful airplane. What is it?” If you’re in a straight tail, he’ll say, “Hey, nice Arrow!”

Reminds me of a time my dad and I flew to St. Simons Island, GA with a friend in his brand new G36.

As we taxied onto the ramp, a thirty something gentleman was eyeing the Bonanza. As we tied down, the gentleman approached us. "Nice Saratoga. When I finish my certificate that's what I'm looking to buy."

The owner, stood up from the tie down, under the wing. "You don't want to buy a Saratoga. They're good planes, but slow as crap. You really need to look into a Bonanza. A Turbo Normalized 36."

They spoke for 10 minutes, until the gentleman realized he called a Bonanza a Piper, but after looking at my friend's TN G36, he changed his mind and now wanted a Bonanza.

-Friends don't let friends buy Brand X

Russ -

Welcome to BT. Also, if you really want a V-tail, I think this one may be one for you to consider! It's not a Beech, but it's awful pretty!

Thanks to all for the info!! I agree that there is NO “bad” Bo model. I have flown and love them all. Thanks to this Forum, I’ll (no doubt) get the info / insight to find the right Bo for me.

Thanks again,

Russ Law
KPNS
CFI-I