What a great site! I'm so happy that I stumbled upon this. I'm a current USAF pilot, having flown the T-37, T-38, and B-1 on active duty. I'm now in the reserves flying the mighty C-5 in San Antonio, Texas. I miss general aviation and haven't flown all that much of it since I was a CFI back in college. Just too busy on Active duty. Now I have the time to fly but the rental rates have changed drastically since the late 90's. A partnership seems like the perfect fit for me. I have several like minded friends motivated to put this dream into action. Just tracking down the right airplane for our group. Professional pilots, having not flown single engine aircraft recently, we are very safety oriented which brought us to Beechcraft. The F-33A, V-35, and A-36 all seem to fit our flying needs, 4 people plus bags, for mostly short trips and the occasional trip to the coast/islands. We want to make this an enjoyable and comfortable experience for our families. I'm looking forward to reading all your post and learning from your expertise. Thanks in advance for your help, and thank you all for creating and contributing to this great site.

Welcome to BT, Chad, and good luck with your dream of having one of these wonderful airplanes to fly.

If you are interested in the Beech singles, there are 2 books that you should consider.

"Those Incomparable Bonanzas" by Larry Ball describes in minute detail the changes/improvements in the Bonanza line up to around 1972.

"They Called me Mr. Bonanza", also by Larry Ball, picks up the tale in 1973 and carries on into the 1990s, I believe.

They are a big help in deciding what features you want.

Major changes occurred with the introduction of the injected 470, and the later switch to the 520 engine in the mid 1960s. Plus, of course the introduction of the 36 model which resolved some of the CG problems inherent in the 35 and 33 models.

Oh boy is this going to be fun.

My background was not the same as yours, military/airline, but with very little GA experience. My first and only airplane is my V35B and I'm continually amazed at how much I enjoy the experience and how capable the type is.

Just for starters, I have a 1000 payload w/ 440 used up if taking full fuel, so about 560 for pax & bags. For V's CG not really an issue if heavy pax up front as CG slope moves with fuel burn. I'm up against max GW with more than 2 pax, but I'm 220 lbs, so I use up a lot the available payload.

Good luck,
Burns

Chad,

Welcome. If your typical mission involves four, then no question that the 36 is the right plane. I have owned both 33’s and 36’s and while the 33 is more fun to fly (more sporty or lighter to the touch) it is not a comfortable 4x carrier.

The 36 would allow two adults in the back plus luggage in comfort so those 2-3 hour trips are easier. If women are involved in this group, then I strongly suggest you go for the 36.

Love this site, in a matter of hours, great inputs. I'm new to bonanza's but have always been a fan. We're trying to stay in the 150K range. I def need to do more research because I was under the impression the F-33A had a pretty good useful load. I know an F-33A that has a 1295 useful load, with tip tanks. that seems like you could carry 4 plus limited bags, but I haven't dug into the charts. I'm also not exactly sure how the tiptanks add to the useful load?

If you buy an A-36 with aft club seating, can you change the layout to forward facing four place back and forth as the mission requirement dictates or are you pretty much committed to the layout??

Some tip tanks provide 200# of additional UL.

My 1976 V35B has a useful load of 1188#, no tips. The UL tends to go down with later years as the Bonanza got heavier with more soundproofing.

Chad,

We have both an A36TN and a F33A in our family. I wouldn't try to talk you out of either one. The F33A is a legit 4 pax airplane. Ours has a useful load of 1122, and available payload of 684 with full fuel. Leave the fuel down 10 gallons per side, and you can haul 800 lbs. The A36 is bigger, and yes, you can reset seats 3 and 4 to face forward, if you prefer. Best of luck in finding a nice Bo.