That’s a great legacy your uncle leaves behind. Thanks for his service. The greatest generation!

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot Greatest Generation, yes! His brother was the navigator in a B-29. They both enlisted right after Pearl Harbor. After the war Uncle Bill changed his major to Aeronautical Engineering and later worked for Boeing and then the FAA. I felt real safe flying with him knowing he could land a Hellcat on an aircraft carrier!

I too salute your Uncle and appreciate you sharing a bit of history! God bless you and your entire family!

There’s really nothing quite like them!

They’re terrible airplanes, so if you come across any, you should send them my way so I can dispose of them properly. 😄

It was an incredible experience for sure! Such a milestone, but as you likely well know, the first flight was only the beginning. After that, you really find out what the real squawk list is on the plane.

I’m doing well, John, and I hope you are doing great as well! Getting the old bird flying again has definitely been a dream come true.

Thanks! Definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. I don’t know if this will be the last resurrection or not but I sure hope it isn’t!

I love to hear it, Dave! It does my heart good to hear that even one Bonanza is going to be saved. I’m honored to have been part of your inspiration. I hope the plane is a blessing to you and your family for many years to come! You should make a Beechtalk post about the plane so all of us nerds can follow the progress in getting her back to ship shape. I’d love to see some pictures.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot Thank you Ben and yes, that is a great idea. I did join Beechtalk but have yet to post anything.

It’s a surprisingly easy fix. Hardest part is taking the twelve or so screws out of the gill panel. Especially when it takes three tries to get it right. Lol

Thanks, Boss, we’re trying our best! It’s amazing how many airframes are out there that can be brought back to flight status with a little bit of focused attention and know how.

We’re doing great, Bob, thanks! Life’s busy, but I’m having the time of my life!

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot good to hear. I’m still short handed at work so no time to fly but one of these days I’m going to surprise you with a visit

Always good to see old Bonanzas still being cared for!

My father was the first owner. I wish the FAA or somebody had access by computer to the entire history of the aircraft. I would like to know how many have owned it.

Thanks for subscribing, @billythekid3234! There are plenty more adventures to come!

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot I just finished watching your flight training with Amber in that awesome 47 ! Where are you flying in that video? Merry Christmas to ya!

@billythekid3234 that is a beautiful strip out in cedar creek Missouri that my in-laws own. I have the luxury of flying to a grass strip to visit my parents and a grass strip to visit my wife’s parents. I don’t drive places very often anymore. Lol

Thanks Michael! The E225-8 redlines at 2650, but with the variable pitch electric prop (used in manual only with no governor), I don’t see 2600 till about 120 mph indicated.

Thanks, Mike! I would normally open cowl flaps after lowering gear for landing, but in this case it was cold enough that cylinder head temp was not a concern in the pattern or taxing back to the hangar. Good to hear that others are using these old Bonanzas the way they were designed: off of grass strips.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot Hi Ben, Thought you might have had a real cold day. I'd keep 'em closed too. You're right about the earlier Bonanza's being built for grass strips. The main gear tires are a lot taller on those early airplanes than those little bitty tires Beech put on the later model Bonanza. My old Bonanza is treated carefully with easy engine starts, smooth flying, and plenty of wax. She's going to last another 70 years! Yours will as well! Again, a real nice job of flying! "Mike" Kelly

I’m glad to hear it, Peter! I try to make my videos enjoyable to pilots and non pilots alike. 👍

Thanks David! I was able to get the throttle micro switch adjusted. It took me more tries than I’m willing to admit because I wasn’t smart enough to use the sharpie method until after my dad showed me. Definitely a better method or I forget where the switch was previously.

The first strip is my family’s and the second strip is my wife’s family’s. The final clip was recorded back in the 1980s at Tamiami airport.

The gear and flaps on earlier Bonanzas ran pretty slow due to the 12-14V electric systems they were equipped with. I have years of practice with vintage Bonanzas owned by my customers. I've never had the time or money to refurb one of my own. The cycling times of this one here appear to be right about normal for a 12V Beechcraft. The gear and flaps ran a lot faster on the much later 24-28V models. Production of the V-tails ended in 1983 so most V-tails were 12V.

How come? 10 degree flaps save landing gear wear out on soft fields. And props too by having more lift from wings and less rpm on ground needed..

@@outwiththem 10* of flaps on soft or short field, reduces takeoff speed and takeoff distance, by increasing wings’ camber and lift. Two things to remember; it will lift off slower and be in ground effect, so you must compensate for that (lower the nose a bit, and increase speed). Then when flying faster, rotate upwards, and retract the gear asap. Lastly, don’t over speed flaps by forgetting to raise flaps. Do this at 300-500 feet, retract the flaps!

@@davidmangold1838 That is the way. But im refering to your second sentence of "Lawyers took out that procedure from the POH ? why?

@@outwiththem I can only guess. It was many years ago, that it was removed as a procedure. I’d imagine some pilots didn’t deal with the lower liftoff speed, the low-wing having appreciable ground effect, the need to build up a bit of speed, then climb , the over speeding the flaps-by forgetting to bring them up, etc. Avoiding liability, because the pilot didn’t. FLY THE AIRPLANE, crashed and sued. I flew v tails in 1976 J’s and K’s? I went into and out of many short and soft fields. Not using flaps; it was un-doable! Now I have a lesser powered 1947 straight 35, with E-225-8 engine. It’s amazing how 10* of flaps helps, but only IF YOU KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT😉

@@davidmangold1838 Too bad. I took Bush Pilot Training in 1998. CFI used to pop flaps even on taxiway, to create more lift. Vx flaps for Vx take offs. Also on fast landings, he showed me to cut the flaps IN THE FLARE at 3 feet. Then hit the brakes. Cool. The 3 feet flap cut. And the Taxi Flaps and more. Flaps are a great resource.

Gear is actuated by an electric motor actually. We cycled the gear many times on jacks to verify that rigging was correct.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot ah, I thought you said you had an alarm for "gear manifold pressure" but you must have said something else like "rear manifold" or something. Is your father a certified mechanic to be able to maintain these legally? I wish there some way a certified aircraft became eligible to be experimental after a certain length of time

@@forrestallison1879 we have an IA that works with us to allow us to maintain these aircraft legally. I too wish that there was some type of vintage category that would allow owners more freedom to maintain 70+ year old aircraft.

I’d say it sat for 20+ years for the same reason most car projects sit for so many years. Owner probably had every intention of fixing it up (as evidenced by the new paint job still taped off in places) but never got around to it.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot I found my B sitting in pile that’s what happened but then the unthinkable he pasted family gave me the plane if I’d finish I was in my 20’s I did have to crank gear down one time dirt brushes, bonanzas are the Best Buy people pass them by cause of tail, Our gain!!! Just wish my turbo got same mileage my B did it be Perfect plane.

Thanks, Hunter! It was quite an adventure for sure. The rotating beacon is working, but operating it during day Vfr is not required because the aircraft was manufactured before March 11, 1996. Regarding a GoPro mounted to the tail, I am happy to report no flutter issues in either of the two bonanzas I have flown with one mounted. It’s my understanding that the flutter issues with ruddervators tend to be caused by ruddervators that are not balanced correctly. Tail feathers that are properly balanced should not be adversely affected by the small amount of turbulent air that a gopro would generate. That being said, your results may vary.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot That's good with the GP, I'm just very cautious with ruddervators. Pay close attention to the trim tab hinges at every preflight. They wear thin and break and loose tabs can generate a horrendous flutter that quite possibly might be the root of all the evil that's been directed at the V-tail. As for the beacon... ...as I read the reg, it was a required installation on all new airplanes built after 1996, but if an older airplane has one, it must be operating during all phases of operation. For example, my Bellanca does not have an anticollision beacon and does not require one since it was built in 1946. However, if I were to install one, it would have to be operating during all phases of operation.

@@rescue270 well dang the regs do seem to suggest that anti collision lights must be on during aircraft operations unless deemed a hazard by PIC. I suppose my confusion is that I always considered the rotating beacon to be part of the position lighting rather than anti collision lighting. The rotating beacon is the only lights on the aircraft exterior that I haven’t upgraded to LED so you really can’t even see the light when it’s on during the day.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot Yes, rotating beacons were the first types of anti-collision lighting systems. With the proper bulbs in them the old rotating beacons are kinda visible during the day, lol... I guess the LEDs are the new way forward but they just look so out-of-place on vintage airplanes. Like strobes on a Stearman. Just be sure to have 337s referencing STCs on all the LED installations. The FAA has been hot on that for awhile now. I think maybe because there are so many non-TSOd Chinese LED lights out there for homebuilts. By insisting on STCs and 337s they can better ensure that FAA-PMA/TSOd lights are being installed in Certificated Aircraft. If you haven't changed out the wing bolts, I know they're pricey, but please do that soon. At least the bottoms and do the tops later. The Shop Manual recommends removing and magnafluxing them every five years and replacing them every fifteen years. I guess every single early Bonanza I've ever seen has been flying with it's original wing bolts, including a B35 that had had a wing replaced at one point. They reused the bolts. Those bolts are loaded in tension rather than shear and that makes me nervous after six decades and five or six thousand hours. I therefore like to at least somewhat adhere to the manual's recommendation. It isn't a mandatory requirement since it is not indicated as an Airworthiness Limitation, but after 60 or 70 years I think it's an excellent idea to replace them. I've replaced a lot of them and found a few with corrosion that never would have been seen had they not been removed.

That is an excellent question. The original seats were blue, but it did not look good with the sky blue interior paint either. It needs to be repainted, but it’s very low on our priority list.

Engine was not overhauled since some time in the 80s. So far the compressions have been good, but oil consumption has been high. We’re still not even to our first oil change yet, so we’re just watching carefully to see if the engine starts to seal up a bit better. If not we’ll possible be looking at re-ringing or changing some cylinders as needed. Considering how little it has flown in the last 40 years (about 500 hrs) we are gonna just play it by ear. The engine runs great it just burns a bit more oil than we would like. Only 3 ring pistons, so we’re not expecting great oil control.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot My CFI in 1998 had a cherokee like that engine problems. He put engine flush and drained oil and filter. Then he put slick 50 with thicker oil. He used the engine an extra 400 hours even after been proclaimed as needed OHaul. Kept adding Slick 50 every oil change at 30-40 hours. Needed one qt every 10 hours or so he said..

1800’ to the south (direction of takeoff in this video). When taking off to the north it’s 1300’ before it starts to drop off quite steeply. It’s downhill to the north though, so that is actually the preferred departure.

I wasnt sure, thinking about building one at farm. 1800’ was about max room i had. Wasnt sure what would be required if you was close to max load on beech sierra

Really depends on the obstructions. Most planes can get of the ground in 1000-1800 ft but that doesn’t mean they can clear the 50’ tree at the end. POH should have graph to plot runway needed to clear 50’ obstacle at gross and that would give you an idea. Our airstrip can do 2 people and full fuel year round, but it gets a little dicey in the heat of the summer.

Funny you mention that. I always assumed 47-48 was straight, 49 was A and 50 was B, but the A model was actually produced in 48 and 49 and is differentiated by serial number. It just so happens that our serial number is a 48 rather than a 49. Good catch though! 👍

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot Thanks for clearing that up for me. Beautiful plane! Enjoy!

@Galileo7of9 According to the American Bonanza Society, D-1500 was the last model 35, and they were built in 1947 and 1948. And they say model 35As were built starting in 1949, serial # D-1501 thru D-2200 and D-15001 Gordy N771N D-1082 I didn't catch whose serial # is D-1688, but that is a model 35A

Yup. There is a lowering in stall speed between flaps down and flaps up. The 20 degree flap position is the last position that increases lift however as the straight and A35 had only 20 degrees of flaps, and the B35 has 30 degrees of flaps but the stall speed is the same for those models. The final ten degrees of flaps in the B and later model Bonanzas only increases drag. It is definitely easier to land a thirty degree flap bonanza as they almost fall out of the sky at full flaps.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot I worked as a fueler, lineman, office help, runway mower, etc back in 1965 when I was a young pup and I was friends with a guy in his 20s that his dad owned a V Tail. I got to ride along with him from Nacogdoches to Jasper TX and it was such a great experience to be in the Bonanza. I was working on my PPL and he would swing the control wheel over to my side. Very exciting.

That’s a great story! Thanks for sharing. Did you ever get your PPL?

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot I did. in 65. From 65 to 88 I accumalated appx 750hrs but I haven't flown PIC since then. I lost interest in it. Life went in a different direction. I have flown the PC sims for over 20 yrs and I have enjoyed that. The last time I flew was in 2013. Went out to the local airport (Cleburne, TX) and ask a CFI if he would fly with me and let me shoot a couple touch and goes. I did really well considering. Living on SSI prohibits me from going any farther. I do so very much enjoy videos like yours and so many others.

Yup. Still flying them because the average pilot cannot afford a 200k 70s-90s model bird. Also the efficiency of these early planes have never really been matched. 160-170mph indicated at 10-10.5 gph. They’re light enough to accomplish a short field mission that otherwise would be relegated to a 182 or some other slower aircraft. Gear down the plane turns into a 172. Cleaned up, it turns into a sports car.

Static rpm is 2100-2200ish for A35 with 88” electric prop and E225-8. I see 2300 at about 400’ on takeoff roll and then climb out at about 2500 at 95-100mph WOT and prop full forward for 60 seconds.

@@BenWeeksBonanzaPilot Thank You. Congrats on getting her flying.

Thanks, John! Yes there was a very long process leading up to the first flight. Enough full power high speed taxis that I felt reasonably confident the engine would run long enough to get me some altitude. Still a nervous experience, but man I had a blast!

Good call, Mike! We actually had them off the entire time until the annual inspection was finished to make sure the bolt area didn’t get plugged by debris. Blew them out and then capped them when putting all the inspection panels back on. What’s funny is we lost some of the caps so the ones that are on there now are mismatched from salvage planes that we had to find lying around elsewhere.

ok ben good deal--i hope you enjoy the bonanza as much as i did with all 3 i have owned-i jumped over the fence once and bought a cessna 310---good load hauler but just not a fun flyer the bonanza

Can be for sure, but I think I have been more scared by a plane that was “flown regularly” by previous owner than I have by the couple of planes we have disassembled and reassembled before flying. It was comforting to be able to inspect areas on a disassembled plane that you could never see on one that wasn’t apart. In a way it makes me trust those planes more.

The twenty year old Bose X headset that I was using has very poor mic pickup so the mic pretty much has to be touching your mouth. Kinda gross when switching headsets around but I just think of it as natural immunity. Lol The new Bose A20s have much better mica and it will pick up pretty reliably with the mic about 1/2” away from my mouth.

What does that mean?