Tuesday, March 04, 2014

V-Tail Education, First Day of School

Shopping for the perfect V-Tail

Since we decided to offer 08Romeo for sale I have started to shop for the perfect V Tail.  I am very new to Bo's so I am starting at the ground basement floor. Here is the basic history, square one, the place I am moving forward from.

1st Generation: 1947-1950 (Model 35, aka Straight 35 thru B35)
2nd Generation: 1951-1956 (C35 thru G35) last of the E-Series powered
3rd Generation: 1957-1960 (H35 thru M35)
4th Generation: 1961-1963 (N35 thru P35)
5th Generation: 1964-1982 (S35 thru V35B, with some variance)

As I pause to think about what to type next my mind drifts off to the commercial about the people car shopping.  Maybe if I think real hard that 'start' line will appear and lead me to the dream plane.  Waiting....crap, it's just me and my research, stupid commercial.

Ok, so no easy line to follow.  I have one better, I have the pleasure of knowing one of the finest Beech Bonanza guru's out there, Paul McCracken.  As I mentioned in previous posts, Paul did the pre-buy on our Sundowner and as he stated "Gary's is one of the cleanest, mechanically AND cosmetically, hard to get on one airplane."  I hope to use his expertise in finding Mary and I the perfect Bo.

I think we are going to focus on the 5th generation Bo, 64 to 82. My focus is on the 64-68 years. I have a want list and that would be a Garmin 530W, Autopilot with altitude hold and GPSS. Paint and interior each a 7/10. Right now at first glance I like the S35's but I am trying to drink from the fire hose when it comes to power plants and specs.

For now I hope to get out this weekend and get some approaches in. Spring is just around the corner, time moves forward (daylight saving time) and I need to stay current.

2 comments:

D.B. said...

Good choice. Mine is a 1968 V35A, with the standard IO-520 engine, generating 285HP. Some will tell you to get a 550, but it isn't really necessary unless you're looking an A36-type, and you'll pay more. That said, if I was to replace my engine, I would probably put in the 550. I guess I'm saying 550's are nice, but not required.

Something that you do need/want is GAMI injectors and a good engine monitor, in the Bonanza it's ALL about care and feeding of the engine. With GAMIs and monitor you can run LOP which will make you feel better about the fuel flow (it can actually use less than the C23), and once you understand it, you will be treating your engine better.

Gary said...

DB, Good info, thanks!

So many planes to look at. I even like a few of the Debonairs I've seen, I'll investigate them a bit more too.