Old Bonanza, who has one?

My son and I are kicking around the idea of getting an older Bonanza with the C-225 engine and the electric prop.
From what we are reading that engine/prop combo seem pretty solid.

$50k for something classy that goes 150 kts seems like fun.
Would fly it mostly between FTW area and Port Aransas or South Padre.
Or down to Llano for BBQ at Cooper's.

Anyone on here have experience with one of these?

Might start looking next year. Still trying to figure out if I want the financial burden
this close to retirement. I'm 59 and hoping to retire at 65. At that point my son would assume
more of the ownership costs and possibly buy me out.

We both fly jets for a living so insurance won't be an issue.



@RogerRoger

Haven’t owned one, but the Addison Flying Club used to have one when we lived over that way years ago. Nice flying aircraft. Nothing unusual in maintenance.  My old employer had a Cherokee 6 that was a nice single as well.

OP we had a B36TC for years and really enjoyed it. Nice planes and actual transportation.

Is there a problem with the carb on the C-225?

Is there anyone with unexpired soft parts to overhaul a Bendix pressure carb? I helped a mechanic in an adjacent hangar extinguish a fire on aBonanza due to a leaking pressure carb. Crankcase cracks, corroded magnesium control surfaces and lack of mechanical knowledge in rigging v-tail are all things to consider. Ancient electrical components and instrument mounting technics make upgrade to modern reliable equipment even more difficult and expensive. I got tangled up in one of these about 25 years ago that ended with large legal fees and a terminally unairworthy airplane.

I once flew a 1954 model from KTIX to KLUD.

It was the absolute biggest pain in my ass when it came to hot-starting. At Sulphur Springs (KSLR), I almost didn't get the damn thing started and thought I was gonna be staying overnight. What AeroE sez about needing 3 hands is pretty damned accurate.

The other thing I didn't like about the plane is the tail wagged constantly; no amount of rudder pedal pressure would stop it. It wasn't enough to make it roll, but just enough to be noticeable and annoying.

My dad had a '51 when I was growing up. I was his right-seater from Jr. High through 10 years of the Military.
The guy that bought it from him eventually moved it from DVT to somewhere in Virginia.
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I'm not familiar with a C225 engine. C35 airframe?

I had an F35 and loved everything about it except fuel consumption and the dry sump E225-8 engine (chasing oil leaks). Some engine parts are interchangable with the 470's, but heads can be a challenge. Fatigue at this point in time is an issue with repaired parts.

Very slippery airframe; flat plate drag very low for engineers using slide rulers. Need to pay attention to speed management during approach. It could easily exceed Vne if not carefull.

The Beech electric 215 prop was nice but you need to make sure was properly maintained. The bearing was nearly impossible to procure when I sold my plane about 8 years ago. Blades very hard to locate also, but there was an stc for replacements.

The F35 was built like a tank. The MLG was straight off the old Beech trainer. Pull the back seat out and there was a lot of room for cargo. The F35 was not included in the spar web crack AD, but verify it was done on the applicable models.

The E225 engine with a PS-5C carb will easily start hot or cold properly primed or by pumping the wobble a few times w/full throttle then set to start position. I needed to change the diaphram once and had no problem procuring a replacement, but again that was 8+ years ago. Don't depart with the electric boost pump running if equiped or you might stain your pants.

American Bonanza Society is your friend. The below pictured book is also a valuable resource for a possible buyer or owner.

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A little more info about the old Beech electric prop operation:

Old Beech Electric Propeller:

It's actually a variable pitch propeller. A switch in the cockpit commands a motor on the nose of the engine which moves a large gear which sends a pitch change bearing back and forth, part of the pitch change bearing is spinning with the propeller, but part is fixed to the nose and electric motor. The early Bonanzas have no provision for engine oil out the crankshaft so a modern propeller governor is not easily possible The aircraft who use such a device with the early E-Series engines get their engine sense from a T-Drive on the back of the engine, and use external oil lines since the crankshaft is solid. You set the propeller and if your airspeed stays constant AND you maintain your pitch attitude, you can cruise there for quite a while. If you need a different propeller (engine) speed, you simply adjust the variable pitch of the propeller. Beech also offered a 'constant speed device that would measure engine speed and goose the pitch motor for the propeller accordingly, and later Airborne Electronics came up with an electronic version which reads the mag pulses, but all these components are NLA. The trouble with constantly adjusting the pitch of the propeller automatically is that it wears out the pitch change bearing made from non-obtainium (NLA). Most pilots take-off in AUTO mode, and switch to manual in climb out, and adjust it manually from there. It is easy to get used to and pretty sweet system.

It's a matter of following the manual, step by step, without taking shortcuts.

Everything else (including the flaps) has to be rigged before starting on the tail, and you have to use the proper jig to set the tail to neutral.  The jig works on the early serial numbers, as is.  For the mid-range serial numbers, you need an adapter for the jig.  For the newer serial numbers, you need a different adapter for the jig.  The jig and the adapters can be pricey, if you don't stumble onto a deal.  

Some people take a shortcut on the last step of rigging the tail (setting yaw trim), by only adjusting the rigging of one trim tab, instead of doubling the amount of work involved and adjusting both tabs (adjusting one 'up' and the other 'down').  This shortcut throws off the pitch trim rigging, which was the last step before setting the yaw trim, but impatience seems to override 'getting it right' for some.  Setting the yaw trim involves test flying to see if pressure on the rudder pedals is needed in level cruise flight with no turbulence and hands off the yoke, making an adjustment if needed (involves four turnbuckles), then doing another test flight, until the plane will keep the ball centered in level cruise flight with no control input.  Getting the pilot to keep his hands off the yoke while briefly checking to see if rudder pedal pressure is necessary, has been a problem for me, apparently due to pilot disbelief that it is possible to rig the plane so that it can actually be briefly flown 'hands off', once the pitch trim is set for level cruise flight.  It has to be 'hands off' when checking if rudder pedal pressure is needed, because any unconscious pressure on the yoke will have an effect on the rudder pedals.

As you may be able to guess, it tends to run up the labor cost on the bill, but if someone isn't going to follow the entire process, step by step, they might as well not bother doing it, because the primary flight controls are all interconnected - one being slightly out of rig is going to throw the others off.