BEECH F33A

The F33A Bonanza is the short-body, conventional-tail Bonanza — the same wing, engine and systems as the A36 but with a shorter fuselage, four or five seats and no rear cargo door. It is lighter, marginally faster and, to most pilots who have flown both, the sweeter-handling of the two. It was built from 1970 to 1994 and is a straightforward, fast, well-made four-seat travelling aeroplane. There are two bodies under the name. The 1970 aircraft have the short cabin of the earlier 33s; from 1971 the F33A has a cabin 19 inches longer, with a bigger baggage door and the option of a fifth and sixth seat — the same cabin as the V35B. The 285 hp IO-520 stayed throughout, which separates the F33A from the A36 after 1984; later aircraft have a 28-volt electrical system where earlier ones are 14-volt. A 1970 F33A is therefore a four-seater and a 1980 a five- or six-seater on the same engine.

It is chosen over the A36 by people who do not need six seats and want the better handling and slightly lower operating weight; it is passed over by people who need the cargo door and the load. The costs are identical: 15-16 gallons an hour, an expensive Continental IO-520 overhaul with a crankcase cracking history, and Beech parts prices. As with all Bonanzas, check the wing spar carry-through and the condition of the magnesium control surfaces on older aircraft, and look at the airworthiness directive history carefully — the type has a long one. Insurance requires complex and high-performance endorsements and virtually every underwriter wants a formal Bonanza-specific transition and recurrent training course, which is worth doing regardless.

What it is

Performance

Load and fuel

Cost of ownership

The fleet and its record

Peer scores

A score runs from 0 to 10 within the model's peer class: a position, not a grade, and the six are never added together.