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to arrive at this apparently obvious conclusion, but with the clarity of hindsight, I know that we made the right decision for us.
Why This Bonanza?
Our acquisition story of 1RW (“Introducing 121RW,” T &T March 2021) is absolutely an example of the stars aligning. But coincidence is far from the only reason that we ended up with this aircraft. As soon as I saw the listing, I knew deep down that the aircraft was right for us.
First, we knew that we wanted a straight-tail Bonanza due to the number of question marks currently surrounding the future availability of the V-tail’s ruddervator skin material. I also knew that for our long cross- country f lights, we wanted the airplane to have at least an IO-520 to cover the distances faster. If you do a little research, you will learn that
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the straight tail model 33 earned the title of Bonanza in 1968 when the E33 was first offered with the upgraded “A” designation for the IO-520 engine. Two years later, the F33A would begin its 24-year run as the only straight tail, short body, big engine Bonanza. Today, the market for F33A’s is very hot, so finding an aircraft in the budget that met our criteria was going to be tricky. But finding one of the earliest examples of an F33A (the sixth ever built, for instance) made 1RW a perfect fit.
While earlier model F33A’s were more likely in our price range, there were a couple features of these aircraft that I wasn’t sure about initially. The 1970 version of the F33A most notably has the small baggage door and the large hat shelf in the baggage area. By 1971, Beechcraft would remove the shelf to expand the cargo capacity and install the large baggage door found on the F33A for the rest of its production.
When you first look at the baggage area, it does seem like there is quite a bit of wasted space. But in reality, we can fit four roller bags standing straight up before needing to place any additional items on top, which is more than adequate for our needs. Another early model feature I was hesitant about was the 14-volt electrical system that was later swapped out in favor of a 28-volt system. After a little bit of research, though, it was clear that this wasn’t necessarily a bad feature, just different – especially in the age of modern avionics and LED lighting that lessen the electrical load.
The main hidden benefit of the early F33A’s is the CG and payload superiority. It is a bit of a “Goldilocks” situation. The maximum takeoff weight was increased thanks to higher engine power, but before heavy components made their way into the specification list. Later-model F33A’s are notorious for having difficulties carrying even one adult passenger (or heavy cargo) in the rear seats before the CG moves too far aft once fuel is burned from the tanks. This can be attributed to avionics components mounted in the tail and heavier interiors and insulation. I have seen it said on forums that any F33A with an empty CG forward of 81 is desirable. The empty CG of 1RW is at 79.6.
Add on the tip-tanks that were recently installed (further increasing the max takeoff weight from 3,400 lbs. to 3,600 lbs.) and we have a useful load of 1,446 lbs. which leaves us a full fuel payload of 762 lbs! To put all of this into layman’s terms, we can take four average adults, 80 lbs. of baggage, fly 7.5 hours, and remain completely within the weight and CG envelope. For later model airplanes, there is almost no amount of money that you can throw into the airplane to correct the aft CG issues. Our seller was so proud of the CG and useful load that he put it directly in the listing because it is a true selling point for people who know what they are looking for.
The ownership history of 1RW was also a huge selling point. For 37 of its 50-year history, the aircraft was owned by a chief pilot of a large flight department. This owner clearly knew