Designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon, the original model 35 Bonanza was the first truly modern high-performance personal aircraft: a very fast, all-metal, low-wing monoplane at a time when most light aircraftwere still made of wood and fabric. The model 35 featured retractable landing gear and its signature V Tail (equipped with a combination elevator-rudder called a ruddervator), which made it both highly efficient and the most distinctive private aircraft in the sky. The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on December 22, 1945, with the first production aircraft debuting as 1947 models.
In 1982 the V-tail Bonanza was dropped from production, though more than 6,000 V-tail models are still flying today, and they command a premium price on the used aircraft market.
All Bonanzas share an unusual feature: the yoke and rudder pedals are interconnected by a system of flexible bungees which assist in keeping the airplane in co-ordinated flight during turns. The bungee system allows the pilot to make coordinated turns using the yoke alone, or with minimal rudder input, during cruise flight. On takeoff increased right-rudder pressure is still required to overcometorque and P factor. In the landing phase the bungee system must be over-ridden by the pilot when making cross wind landings and cross controlled inputs are required to keep the nose of the airplane aligned with the runway centerline without drifting left or right. This feature started with the V-tail and persists on the current production model.
| Retracts Trike Units only (budget) | £120.00 | ||
| Retracts Trike budget (complete) | £190.00 | ||
| Retracts Trike standard (complete) | £330.00 | ||
| Retracts Trike Deluxe (complete) | poa |