Aircraft Quiz #89

[Doug Robertson]

It may be time to ease up a bit in these quizzes. So, why cannot a stock, unmodified 35/36 Beech BONANZA aircraft (of any production year/builder series) be used legally for ab initio single engine aircraft flight training? Be specific in your answer.

[SunvisorFlyer]

Does it have something to do with 35/36 aircraft being unstable in a roll?
(The V-tail aircraft experiencing in flight structural failures perhaps?)

[Doug Robertson]

Sorry, that is not the exact unmodified Beech Bonanza ab initio training issue. HINT: there is a Federal Air Regulation section that addresses the very issue of the question.

Thank you for trying and I suspect you attended EAA AIRVENTURE last week and were off-computer. This Quiz has had a lot of looks; I expected a quicker response. AIRVENTURE 2017 may have cut that down.

[Doug Robertson]

With over 250 views and no right answers-here are the answers.

Initial dual flight training for the Airplane-Private Pilot rating in the USA requires a dual control aircraft with a certificated Flight Instructor for the class of aircraft-in this case-Single-Engine Land.

All unmodified stock Beech 35/36s have a single throw-over control wheel for control of the ruddervators or conventional tail models which in this aircraft control both the elevator and the rudder turn functions as well as angle of incidence climb or descent in vee-tail or conventional tail Bonanzas. It is understood that coordinated use of the Beech 35 wing ailerons and ruddervators is necessary for coordinated flight maneuvers. Straight tail Bonanzas also have a standard throw-over control wheel unless modified by STC.

The single throw-over control wheel Beech 35/36s are specifically prohibited in the FARs for learning to fly a single engine-land aircraft, UNLESS an approved STC for installation of true dual control wheels has been installed in that aircraft.

A Flying Club I was in in the late 1960s in Southern California with nine varied aircraft had a stock 35 Bonanza that the owner after joining had specifically had modified with true dual controls per Supplemental Type Certificate so that SEL pilots could be checked out in the aircraft legally with an airplane-SEL Flight Instructor. That A&P STC installation made that Bonanza then legal to train SEL pilots to check out in the Bonanza with an appropriate Flight Instructor. It was never used for any initial flight training as the Club had C140s and C150s for that. I used a Piper PA-28 180 in the Club for pleasure flights and the cheaper reimbursement C150s for my frequent business flights in California, as I had earlier learned to fly on six PA-28-140s.

[SunvisorFlyer]

Indeed, I was at Airventure this past week. The latest Mooney and Piper aircraft were set up near each other and seemed to have a decent crowd all week.
The blue angels had a nice performance and the blue origin rocket was smaller than expected when you got up close to it.