Bonanza A35

It is the reason you purchase aircraft insurance, but you hope it never happens. I am talking about a claim for damage to your aircraft or, worse, a passenger gets injured while flying with you. I hope you never need to use your insurance, but if you do, there are some situations that you might need to be prepared for. This month, we will go over some of the situations that other members have inquired about regarding the aviation insurance claims process.

Tell us about your Bonanza—what model do you fly, and what made you choose it?

ABS extends a warm welcome to the following new members who joined in April 2026:

I have a 1996 A36, with standard 40-gallon fuel tanks. There are no tip tanks or any alterations to the factory fuel quantity gauges. My left fuel quantity indicator is erratic with symptoms as follows:

ABS membership data suggests we are near the end of a major change in ownership of Beech Bonanzas, Debonairs, Barons, and Travel Airs. For almost four years, you saw lists of “new members this month,” 100 names long or more, in this magazine. The monthly new member number is still high—70 or 80 or so each month—but it’s declining, telling us this fleet ownership changeover surge is abating. Still, given the average number of hours flown annually by Beech pilots with several thousand owners in the first few years of ownership, it’s likely a big percentage of our fleet is operated by pilots with fewer than 100 hours logged in make and model. That 100-hour point may be statistically significant when it comes to accidents, in turn indicating some steps we can take to keep ourselves, our families, and our passengers safe as we build time in a new-to-us airplane.

As a proud Baron owner, I’ve seen firsthand how valuable Bonanza.org has become for the members of ABS. What started as a simple member website has evolved into one of the most respected and comprehensive aviation resources available for Beechcraft® owners and enthusiasts. Whether you fly a Bonanza, Baron, Debonair, or Travel Air, or simply have a passion for general aviation, Bonanza.org is designed to support safe flying, education, technical excellence, and the friendships that make aviation so rewarding.

Recently we changed my F33A’s electric fuel pump. On my preflight inspection, the fuel selector sump drains extremely slowly. The plane sat a day after the mechanic ran it after installation. I now had the local mechanic look at it, and everything was installed correctly. When they opened the fuel caps, the sump would drain normally. They ran the pump and closed the fuel caps again. Drains normally. Checked the vents, all operate normally. I am about to go check it out again and fly, and wanted to ask if there is an opinion on what this could have been? Trapped air in the fuel system somehow? It’s a bit of a head scratcher to my local maintenance team. One other note, they did drain the fuel system before changing (which wasn’t necessary by my understanding), but they did run the aircraft afterwards.

I’m upgrading the interior in our A36 and have a question about placards and side-panel layout. On the left side panel, by the pilot’s left leg, there is a storage pocket that is significantly blocked by the left seat, which makes it much less useful. I’d like to move that pocket forward, but there are three placards in the way, so I’m considering relocating those placards. May I relocate those placards without affecting airworthiness? If so, where would you suggest relocating them? (Photos attached to the ABS Member Forum.)

We have a K35. After a recent reseal of the nose strut, we cannot get the bleeder valve body (part number 35-825190) to seal using the correct seal (MS28778-2). The valve body itself holds pressure when tested off the strut, but we cannot get the body to seal to the strut. We have tried with and without the required O-ring. With the O-ring, we have tried every torque combo, and it still won’t seal. We even tried fuel lube sealant. One mechanic suggested an aluminum crush washer instead of an O-ring. The seal job is good, with no leaking fluid, but the strut will not hold air.

I changed the alternator, battery, and regulator on my V35B. It ran fine for 10 hours, then the alternator light came on. Primary gauges as well as the engine monitor indicate all is good.

As I lined up on a five-mile final, Miami Inter-national’s tower called out, “Bonanza 3738R, cleared to land Runway 8 left number two behind the American 737, keep your speed up, caution wake turbulence.”

Want to become even safer, confident, and capable in your Beechcraft®? There’s no shortage of Beech-focused educational content from the ABS Air Safety Foundation. Add these ASF products to your schedule. They’re all free to members in the ABS Online Learning Center at www.bonanza.org or on the American Bonanza Society YouTube channel and other social media.

Congratulations to these ABS members who have earned a new ABS AVIATOR status:

Data recently released by the Federal Aviation Administration shows the number of certificated pilots in the U.S. has been climbing steadily over the last decade and is at an all-time high (Figure 1). As of the end of December 2025, there are 851,947 people who hold a pilot certificate that makes them potentially eligible to fly as pilot-in-command of at least some Beech Bonanzas, Debonairs, Barons, or Travel Airs. This number increased 55 percent in the last decade. The average age of certificated pilots is trending downward, 42.1 years in 2025 compared to 43.9 in 2020 and 44.9 in 2016. The number of women holding pilot certificates topped 100,000 for the first time in 2025.

Concerning the factory two-speed auxiliary fuel pump in my A36: During the hot start procedure, when the fuel pump is on high for a minute or so (throttle idle, mixture at idle cut-off), the pump will sound normally in the high position, then for a few seconds will sound like it dips to a lower speed with a lower tone for a few seconds, then go back to normal high speed again. It will do this a handful of times over the 60-second period. It starts fine during the hot start without issues. I’m not sure if the pump slows down during this period, but it sounds like it does with the lower tone. I asked my maintenance provider about it, and the answer he gave was that the pump speed changes because it regulates the pressure in the system. But I can’t find any info about the pump pressure being regulated. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook doesn’t go into much detail about this, and I couldn’t find answers with a Forum search.