Bonanza E33A
Recent Articles
Difficult operation of cowl flaps while in flight
November 1, 2026
I recently had to replace the cowl flap cable on my F33A after some major maintenance relating to a nose gear collapse. After picking up the aircraft and flying it home from these repairs, I noted the cowl flaps were not functional. I purchased a new cable from Textron Aviation and had it installed by the repair shop. Testing it on the ground, everything seemed fine. While flying, closing the flaps was very difficult and required two hands of pressure, while opening them prior to landing was still quite difficult, but was a one-hand operation. I was pressing the center “release button” on the control. I complained to my more trusted mechanic, and he checked it on the ground and found them easy to move. Looking under the cowl, the visible cranks and linkages were free of any interference. The fact that they are more difficult to close while in the airstream than open them seems counterintuitive.
Preventative circuit breaker replacement
November 1, 2026
My 35-B33 has red pop-out Klixon circuit breakers. I suspect they are the original breakers (there’s nothing in logbooks to indicate otherwise). As preventative maintenance, is it permissible to replace them all with push/pull CBs of the same amperage or must a replacement CB be pop-out only? I am not finding anything that states (officially) that such a change is permissible. Seems low risk given the circuits that the pop-outs protect, but helpful to have the pull/push versions during any future troubleshooting setting.
Trim tensioner cable and parts request
November 1, 2026
My 1977 V35B is in for annual inspection, and my inspector found this setup in the tail. There appears to be an incorrect spring attached to an electrical connector to take up the slack in the trim tab tension cable. Does anyone have a good photo of what it should look like? In addition, he is unable to find some parts.
Cross-Country Trip to ABS Headquarters
November 1, 2026
On Monday, September 21, I took my first trip to Wichita as your newest ABS/ASF president. We flew nonstop from KRUQ (Mid-Carolina-Salisbury, North Carolina) to KAAO (Colonel James Jabara, Kansas). I’m a believer in “management by walking around,” so meeting the ABS staff face-to-face in the office was a must.
DUI Test Refusal: What Pilots Need to Know (Part 2)
November 1, 2026
The following are questions that pilots commonly ask along with general answers. FAA outcomes depend on the specific facts, regulations, and evidence in each case, not simply the criminal disposition.
Tucumcari, New Mexico: Where Route 66 Meets the Runway
November 1, 2026
The best overnight stops do more than offer fuel, food, and a bed—they give the journey character. Tucumcari has always understood the traveler’s imagination. Once a railroad camp, then a Route 66 icon, it now rewards those who arrive the most romantic way possible: descending from a wide western sky into a town still glowing with motion, memory, and neon.
Hole discovered in wing attach mount point
November 1, 2026
During annual inspection, we found a hole drilled in the airframe co-pilot underside wing mounting point on an A36TC. Any thoughts on how best to remediate this? (Photo attached to the ABS Member Forum).
Welcome New Members
November 1, 2026
ABS extends a warm welcome to the following new members who joined in September 2026:
Fuel Management A disciplined approach to calculating, monitoring, and protecting fuel reserves in the Bonanza.
November 1, 2026
Approximately 5 to 10 percent of GA accidents are related to fuel exhaustion or fuel mismanagement. A fuel plan based on conservative assumptions will hopefully prevent this type of accident.
New CEO at Textron Aviation
November 1, 2026
Textron Aviation President and CEO Ron Draper has announced his retirement after eight years as leader of Textron Aviation and 27 years at parent company Textron Inc. Brian Rohloff, senior VP of customer support, succeeded him as president and CEO of Textron Aviation on August 31, while Draper will remain with the company until the year-end to support the transition.
How many cork gaskets for new fuel cell are required
November 1, 2026
On my C35, I’m having a mechanic replace the original fuel cell in the right wing with a new Eagle Fuel cell. I ordered a gasket kit, but it only comes with one cork gasket for the fuel cell, P/N 35-921502-1. The old fuel cell had two gaskets. The parts diagram shows only one gasket, not two. I’m confused; is it one or two? My mechanic says two.
Father and Son, Two Bonanzas, Two P’s in a Pod Bonanzas N354FB (D-6961) and N8568M (D-7215); both 1962 P35s
November 1, 2026
“Hubba cubba.” It took a while to figure out but eventually, ABS Life Member Steve Tostenrud and his private pilot wife Pauline realized what their one-year-old son Paul was talking about: the helicopter on the cover of that month’s issue of Trade-A-Plane. Paul grew up with general aviation and today he is an ABS Life Member.
Drain next to fuel selector drain
November 1, 2026
I have searched the flight manual, modification paperwork collection, and the maintenance manual but still cannot explain this drain in the fuel selector drain compartment of a G36. The 1/2” black nylon tubing traces up to the pilot’s side window, and I’m close to removing the interior further.
Smoke, Storms, and the South 40: Flying a First-Timer to Oshkosh
November 1, 2026
Every Oshkosh trip begins long before the first checklist. Mine began over my own hometown in Germany—with a hailstorm.
ABS Aviator
November 1, 2026
Congratulations to these ABS members who have earned a new ABS AVIATOR status:
Distinguishing Features
- Conventional (“straight”) tail
- “Speed sweep” windscreen (no center post)
- Large third window
- Vertical stabilizer dorsal fin
- Optional long range fuel tanks (80 gal. total)
- Single, throw-over control yoke
- Vernier engine and mixture controls
- Electric auxiliary fuel pump
- Gear handle on right, flap on left
- Cowl flaps
- Landing light on nose cowling
Common options and modifications
- Engine upgrades
- Tip tanks
- Improved cabin ventilation system
- Instrument panel and/or avionics upgrades
- Interior upgrades
- Dual control yoke
SERIAL NUMBER EXCEPTIONS
The following E33As carried CE-series serial numbers but were E33C Aerobatic Bonanzas, and are correctly identified using CJ-series serial numbers listed in parentheses. See the Bonanza E33C page for more information.
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The following serial number E33As were removed from civilian production and converted to U.S. Air Force Pave Eagle I aircraft:
CE-218 CE-219 CE-221 CE-222 CE-223 CE-224