In 1945 when Ralph Harmon put downhis engineering tools at the Beechcraft Corporation he probably hadlittle idea that what he and his team created would be one of thegreat icons in the world of general aviation. Ralph and histalented team of engineers had created the classic BeechcraftBonanza.
In the late 1940s many piston single-engine aircraft were stillcovered with fabric and used 1920s design concepts. That allchanged when Walter Beech directed his engineers to design anairplane that would offer owners speed, comfort and class that wassecond to none. The result was an all-metal aircraft withretractable tricycle landing gear and a powerful, horizontallyopposed piston engine. All these design improvements meant lessdrag, better speed, more durability and an engine that was triedand tested. You can't argue with success--the Beechcraft Bonanza isstill in production 70 years later.
The A36 Bonanza is supplied in four liveries (plus a set of white textures) and two models - one pilot and two pilots. Inside the impressive VC you'll find an Aspen EFD1000, KFC225 Autopilot and two original Carenado GNS430 installed - not to mention 3D gauges and realistic reflections and night lighting effects.
Since the first Model 35 V-tail Bonanza came off the assemblyline there have been many variations. Each model of Bonanza has hadits own nuances and differences from previous models. Today the newGarmin G1000 equipped G36 Bonanza is at the pinnacle of lightaircraft design.
It's easy to see why Carenado has already modeled the F33A andthe V-tail Model 35 Bonanza for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004.Now they present an updated F33A for FSX and their model does notdisappoint. In this review I will take a look at this highlyanticipated aircraft for FSX, discuss its highlights and call out acouple items that could have been done a little better.
Installation
Installation was easy and I experienced no problems. The bigthing to remember when installing this aircraft is to copy yourregistration key so you can paste it into the appropriate fieldwhen it comes time to do so during the installation process.
Exterior Model
The exterior model is very well done. All panel lines and rivetsare where they should be and not in the least bit pixilated.Modeling rivets is something that some developers seem to strugglewith but Carenado has a good grasp on this with not only thisairplane, but with their entire lineup.
One thing that really strikes me is that this aircraft showslittle bits of wear and stains. I like it when developers show thisbecause in the real world airplanes do not stay perfectly clean.They acquire exhaust stains and paint chips and other things thathappen when an aircraft is flown regularly. Perhaps some flightsimmers want a perfectly clean airplane but for me I want the modelI'm flying to look like the 'real deal.' Carenado has the'weathering' process down pat. Then again, this Bonanza isn'toverly dirty. Carenado's Bonanza looks well cared for but at thesame time it's not a hangar queen.
The windows shine very convincingly as if they were really madeof Plexiglas. The paint shines very nicely. Sometimes you will geta model where the paint seems to be just flat and that is fine withwarbirds and other types, but a general aviation aircraft like aBonanza should gleam in the sunlight. Carenado gives us a shinyBonanza to hop into anytime we choose to go flying.
All the detail parts are there: pitot tubes, static ports, brakelines and even the tire creep marks. Details like this show howmuch time Carenado took to get this Bonanza just right. One thing Idefinitely noticed is that the tires are actually round.
The exterior is stellar. I couldn't find anything I didn't likeabout the outside model. From the rivets, the weathering, and allthe little details are all there and when I think of great exteriormodels I think of Carenado's products.
Interior
This is one area where Carenado has disappointed me in the past.It isn't because the interiors of their aircraft are not accurate,but because they seem to always represent a 1970s style interior. Ifound a mixture of modern avionics with an older interior.
From the pictures I have seen and the Bonanzas that I have beenaround in my job at Colgan Air Services, the instrument panel isvery accurate. The gauges are easy to read even when zoomed outfrom the panel. The switch labels could be a little easier to read,but even on a real Bonanza the labels are smaller. I would say thegauges get a B+/A- only because they do not have that glassylook--they don't look like they have a glass covered face. I amnit-picking but the panel would have seemed more real with thateffect.
It's nice to see that Carenado has put in a Garmin 430 in thisBonanza. Everything seems operative on it and I've had no problemsflying ILS approaches with the autopilot coupled to the Garmin. Todisplay the map on the Garmin you have to click an area that isbelow the CLR button and then it will bring up the moving map--anannoyance but nothing major. One thing I really enjoy that Carenadoand some other developers do is that when you click on the GNS430it enlarges and to make the enlarged version disappear you justclick on the GPS.
The radios are King 155's and the autopilot appears to be a KingKFC-200. The radios are believable as most F33's on the market havethese radios but the autopilot on most high valued Bonanzas are theStec 50 autopilots.
Night lighting is authentic. You have an overhead cabin lightthat you can turn on during start up and then you can shut that offand just use the gauge lights. It's nice that Carenado gave usthese two options because on some aircraft that I own from otherdevelopers the cabin lights are either all on or all off.
One issue I found is that when flying in the virtual cockpit youcan see the right navigation light through the right wing atcertain view point angles. When you look to the left you cannot seethe left navigation light through the left wing so there is someissue there and I found the same issue in a couple of otherairplanes I have from other developers. Maybe this is actually aproblem with FSX.
Another nice touch is the ability to modify your aircraft sothat it has one yoke or two. To me this is just another example ofCarenado going out and finding things that are not explored in theflight sim world and making it work.
Sound
The first time I fired up the Bonanza I could have sworn I wassitting in a real one. Carenado has simply nailed the soundset.From start up to shut down it is spot on and there is no evidenceof clipping in a cruise configuration. In the real world and now inthe virtual world you get that unmistakable noise of the285-horsepower Contintental IO-520 pulling you along. The soundsetis definitely one of the high points of this model fromCarenado.
Flying Qualities
The real Bonanza was designed to be a plane you can load thefamily into and take off for a weekend away from the big city.Carenado's Bonanza exhibits no quirks. It is very docile in thetraffic pattern and forgiving if you are not so hot in keeping theball centered in turns. I was very surprised at how little rudderyou need for coordinated turns and often found myself putting intoo much rudder. The aileron and elevators are light but not toolight where you will find yourself over-controlling. All controlsurfaces are very responsive and I would expect to find this in areal life version of the Bonanza.
Another authentic detail with this airplane is that if you letthe manifold pressure dip below a certain setting you will get anaudible and visual warning that your landing gear is not down. Thiswill come in handy for those of you virtual pilots that forget todo your GUMP (Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Propeller) check beforelanding. As they say, there are those pilots who have landed wheelsup, and those who are about to!
At typical cruise settings of 2500 RPM and 21 inches of manifoldpressure you can lean to about 12.8 gallons per hour at altitude.With this setting on the way from La Crosse Municapal Airport(KLSE) to Outagamie County Regional Airport (KATW) I saw anindicated airspeed of 150 knots at 7,500 feet. This all seems to bein line with a real F33A Bonanza.
Nearing KATW and entering the pattern I was very nicelysurprised to see that when putting the flaps out you don't get thecommon tendency to have the nose pitch way up. This Bonanza wantedto hold just about the same pitch attitude, but the speed bled offwhich in my real world experience is very accurate as to whathappens when you put the flaps out.
Landing Carenado's F33A Bonanza is a piece of cake. The key isto make sure your airspeed and rate of descent are correct, and youare lined up on the center line. It is really that simple. Ibelieve this is one of the easiest airplanes I have ever landed andit makes me look like a pro when my wife is watching me land.
![A36 bonanza for sale A36 bonanza for sale](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125875167/548697803.jpg)
Conclusion
This model is very well done and it is nice to see Carenadoputting in more modern avionics. The exterior model is veryaccurate and one of the best exteriors I have seen on a singleengine piston general aviation airplane for FSX. All the switchesare there and operable.
Also it needs to be said that this aircraft is very easy onframe rates. I do not have a super computer but what I like tothink is a middle of the road rig and I routinely see frame ratesin the upper 30's and lower 40's with FSX set at medium to abovemedium settings.
There isn't a viewable checklist in the kneepad, which wouldhave been nice. Instead you have to pull up the entire aircraftmanual which is a little clumsy and takes a lot of screenspace.
In some forums people have complained that Carenado may releasetheir products too soon and that's why they have to release updatesto their airplanes--and that is why they will not buy theirproducts. However, when you buy a real-world airplane you will atsome point be subjected to a service bulletin or an AD(airworthiness directive). With an AD you must comply to what theAD says. I look at these simulator updates as like a servicebulletins or an AD. I think it's great that Carenado doesn't justrelease products and then that's how they are forever. In myopinion it shows a level of dedication to getting their productsright.
I recommend this product to anyone that is a Beechcraft Bonanzafan or just a single engine piston driver trying to find a goodcross-country airplane.
Things I liked:
- The exterior model, Carenado contiues to develop highlyaccurate exterior models.
- The sound set, nothing beats the sound of a Bonanza at idle ortaking off in the real or world or now in the virtual world.
- The Garmin GNS 430, it's good to see Carenado starting to putmodern avionics in their airplanes. Also the functionallity of itis right on the money. Also having the manuals for the GPS is anice touch so people aren't wondering for hours on end on how touse it.
- Flying qualities are believable and this is a very good crosscountry airplane.
- Details, details, details. From the creep marks on the tires,to the way the rivets look. You can certainly tell the amount oflove Carenado puts into making their products.
- The manuals, from the GNS 430 to the POH. It's a nice touch soyou can fly the Bonanza as realistically as possible.
- Frame rates were outstanding, 30-40 FPS while I'm running REX2.0 and Active Sky Evolution.
Things that could have been better:
- The operating checklist would have been nice had it been in thekneeboard instead of pulling up the POH. The POH is great but achecklist for the kneeboard would have been more functional.
- Some will say that Carenado releasing updates for theiraircraft is a pain for them but from my perspective it shows thatthey are dedicated to getting right.
System used for review:
AMD 64 X2 Dual Core 5200+ 2.60
3 GB RAM
NVidia 9800GT
Windows 7 64 Bit
FSX with SP2
REX 2.0 with overdrive textures
Active Sky Evolution
3 GB RAM
NVidia 9800GT
Windows 7 64 Bit
FSX with SP2
REX 2.0 with overdrive textures
Active Sky Evolution
Bill Beseler
[email protected]
Learn More Here
[email protected]
Learn More Here
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The Beechcraft Bonanza was bornafter the war, in 1946, as many wartime pilots were ready to startfamilies, and the aviation companies of old believed many wouldcontinue flying their own planes. Beechcraft had built two modelspre-war, the Model 17 or Staggerwing and the Model 18 or TwinBeech. These were taildraggers, powered by Pratt & WhitneyR-985 'Wasp Jr.' engines, and were the most popular executivetransports of the age, the latter produced until 1970. However,with the surplus metal from after the war, and a boost in engines,and workforce, Beechcraft and Cessna set out to create their ownversion, of a modern transport single. Cessna's approach was theclassic Cessna 190 and 195 (the latter being most famous). Takingon the classic radial engine theme, the 195 was an all-metalmonoplane, and a high wing, powered by a Jacobs radial engine.Beechcraft's approach was much different. Unlike the Staggerwing,which was a biplane, made of a wooden frame and fabric covering,they went for a low-wing, tricycle gear aircraft, powered not by aradial, but by a flat-6 engine, the Continental E-185-1. Its designfeatured an all-metal fuselage, with a newly introduced V-tail, andretractable gear, as opposed to Cessna's fixed gear.
This body length was also used on a twin, the Beechcraft Baron55, introduced in 1960. It featured seating for six however, andwas powered by two IO-470s. Another short-body model of Baron wasthe Baron 56TC, a Baron 58 powered by two Lycoming TIO-540 engines,as an operational engine testbed for the Beechcraft Duke; the 56was produced in limited numbers, and few exist today, the Dukehowever, proved much more popular, as it was pressurized.
The V-tailed Bonanza was the first to hold the Bonanza name,followed by the Model 33, which was initially called a 'Debonair'until 1968. The third was the Model 36, a long-bodied Bonanza, witha fuselage equivalent to the Baron 58, with club seating forsix.
The Model
The choice to make the Beechcraft Bonanza was inevitable forCarenado; one of the most iconic single-engined monoplanes musthave been brought into FSX, nobody else had done it. The Bonanza isone of my personal favorites. It's a low-wing, which is good forIFR flying (since spotting traffic is easier than the Cessna 210),it has a great cockpit arrangement, and is very similar with theBaron, yet doesn't have two big engines to fuss with; did I mentionit's pretty fast too? I prefer the straight-tail F33A, but this hasa classic look. Also note, this product comes with a tip-tankversion; the Bonanza was never produced with tip-tanks, yet manypeople have converted to the STC for added range. The tip-tanks arefree weight, as they are self-lifting, thus they add range andfuel, without hurting its payload.
First Impressions
The Bonanza has an unmistakable look; if you have the eye forplanes, you'll never miss one. The Bonanza was built withBeechcraft's renowned quality, and the quick, smart reaction ofevery system, and of course, its great flight characteristics. TheBeechcraft gear system has always been one of my favorites, how thegear goes up all at once, in a quick, smooth fashion, all in unison(with a cool sound). Some interesting trivia: the 33/35 Bonanzashad 12-volt batteries, and their gear goes up in exactly eightseconds, the Barons had 24-volt batteries, and go up in four.Carenado did a good job in choosing, and creating this plane.
Interior
The Beechcraft cockpit is a comfortable space. It's notsuper-big, but has enough legroom. It's efficiently designed, andthere's a lot of space with this design that other singles of itsclass can't offer. The distinctive instrument panel that Beechcraftuses is done well here, as their Baron and F33A were. The texturesare nice, the best of Carenado's non-HD series. The gauges are allwell chosen, and it looks just like it should, worth the money. Thecockpit is a standard six-pack arrangement we're all used to, so atransition is easy; the Garmin GNS 430 GPS system is a great onefor easy navigating.
Exterior
As I've mentioned before, the Bonanza, especially the v-tailedvariant, is an iconic design, and Carenado's work on replicatingthis is done well. The entire aircraft looks great; a carbon-copyof the real V35B. Although this isn't Carenado's newest, and mostsought HD-series, it served the purpose, with an array of liveriesto choose from, mostly American, with a couple international ones.The polished aluminum livery is one of the best Carenado has putout from 'the box' (if you could say that). The gear animations arespot-on, and mimic the real Beechcraft range of motion perfectly.This is one product you won't regret, inside or out!
Operations
If you own other Carenado products, or normal gauged airplanes,you will instantly be accustomed to the 'six-pack' layout of thegauges, plus an easy to use Garmin GNS430 GPS. These Beechcraftsmall GA planes (Baron, Bonanza) are known in real-life for theirlittle amount of adverse yaw, so not much rudder is required duringturns, but adding it does make things smoother. The v-tail design,due to its ruddervator setup, doesn't perform as well incrosswinds, because rudder authority is lost to elevator authorityin the same surface. So don't do extreme crosswind stuff, thereisn't as good control; this is modeled well in the product. Thisaircraft is normally-aspirated (meaning that it isn'tturbo/supercharged), so it loses horsepower and manifold pressureas you gain altitude, as any normally aspirated aircraft would, sothis plane doesn't perform as well at higher altitudes, but betterthan its twin counterpart. Easy to fly, fast, lands in a gooddistance, perfect high-performance single, but check out Carenado's Bonanza F33A too!
Sounds
The sound set features accurate and believable sound from a realBonanza V35B, powered by a single Continental IO-420. The gearretraction sounds just like the Beechcraft, and lasts the eightseconds it should.
Bottom Line
I have found that this product, like the rest of my Carenadofleet, is a very well executed model. It has good textures insideand out, realistic flight dynamics, sounds, engine performance; andI'm impressed with its crosswind performance, it doesn't behave aswell as the F33A (again, a straight-tailed version), and that isgreat, they did their homework! I like Carenado planes, they makethe GA aircraft well, and are set at a good price. Their customersupport is great, and they are friendly.
Pros:
Nice Standard definition textures, easy to use autopilot;avionics, realistic performance, flight dynamics on-par, goodanimations
Cons:
Tends to screech a bit too much on landings
Featured
Orbx's FTX: Northern Rocky Mountains, FTX: Pacific Northwest,Orbx Cushman Meadows, Orbx Orcas Island, REX 2.0. Also shown is theCarenado F33A, for comparison reasons.
What's This F33A He's Blabbering About?
To clarify (as I said in the intro) the Bonanza F33A started in1960 as what was called a 'Debonair' which was a straight-tailedversion of the Bonanza. It soon, in 1968 was called a Bonanza,model 33. The F33A is the direct counterpart to the V35B in theBeechcraft line, and were produced until 1982 when Beechcraftceased production of all aircraft, except for corporate aircraft.The F33A performs better than the V35B in many ways, so you shouldcheck it out. The V35B looks cooler though! I mention it onlybecause you can't talk about one without the other!
On the left, the Bonanza F33A; the right isthe Bonanza V35B
Peter Carlson
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Learn More Here