AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza will make first public appearance at Oshkosh in July

The 2001 AOPA Membership Sweepstakes aircraft, an opulent 200-plus-knot Beechcraft Bonanza S35, will make its first public appearance at this year's EAA Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 24-30.

The refurbished 1966 Bonanza has been equipped with a new Superior Air Parts Millennium IO-550 engine; a Tornado Alley turbonormalizer for superb high-altitude performance; Meggitt, Garmin, and S-Tec avionics; TKS weeping-wing ice protection; Beryl D'Shannon aileron and flap gap seals; and solar gray-tinted side windows. (Complete details are available online.)

AOPA's 2001 membership sweepstakes Bonanza will be awarded in early 2002 to one lucky pilot. All pilots who join AOPA or renew their membership during 2001 are eligible.

Most of the major refurbishments and upgrades for this year's AOPA membership sweepstakes grand prize have been completed and will be on display at the AOPA exhibit tent near Hangar A, just inside the Oshkosh Fly-In main entrance. Only the Bonanza interior—scheduled for refurbishment by Air Mod, Inc., of Batavia, Ohio—will not be ready. More than 30 companies are contributing to the project, providing free or reduced-rate goods and services.

"This year's airplane is becoming a quantum leap ahead of any previous AOPA Sweepstakes airplane," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Imagine the capabilities—a comfortable four-place airplane with a useful load of more than 700 pounds after filling the four fuel tanks, and a range of more than 1,200 miles at 200-plus knots. But it's the twenty-first-century GA panel in this airplane that will get any pilot's pulse racing."

The 2001 AOPA membership sweepstakes Bonanza sports a so-called "glass cockpit" installed by J.A. Air Center of DuPage Airport in Chicago. The advanced system uses two 4-by-5 inch active-matrix LCD screens to display the Meggitt Avionics New Generation Integrated Cockpit (MAGIC) electronic flight instrument system (EFIS). The AOPA Sweepstake airplane's MAGIC system is expected to be the first such installation certified by the FAA in a Bonanza.

The top screen, called the primary flight display (PFD), shows airspeed, vertical speed, artificial horizon, altimeter, directional gyro, and localizer and glideslope instruments. The bottom screen displays navigation information and allows the pilot to choose the type of display (HSI, Arc, or Map), symbols to show on the display (airports, waypoints, navigational aids, and nondirectional beacons), and information sources for various displays.

If the PFD fails, one push of a button moves all the PFD data onto the bottom screen.

Avionics for this year's AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza are all Garmin International products, including both the large five-inch full-color display GNS 530 GPS/nav/com and its smaller sibling the GNS 430 GPS/nav/com. Other avionics include a GMA 340 audio panel with a six-place voice-activated intercom and marker beacon receivers and a GTX 327 solid-state transponder.

For entertainment, an Avionics Innovations CD player and AM/FM radio pipe high-fidelity audio through the intercom system. A Goodrich WX500 Series II Stormscope weather mapping system provides additional peace of mind for pilots flying in potentially stormy weather.

A novel P2, Inc., Audio Advisory System will warn the pilot of normal and abnormal landing gear positions and never-exceed airspeed limitations.

The AOPA Sweepstakes Bonanza also features an S-Tec System Fifty Five X full-function two-axis flight control system, with a programmer/computer that mounts in the avionics stack, a turn coordinator, an altitude selector/alerter, switches on the pilot wheel for autopilot disconnect and control wheel steering, and a remote annunciator. Coupled with the Garmin 530/430 GPS units, the S-Tec system can take over the flying immediately after takeoff and fly a flight of almost any complexity.

The smooth, wet-look polyurethane and urethane finish, planned by Scheme Designers of New Jersey and applied by Murmer Aircraft Services of Texas, is a coat of Matterhorn white with brilliant flight red over the lower half of the fuselage, and trim colors of silver and gold accenting the design.

AOPA is featuring articles throughout the year on the refurbishment of the 2001 membership sweepstakes Bonanza in AOPA Pilot magazine, with summaries and photos available on the AOPA Web site. Links to all companies contributing to the project are available online.

Companies contributing to the 2001 AOPA membership sweepstakes Bonanza are:

Engine compartment paint
Ada Aircraft Painting LLC, 2800 Airport Rd, Hangar D, Ada, Oklahoma 74820; telephone 580/332-6086; fax 580/332-4547; e-mail [email protected].

Fuel cells (bladders)
Aero-Tech Services, Inc., 8354 Secura Way, Santa Fe Springs, California 90670; telephone 562/696-1128; fax 562/945-1328.

Interior
Air Mod, 2025 Sporty's Drive, Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio 45103; telephone 513/732-6688; www.airmod.com.

Paint
Alpha Coatings, Inc., 310 West 12th St., Washington, Missouri 63090; telephone 800/875-3903; fax 636/390-3906 .

Technical guidance and one-year free membership for winner
American Bonanza Society, P.O. Box 12888, Wichita, Kansas 67277; telephone 316/945-1700; fax 316/945-1710; www.bonanza.org.

AM/FM radio with CD player
Avionics Innovations, Inc., 2450 Montecito Rd., Ramona, California 92065; telephone 760/788 2602; fax 760/789 7098; www.avionicsinnovations.com.

Standby alternator system
B&C Specialty Products, Inc., 123 East 4th, Newton, Kansas 67114; telephone 316/283-8000; www.bandcspecialty.com.

Sloped windshield, windows, vortex generators, aileron and flap gap seals
Beryl D'Shannon Aviation Specialties, Inc., P.O. Box 27966, Golden Valley, Minnesota 55427; telephone 800/328-4629 or 763/535-0505; fax 763/535-3759; www.beryldshannon.com.

Proficiency course for winner and spouse
Bonanza/Baron Pilot Proficiency Program, Inc., Mid-Continent Airport, P.O. Box 12888, Wichita, Kansas 67277; telephone 970/377-1877; fax 970/377-1512; e-mail [email protected]; www.bppp.org.

Wheels and brakes
Cleveland Division-Parker Hannifin Corporation, 1160 Center Rd., Avon, Ohio 44011; telephone 440/937-1315; fax 440/937-5409.

Prepurchase inspection assistance
Coastal Valley Aviation, Inc., 3119 Liberator St., Santa Maria, California 93455; telephone 805/928-7701; fax 805/928-4427; www.coastalvalleyaviation.com.

Aircraft battery
Concorde Battery Corporation, 2009 San Bernardino Road, West Covina, California 91792; telephone 626-813-1234; fax 626-813-1235; www.concordebattery.com.

Dual control yoke and control wheels
Cygnet Aerospace Corporation, , P.O. Box 6603, Los Osos, California 93412; telephone 805/528-2376; fax 805/528 2377; www.cygnet-aero.com.

Engine oil analysis kits
Engine Oil Analysis, 7820 South 70th East Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133; telephone/fax 918/492-5844; e-mail [email protected].

Engine oil
ExxonMobil Aviation Lubricants, 7400 Beaufont Springs Drive, Suite 410, Richmond, Virginia 23225; telephone 804-743-5762; fax: 804-743-5784; www.exxonelite.com/Lubes/Exxon/elite/.

Avionics suite (including audio panel / marker beacon / intercom, transponder, and dual nav/com/GPS units)
Garmin International, 1200 East 151st St., Olathe, Kansas 66062; telephone 913/397-8200; fax 913/397-8282; www.garmin.com.

Precision matched fuel injection nozzles
General Aviation Modifications, Inc., 2800 Airport Rd., Hangar A, Ada, Oklahoma 74820; telephone 888-FLY-GAMI, 580/436-4833; fax 580/436-6622; www.gami.com.

Tires and tubes
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, 1144 E. Market Street, Akron, Ohio 44316; telephone 330/796-6323; fax 330/796-6535; www.goodyear.com.

Avionics and instrument panel installation
J. A. Air Center, DuPage Airport, 3N060 Powis Rd., West Chicago, Illinois 60185; telephone 800/323-5966 or 630/584-3200; fax 630/584-7883; www.jaair.com.

Wing tip fuel tank system
J. L. Osborne, Inc.,, 18173 Osborne Rd., Victorville, California 92392; telephone 800/963 8477, 760/245 8477; fax 760/245 5735; www.jlosborne.com.

Engine monitor
J.P. Instruments Inc., 3185-B Airway Ave., Costa Mesa, California 92626; telephone 800/345-4574, 714/557-3805; fax 714/557-9840; www.jpinstruments.com.

Beryl D'Shannon upgrade and modification installations
Therese and Doug Kelly, Rt 2, Box R45, Military Highway, Mercedes, Texas; telephone 888/787-0689.

Propeller
McCauley Propeller Systems, 3535 McCauley Drive, Vandalia, Ohio 45377; telephone 800/621-PROP or 937/890-5246; fax 937/890-6001; www.mccauley.textron.com.

MAGIC EFIS display system
Meggitt Avionics, Inc., 10 Ammon Drive, Manchester, New Hampshire 03103; telephone 603/669-0940; fax 603/669-0931; www.meggitt.com.

Four-place oxygen system with Electronic Delivery System (EDS)
Mountain High E & S Company, 625 S.E. Salmon Avenue, Redmond, Oregon 97756-8696; telephone 800/468-8185, 541/923-4100; fax 541/923-4141; www.mhoxygen.com.

Paint
Murmer Aircraft Services, Houston SW Airport, 503 McKeever Rd. #1504, Arcola, Texas 77583; telephone 281/431 3030; fax 281/431 3031; www.murmerair.com.

Audio landing gear and overspeed (Vne) warning system
P2, Inc., P.O. Box 26, Mound, Minnesota 55364-0026; telephone 888/921-8359, 952/472-2577; fax 952/472-7071; www.p2inc.com.

Airplane dealer
San Diego Aircraft Sales, Gillespie Field, 1987 N. Marshall Ave., Ste. 110, El Cajon, California 92020; telephone 619/562-0990; fax 619/562-0121; www.sandiegoac.com.

Paint design
Scheme Designers, 277 Tom Hunter Road, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024, 201-947-5889; www.schemedesigners.com.

Magnetic compass
SIRS Product Services, 25422 Trabuco Rd. #105, PMB 436, Lake Forest, California 92630 telephone 310/325-3422; fax 949/951-0778 .

Cabin sound suppression kit
Skandia Inc., 5002 North Highway 251, Davis Junction, Illinois 61020; telephone 815/393-4600; fax 815/393-4814; http://skandiainc.com.

Autopilot and EFIS certification
S-Tec Corporation, One S-Tec Way, Municipal Airport, Mineral Wells, Texas 76067; telephone 940/325-9406; fax 940/325-3904; www.s-tec.com.

Engine
Superior Air Parts, Inc., 14280 Gillis Rd, Dallas, Texas 75244; telephone 972/233-4433; fax 972/233-8809; www.superair.com.

Airframe anti-ice system
TKS Ice Protection Systems, 3213 Arnold Ave., Salina, Kansas 67401; telephone 888/865-5511 or 785/493-0946; fax 785/493-0959; www.weepingwings.com.

Turbonormalizer system and annual inspection
Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc., 300 Airport Rd, Ada, Oklahoma 74820; telephone 877/359-8284 or 580/332-3510; fax 580/332-4577; www.taturbo.com.

Engine buildup and test
Western Skyways, Inc., 1865 Launa Dr., Montrose, Colorado 81401; telephone 800/575-9929 or 970/249-0232; fax 970/249-4155; www.westernskyways.com.

Strobe lights
Whelen Engineering Co., Route 145, Winthrop Road, Chester, Connecticut 06412-0684; telephone 860/526-9504; fax 860/526-4078; www.whelen.com.

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