An aerobatic Bonanza?

When I saw Bill Cunningham’s aerobatic Beechcraft Bonanza on the ramp at the Beech Bash in the Bluegrass in Madisonville, Kentucky, it was one of those moments. I know you are not supposed to touch someone’s airplane, but I couldn’t resist. The paint lines were smooth to the touch. This restoration is like those amazing vintage biplanes where you see into the paint; it’s not so much a surface as it is an atmosphere.

Only someone consumed by a passion for airplanes and flight could achieve that level of detail. I had to meet Cunningham, the current caretaker of this E33C, CJ–2, the second aerobatic Bonanza off the production line.

Cunningham has been an active aircraft mechanic for almost 50 years; he recently completed an in-depth restoration of his Cessna 182. His specialty is overhauling Continental and Lycoming aircraft engines with the company he founded at Riverside Airport (RVS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Powermaster Aircraft Engines. For Cunningham, who bought the Bonanza in April 2023, restoring the Bonanza was going to be his hobby for the next few years.

The story of N775JW starts in late 1968 with the first owner, Judy Wagner. Wagner was a cross-country racer who had competed in the All-Women’s Transcontinental Air Race, often called the Powder Puff Derby. She won the race in 1967 in her Bonanza K35 and bought the second aerobatic Bonanza produced the next year, when she won the Angel Derby. Wagner participated in many CAFE (comparative aircraft flight efficiency) races and other cross-country air rallies.

She also gravitated to pylon racing. Wagner raced 5JW at Race 11 in the 1968 National Championship Air Race, qualifying in first place with a speed of 186.53 mph. She won her heat race at a speed of 190.03 mph and finished fifth in the trophy race. In 1969 she finished second in the Florida National Air Races, and first in the Cleveland National Air Races. Switching to Formula 1 at the Reno National Championship Air Races, she won a heat race in 1971.

Wagner set three coast-to-coast world speed records in 5JW. She was scheduled to race the Derby again in N775JW in 1982, but she and her husband were killed testing a different race airplane.

Beechcraft produced 25 E33C aerobatic airplanes for the civilian market from 1968 through 1970 when the F33A replaced the various other 33 models. At that point the F33C became the standard aerobatic Bonanza, with Beechcraft eventually producing 154. The vast majority of this version were purchased in batches as pilot trainers for the air forces of Mexico, Spain, and Iran. KLM and Lufthansa also operated the airplane as primary trainers, probably for much the same reason Judy Wagner chose the airplane for air racing. It is stressed for positive 6 Gs and negative 3 Gs. With a stronger empennage and a vastly strengthened spar carry-through structure, the airplane was better suited for hard student landings, rough handling in a training environment, and turbulent air encountered by racers at low altitudes.

From the beginning, Beechcraft was not hesitant to modify the basic 35 series fuselage, seeking new markets and developing new products. In 1948 Walter Beech began work on the Model 45 as a private venture. This eventually evolved into the T–34A, 450 of which were sold to the U.S. Air Force beginning in 1953. The U.S. Navy flew the T–34B from 1955 to 1976 when it switched to the T–34C Turbo Mentor. At the height of the Vietnam War in 1968 Beechcraft took an E33A with various parts from other aircraft programs and built six YQU–22A gunships, two of which were lost in combat. That program led to 27 QU–22Bs being built for the U.S. Air Force and seeing service in Vietnam. Right after the last YQU–22A was built the company again used the E33A as a basis for the E33C.

N775JW made its way to Tulsa’s Riverside Airport in 2005, where Chuck Griger, an airline pilot and mechanic, began tweaking the airplane. Griger had bought 5JW from the Wagner estate. He enlarged the baggage compartment and put a fifth seat in the baggage area. Virtually all the other aerobatic Bonanzas have the small baggage area and the small door, primarily for center of gravity and weight. For aerobatics, the airplane is limited to two people, reduced fuel load, and a gross weight of 2,800 pounds. To do aerobatics, the rear seats must also be removed with nothing else in the cabin.

Given the racing heritage of the airplane Griger felt the need for speed and added a few of the Mike Smith speed mods for the Bonanza. Antennas, badges, and other paraphernalia were removed. Tail cone batwings were added to reduce intersection drag where the rudder and elevators meet. Special attention was made to the surface roughness and the sharp edges of the leading-edge vortex generator. Little details all over the airplane were modified to reduce drag. He also repainted the airplane from its original factory scheme.

Cunningham wasn’t planning to buy an E33C.

“It fell in my lap,” said Cunningham. “I had no intention of buying another airplane until I saw it on Beechtalk. It was especially convenient being here at my own field. Jason Griffin had purchased it after Chuck died the year before. I went and looked at it and liked it. I called Kevin O’Halloran and he told me I was stupid if I didn’t buy it, but he’s talked to me like that for 25 years.”

Cunningham said he started the restoration with mechanical things. “Like I replaced all the rod ends on the elevators, the ailerons, and the trim tab push rods. I rebuilt the elevator scissors behind the panel. As well as other details like that. I just went through the airplane and looked at everything.”

When the airplane was up to his specifications mechanically, Cunningham knew he was going to have Dennis Wolters at Air Mod do the interior.

“I took it to Cincinnati Avionics for what’s become the standard—so many people do the same thing and I just did that. I put in a Garmin G3X, a GTN 650 and 750, a GFC 500 autopilot and a JPI 930, all in the center stack. Then Dennis at Air Mod replaced all the windows, built new sidewall panels and floorboards, then a new leather interior. All in all, it was there for 17 months.”

Cunningham then flew the Bonanza back to Riverside Airport. “I detailed the engine compartment and installed the newly overhauled engine. During the engine build, I did all the things I’ve learned at Powermaster’s over the years. Paying attention to the little things, the fine details, you find out is the best way to do things. When I restored my 182, I painted it orange. I had such a great reception to the color I thought this was the only way to go for the Bonanza, so of course I painted the engine crankcase orange to match. I chose the MT propeller due to its light weight and performance. I had experience with it on my 182. I don’t have a CG issue, it’s actually the same as when it was delivered from the factory.”

Virtually all Bonanza pilots love the smooth and harmonized flight controls. The aerobatic Bonanza extends that feeling into the vertical.After the powerplant was completed, Cunningham worked with Evoke Aircraft Design to design the paint scheme.

“It took a bit of back and forth, but we finally got a fantastic plan. Evoke printed stencils for the painters. Then I took it to Master Aircraft Services so Gus Haussler could start the painting task in May of last year. I picked it up in September and began sanding and buffing. I had Gus clear coat the plane so I could do this critical step to bring out the perfect light reflection. The only way to get a finish to stand out above others is to do several passes with finer grit sandpaper and then buff it. I used 2,000, 3,000, and 5,000 grit sandpaper and then three different buffing compounds. The Orange Pearl really pops the way I imagined it would.”

“After finishing the paint, I removed and overhauled each of the landing gear struts, installed new master cylinders, new brake hoses, replaced the nose gear pushrods and added the new style drag brace. I barely finished for the Beech Bash. This was the first public appearance for the airplane. I’m worn out!”

Now that he has a virtually brand-new aerobatic Bonanza, Cunningham said, “Well, the first thing I want to do is finish my instrument rating in the airplane and then travel. The Bonanza is really fast, in the six- to nine-thousand-foot range I can easily cruise at 187 knots TAS around 15 gallons per hour, lean of peak. That’s fun. I’m an accomplished RC aerobatic pilot and now I want to learn gentleman aerobatics from the inside of the airplane. I think it would be neat to fly in Basic at one IAC contest just to do it. Staying in the box would be another thing.”

Virtually all Bonanza pilots love the smooth and harmonized flight controls. The aerobatic Bonanza extends that feeling into the vertical.

All aerobatic maneuvers are combinations of a roll and/or a loop. How well the airplane does these defines its performance overall. For the Bonanza, aileron rolls are done at 140 knots and are almost effortless to fly well. Just pull the nose up to about 20 degrees pitch, unload slightly to about half a G, then roll the aileron full left or right. The loop is entered at 167 knots; hold the ailerons neutral and use the center section of the control yoke to pull 4 G. Looking forward until all you can see is blue sky, then look left over your shoulder to monitor the horizon. Approaching the inverted position, look forward again to complete the maneuver. Cuban Eights, hammerheads, and the like all become a matter of timing. The aerobatic Bonanza flows through each maneuver with grace.

Jim Peitz actively does airshows for the public, doing gentleman aerobatics in his F33C, using nothing more than cruise power. The Bonanza has evolved into a fast, versatile general aviation airplane and if you are lucky enough to own an aerobatic version you can experience the joy of inverted flight as well.

Scott Perdue is a former U.S. Air Force and airline pilot who flew F–4s and F–15Es and flies his own F33C. He is an aviation writer, CFI, and creator of FlyWire.