Norse Gaines --> Redtail 51
Bonanza 5151Charlie is a B35 (1950) model and represents the last model year before model changes – so-called improvements - began. It has the identical configuration, as the first Bonanza’s that rolled off Walter Beech’s factory floor in 1946 and 1947. A total of 480 “B” models were built.
This particular Bonanza carries an E185-8 engine that produces 205hp @ 2600 rpm for one (1) minute and 185hp @ 2300 rpm continuous. However, the “B” model is only certified to 196hp @ 2450 rpm for one (1) minute and 185hp @ 2050 rpm continuous. All this means is that 5151Charlie has more engine capability than she is certified for – a little extra margin of power.
She cruises at 167mph (145kts) all day @ 23” manifold pressure and 2050rpm. She burns 9.5 to 10 gals per hour at cruise and carries 34 usable gallons in the mains and 10 gals in the auxiliary tank located under the rear seat. She handles superbly in all flight regimens and is mostly factory original including the panel, the side windows (two instead of three), the retractable boarding step and the split front window. The exception is the Cleveland brakes installed after I purchased the plane. She’s an all-electric aircraft that was a big deal back in the 1940’s. Her propeller, landing gear, and flaps are all electrically actuated and are quite dependable too.
I have always wanted to own a Bonanza. I recalled the first Bonanza I saw on approach to Santa Monica Airport back in the day. It’s distinctive “V” tail and sleek lines represented the ultimate in man’s ability to take wings and fly. I just had to have one someday. That day came in April, 2000 and after many trips around the country chasing my dream behind Trade-a-Plane advertisements. I traveled as far as New Bern, North Carolina to fall in love with yet another Bonanza and to leave a large deposit only to get cold feet on my return trip home. One has lots of time to think about the decisions one makes on long return flights home. I have left many a deposit only to cancel the deal the very next day because I had convinced myself that some aspect of this USED airplane I had decided upon would be my undoing. Even so, I have been lucky enough to have all these deposits returned to me in time. By and large all the people I have met in the general aviation industry are a fine group of folks. However, purchasing an aircraft located outside your familiar surroundings is not recommended.
With this recommendation in mind, 5151Charlie were purchased in Mankato, Minnesota. I was able to hook up my pre-purchase inspection at company expense on the way to a business meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (I was beginning to get a little smarter after watching my nest egg dwindle behind uncontrollable urges to go purchase this or that aircraft found on the Internet and in some far-off corner of the U.S.)
There are no direct flights to Cedar Rapids. You get to Cedar Rapids through Dallas, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, or Minneapolis, Minnesota. I decided to get there through Minneapolis and left home on a Saturday morning well in advance of my Tuesday business meeting. Most airlines don't care that you layover at a connection point; the price is the same. Well, this is what I did. I hopped off in Minnesota and rented a wreck to travel to Mankato, Minnesota about 60 miles south. I met up with a retired gentleman and his wife at their home on Saturday afternoon. We had only previously corresponded by phone and e-mails, exchanging airplane photos and videotape. Of course, you never know what reaction you gonna get when you show up but if these folks were surprised to see me they certainly played it off. One must also consider that we’re talking about the upper Midwest where our presence has never been of any consequence. Chicago is about as far north as we get unless we were talking Sojourner Truth’s time and the Underground Railroad where anyplace in Canada was safe haven for our peoples. Also consider that in this general aviation business, not too many people are looking for aircraft. It’s slim pickings out there. By in large, buyers wield lots of control.
I’m flying 5151Charlie and sitting right seat the same day I arrived in Mankato, Minnesota, this aircraft’s home base. Once airborne, this ole gentleman drops about thirty (30) years once he’s behind the wheel. You think you know how to perform chandelles? Don’t let Paul Butzer of Mankato, Minnesota into the contest.
Anyway, he the throws wheel over to me. Of course, I don’t expect anything less since you don’t buy unless you fly. After a thorough shake down flight of the aircraft’s performance capabilities it comes time to return to home base. I’ve still got the wheel when upon approach to landing my nerves begin to fray. I’m playing it off, though. MACHO MAN! Although I have flown several Bonanza’s before, I HAD NEVER LANDED ONE! The landing was respectable with the ole gentleman controlling the throttle, trim and brakes (only on the left seat) and I never let on that this was my maiden touchdown in a Bonanza. The things some people do both to demonstrate they can fly the plane and/or sell the plane.
No longer a virgin and fully convinced that come hell or high water, this fine aircraft would be mine, we proceeded with the business of a more in-depth non-emotional (ha-ha!) examination. We arranged at dinner that evening at a local restaurant to meet the next day at his $105 a month hangar. And, he had two of these hangars since he had two Bonanzas. (Some people have more toys than they can play with) This ole gentleman provided me access for as long as I needed to conduct my inspection. He also provide me with warm clothing – it is COLD this time of the year in Minnesota – and flashlights, and inspection mirror, dollies, hot coffee, etc. Anything I needed to satisfy my need to know all I could before I plopped over my hard-earned cash. Lesson learned: ask for a heater the next time! It was cold during the inspection that took several hours.
You may ask why I didn’t have a professional do the inspection? Good question! The answer is that I didn’t know anyone from these necks of the woods that I would trust and figured that I was as savvy as anyone having purchased and maintained two previous aircraft. Plus, nobody can tell me anything anyway. Also, my buddy Rod Carter would show up soon to save me from any gross failures of judgment about this aircraft.
The inspection went fine. I opened all covers checking for corrosion and this and that. I climbed under the belly, into the engine compartment and over the fuselage and wings. I wrote down the negative items that I would use to support my offer - an offer that would be nowhere nears the asking price because of my education, training and cultural disposition. I thoroughly examined the logbooks noting discrepancies or entries that begged for further explanation. I was a virtual Sherlock Holmes Jones. But, when all said and done, I wanted 5151Charlie. Had to have her. All this activity was done on Sunday.
On Monday, I gently nudged the ole gentleman with my offer along side some lonely road leading to the Mankato Airport. I had gone their for one last look-see and he was to meet me there. Somehow that roundevu didn’t happen and we crossed each other traveling on opposite sides of this road. I had painstakingly justified to myself an offer that would be fully supportable with cold hard data. This offer was constructed to be many thousands of dollars below his asking price and cheaper than anything I had recently observed in Trade-a-Plane for an aircraft of this pedigree and condition. In other words, START LOW! REAL LOW!
This ole gentleman didn’t seen so old after he was sure he had heard my offer correctly. He metamorphosed from a virtual Dr. Jackal into a Mr. Hyde while rejecting my offer with such a sense of injustice and indignation that I was sure I had misspoken. Had I said something like fifdeen (15) instead of fidy (50) though these weren’t the numbers? He rejected my offer in such a rapid-fire verbal response that for a moment I thought I had engaged a rapper from South Central syncopating on the subject of police brutality. I was asking myself, how could someone be so calm and refined and considerate one moment and want to take your head off in the next? I couldn’t believe that this was the same ole man that insisted on picking up my dinner at the restaurant the night before. He said that he would donate that aircraft to the local college before he accepted my offer and that a higher number ($3K more) was previously offered. I was saying to myself that he should have taken it and save me from this dry mouth attack I was having.
But, I said OK. I’d offer the same price as previously offered not really having any basis for it other than a gut feel that the ole man wasn’t letting this plane go for anything less. There was silence. Just like in the movie Ghosts, Puff, the image of the rapper disappeared and the ole refined gentleman was back. He chilled out. The deal was done conditioned on 5151Charlie passing a compression test to be witnessed by your truly and CBAAs own Rod Carter, former TWA A&P mechanic who was scheduled to fly in on Thursday after I returned from my Cedar Rapids meetings. We would some wire transfers – checks and credit cards are out of the question – and be on our way back to California.
I plopped my money down on this vintage 1950 Bonanza B35, all $28,000, and was about to embark on a trip back to Southern California along with my A&P buddy, Rod Carter. New, this aircraft sold for $11,975. By comparison, my father-in-law purchased his first new home in 1945 at a price of $5,200. Considering inflation conservatively at 2% a year for five years or 10%, a like kind new home in 1950 would approximate $5,700. We’re talking a very expensive toy back in the day. This recent purchase occurred on April 6, 2000.
In February 2000, N5151C was advertised in Trade-A-Plane for $33,000. Total time was 3100 hours and 1100 hours on the engine. The advertisement showed that in 1995 the owner had installed new flaps (aluminum vs. magnesium), new elevator (left side only), and new wing bolts. Also, new ELT battery, new turn and bank indicator, front fork rebuild, main gear seals, new muffler and tail pipes and a few other smaller squawks taken care of. In 1996 she got a new battery, new antenna and new 720-channel radio (TKM digital) installed. In 1997 the elevator rod AD was taken care of and three new chrome cylinders (Gibson rebuilds) installed. In 1998-9, lots of small items – bushings, etc. – “to make it perfect” were installed including new windshields and tires. Sounds good huh? Well, this is what it didn’t have. Not one VOR head to render this aircraft Day VFR Only; not a working transponder although I didn’t know this for a while; and, not a reliable CHT instrument which again I found out about in actual cross-country flight conditions.
The purchase of this aircraft hinged on successfully passing the all-important compression check. Well, one of the six cylinders was found blowing air through the exhaust pipe ever so slightly with a compression reading of 57psi. Yeah, it had seen a gear up landing although the repairs were good ones. (Note: This last item did not appear in the logbook but detected through careful inspection of the keel. Curious how such important facts miss being recorded in any record including the FAAs.)
Considering whether to do this deal or not, I reasoned that anything fifty years old must have a few flaws. In fact, had the aircraft not had a gear up in fifty years I would have considered this suspicious? The question is, is it a flyer and does its systems operate as they were designed? My evaluation indicated “yes” and that N5151C still had lots of life in her. So, I decided to go for it while reasoning that the cylinder should clean up in the 1400-mile trek home.
So, we took off. This time from Wells, Minnesota, south of Mankato on the Minnesota - Iowa border. We took off from a grass strip. A first.
I took off piloting from the left seat. A first!
We took off only to quickly come back and land on that same grass strip. Still another first!
We've got a problem. I could not get the electric prop to gear down from about 2600 rpm to 2050 rpm after one minute as the POH directs. Fortunately, the previous owner was still there. He had not taken the money and ran. Another good sign!
The previous owner quickly determined that the circuit breaker had tripped somehow and needed to be reset. With this done we took off again from the Bermuda grass strip. Gear came up smartly. This model has a retraction time of 9.7 seconds. Prop was set to 2050rpm after one minute. Throttle was set to 25in. We’re heading direct to Omaha Nebraska. Every things perfect. IAS is 160mph at 6500ft. Weather is severe clear. Spirits have been lifted several levels.
Calling into Omaha Tower near the Council Bluffs and the Missouri River is the first time that I get an indication the transponder’s not working. At this same time I’m looking at the CHT instrument that’s registering zero. No indicator reading whatsoever. Since the control tower seems to be dealing with the transponder problem, I deal with the plane. I get it down and set up for a nice landing. Landing number two in this complex high performance beast. A breeze. N5151C lands on this runway as if it were a Cherokee 140, but better.
It’s evening so Rod and I call it a day and check in a hotel in downtown Omaha. During dinner Rod and I reviewed our flight thus far and discussed our flight plan for the next morning. We also discuss the transponder and CHT problems and decide to get them repaired the very next morning.
The next morning we’re at the airport bright and early waiting for the mechanics to come on duty. We’re at a fairly upscale FBO – large hangers, multiple corporate and commuter class planes, fancy lobby, etc. This should have been the first tip off of what the program was for this operator.
You come in here with your Bonanza and want to get something taken care of, do ya? Well, hold onto your pocket book, fella. We’re about to show you how it’s done.
Well. After an hour of watching the sloooow mechanic chase the CHT lead from the number six spark plug though the firewall and into the back of my instrument cluster, I had had enough. I figured that at his pace, we’d be nowhere in several more hours. And, it was obvious that more Electro-mechanical sophistication was required to solve this problem than had showed up for work that day. So, I requested all involved to button it up and to time-out those work orders. Further, there was no need in even bringing up the transponder problem. Based on what I’d seen so far, I was sure their prescribed solution for the transponder would be to “remove and replace it.” And, I can do this myself at far less expense than fooling around with these jokers.
At about this time, a freak snowstorm moves over Omaha from the west. I mean, I had never seen anything like it. One minute it’s clear and the next this white powder is coming down in sheets and blankets. I request that 5151C be left in the hangar. No problem says the FBO. There would be no flight today and Rod and I take a taxi back to the hotel for lunch and a check in.
Next morning, we start over again. Rod and I have decided that we would sit the CHT problem on the back burner. The cylinder is firing. We’d determined this through a process of mental recollection of aircraft performance preceding and following the point in which I noticed the alarming reading. With this empirical data we had touch the cylinders with our fingers and found that all were equally hot. Therefore, in retrospect we chalked the incident up to a bad probe/harness/gauge. As for the transponder, we’d stay out of transponder territory and report our transponder situation and request special clearances in cases where we had to enter a Mode C area.
We boarded the plane and ran through the checklist. When it came to “controls free and clear” we had another problem. The controls were “clear”, as there was nothing obstructing their deflection. However, they were far from “free”. Seems that the freezing temperatures that night and early morning had significantly stiffened up the cables, hinges, turnbuckles, etc. I had never experienced this aspect of whether on an aircraft before. I found that in due time the aircraft would warm up and the coldness would break. Lesson learned: Don’t be in to big of a hurry to depart on a cold morning as your control surfaces may not be ready out of deference to mother nature. Work those control surfaces (inside and outside the aircraft) until you are satisfied that they are providing a familiar response before you throttle forward.
On departure, we climbed to 8500”. Destination was Tucumcari, New Mexico. Wala! The CHT is working again. And, we’re clipping along at a ground speed of 190mph at some stretches alone our route but mostly in the 180’s. We’re managing our fuel by switching tanks of which 5151C has three. Two mains, left and right wing tanks of a combined 37 gallons useable, so the placard indicates. And, one ten-gallon auxiliary tank under the rear seat of the aircraft. Well. Don’t you know that while on the auxiliary tank, 5151C engine begins to sputter and finally quit altogether? Rod is quietly having a heart attach. Me too, but not so quietly. What’s going on? Let’s switch tanks we say in unison. That did it. The engine resumed normal operation. What happened? We ran the auxiliary tank empty. The auxiliary tank was full with ten gallons and was suppose to be sufficient to allow the aircraft to fly for 60 minutes plus given proper leaning technique. Wrong. We went dry in only 43 minutes. Lesson Learned: While the auxiliary tank does carry 60 minutes of fuel (proper leaning technique), it’s not totally available from the auxiliary tank. With this vintage Bonanza as with some other aircraft, the unburned fuel dumps into the left main fuel tank. In other words, the aircraft is pumping more fuel to the carburetor and at a rate (fuel flow) of greater than 10 gallons an hour. And what the engine doesn’t burn is returned to the left main tank. If you’re looking for that extra fuel, it’s in the left tank. And, that’s where Rod and I found it. The engine quickly fires back up without any pumping assist and we continue along our route.
From Tucumcari, we plan our next stop to be Phoenix, Arizona and our final stop to be John Wayne Airport, Orange County, California. We don’t make it. Rod declares an in-flight emergency. We’re in rough turbulence out of Tucumcari, when Rod get the urge to upchuck his breakfast in my new airplane. We find a suitable receptacle. Not the normal Baggies sold in pilot shops but a reasonable facsimile. Rod lets go and I look for the nearest airport. That happens to be Albuquerque International. We land, find a pilot's lounge and recline into a four-hour nap while looking at the Weather Channel.
We’re airborne and heading for Prescott, Arizona. Again, 5151C is doing better than we are and clipping right alone although not at the speeds we had seen during the early morning from Omaha to Tucumcari. Ground speed is approximately 135-140mph out of Prescott toward Santa Ana. Strong headwinds it turns out.
Night has fallen as we make our way over Lake Havasu and the Colorado River. Navigation lights on. Instrument panel lights are on but still to dim. Landing gear position lights dim to nearly out with the navigation lights on. Rotating beacon is on and working as we can see the red glow over the whiteness of the wings. All is well in the Day VFR aircraft. Can’t stop, too close to home.
Approaching the Banning Pass with Idyllwild on the left side and Mt. Baldy on the right. It’s dark and we can’t see the outline of those mountains. No moon. Scary. Although we approaching Highway 10 from the East North East, we haven’t quite got there and are trying to determine how close we are to Mt. Baldy and whether our right wing is dangerously close to it. Only victor airways could provide a solution and we had only a Garmin 195 GPS on board showing one-dimensional ground targets. We made it and we were miles from hitting any mountains but the sensation was unnerving. Not recommended doing it this way.
Entering the basin we would have to enter a Mode C area, the thirty-mile circle around LAX. John Wayne Airport falls within this circle, as do some of the reporting points along the way. We get to one of the reporting points, Mile Square Park, and call up the tower. We advise the tower where we are, that we have the ATIS information, and request permission to land. We also advise tower that Omaha Tower advised that they we’re picking up our transponder and that something must have recently gone south on us. John Wayne Tower acknowledges our transmission and provides a clearance to land.
The transponder was reported to be un-repairable by the local avionics shop the following week and required replacement. A grand. As it turns out 515Charlie costs a grand total of $29,000. But, it provided a cross-country of a lifetime. One cross county that I will never forget. Nor will Rod. And yes. The cylinder did clean up showing 71psi several days later.
More pictures of N5151C can be seen at: