In January 2021, a total of 85 preowned Bonanza airplanes were listed for sale. In May, the available supply was down to 58. A balanced supply to demand ratio of preowned listings is said to be 3% of the manufactured models that were shipped. The preowned listings for Bonanza models are below one percent (58 pre-owned listings / 18,000 mfg. = 0.0032).
© 2021 Connecting Aviators® Above and Beyond
“The 75th Anniversary Edition Beechcraft Bonanza blends modern technology with retro styling. Its custom interior and paint scheme were inspired by Olive Ann Beech’s signature blue color. Textron says, the retro scheme is a nod to Mrs. Beech’s strength, vision, pioneering leadership and her well documented style. The interior color combination reflects classic trends from the 1950’s when Mrs. Beech assumed leadership of the company. She adopted the color on advice of fashion designer Oleg Cassini. The color became her brand and could be found on everything from her dress suits and office furnishings to her automobile paint and personal aircraft interiors.”
“The commemorative Bonanza G36 stylishly incorporates the color on the exterior paint scheme and the interior’s window panels, carpet and accents. The seat upholstery lines and sidewall and table contours add a sporty, modern interest to the retro color palette. Other details include a “Bubble B” logo registered in 1954 on the carpet entry and her signature used as a metal piece above the cabin table and as an exterior graphic below the pilot window.”
Refer to last week’s post for illustrative pictures of the 75th anniversary edition exterior and interior.
In 1932, Walter and Olive Ann started Beech Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas and 15 years later in 1947 the Bonanza airplane entered the market. It’s the now the longest continuously produced aircraft in history. More than 18,000 Bonanzas have been manufactured.
To commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary in 2022, a limited-edition Beechcraft Bonanza G36 has been announced by Textron Aviation. “The special-edition Bonanza will be powered by a 300-horsepower Continental IO-550-B engine driving a three-blade, constant-speed propeller. The aircraft has a maximum cruise speed of 176 knots, boasts a maximum range of more than 920 nautical miles, can loft a 1,060-pound payload, and has a service ceiling of 18,500 feet msl.” The flight deck includes Garmin’s G1000 NXi next generation avionics.
© 2021 Connecting Aviators® Above and Beyond
The American Bonanza Society monthly magazine has a good article “Thoughts on Forming Beech Clubs” written by Paul Lilly, President ABS. Paul shares his story about airplane co-ownership and the lessons learned along the way. He says, there are a lot of people who wish there was a high-performance airplane club nearby; however, he never hears anyone say they are willing to start one. Starting a club requires a fair amount of work.
There are 3 types of pilots and 3 airplane co-ownership situations:
Paul’s story covers the following topics: “Take the Lead.” It’s not difficult to start a club it just takes some work. Be a leader. “Define your airplane first.” If you’re building a club around an airplane you already own or have selected, you’re ready to go. But if you’re trying to decide, Paul reviews the pitfalls of too many cooks trying to select a plane. “Size Matters.” Paul says, the ideal club is from two to a maximum of five people. Each pilots’ share of fixed and acquisition costs is divided by the total members. But more members usually limits the airplane’s availability and has insurance cost implications. “Making Your Intentions Know.” Usually, the higher the price of the airplane the longer the time to find the right pilots. Connecting with pilots interested in co-ownerships needs to be easier.
You can find Paul’s full article in the American Bonanza Society magazine, March 2021 publication on page 2.
© 2021 Connecting Aviators® Above and Beyond
After 5 years of manufacturing, 242 Cirrus Vision personal jets have been delivered to customers.
Table 1. Cirrus Vision SF50 Jet Shipments
| Year | Cirrus Vision SF50 Jet |
| 2020 | 73 |
| 2019 | 81 |
| 2018 | 63 |
| 2017 | 22 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| Total | 242 |
It’s Good Friday. I hope you can take some time off and indeed say “Christ the Lord is Risen,” As Charles Wesley wrote, circa 1739 –
Soar we now where Christ has led;
Following our exalted Head;
Made like him, like him we rise;
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies. Alleluia!
Your Glory hidden in creation is now revealed in Christ.
1 Cor. 15:1-8; & 12-28; 1 Tim 1:17
After 4-years, the Cirrus SR22 G6 has slightly outsold its G5 normally aspirated predecessor. More than 508 customers have taken delivery of the G6 normally aspirated piston-engine plane which was introduced in 2017. That’s 18 or 4% more buyers than the Cirrus SR22 G5 during its 4-year production run from 2013 – 2016. Both are favored models and it seems the pilot attraction keeps getting stronger with each generation advancement.
Table 1: Comparison of Cirrus SR22 G6 to SR22 G5 Shipments
| Year | SR22 G6 | SR22 G5 | Variance | Percent |
| 2020 | 107 | -26 | -20% | |
| 2019 | 131 | 3 | 2% | |
| 2018 | 135 | 18 | 15% | |
| 2017 | 135 | 23 | 21% | |
| 2016 | 133 | |||
| 2015 | 128 | |||
| 2014 | 117 | |||
| 2013 | 112 | |||
| Total | 508 | 490 | 18 | 4% |
After 4-years, the Cirrus SR22T G6 has outsold its G5 predecessor. More than 738 customers have taken delivery of the G6 Turbo which was introduced in 2017. That’s 155 or 27% more buyers than the Cirrus SR22T G5 achieved in its 4-year production run from 2013 – 2016. Both are favored turbo models but the pilot attraction keeps getting stronger with each generation advancement. Cirrus Aircraft has the most popular piston-engine turbo ever built.
Table 1: Comparison of Cirrus SR22T Turbo G6 to G5 Shipments
| Year | SR22T G6 | SR22T G5 | Variance | Percent |
| 2020 | 184 | 35 | 23% | |
| 2019 | 200 | 58 | 41% | |
| 2018 | 180 | 20 | 13% | |
| 2017 | 174 | 42 | 32% | |
| 2016 | 149 | |||
| 2015 | 142 | |||
| 2014 | 160 | |||
| 2013 | 132 | |||
| Total | 738 | 583 | 155 | 27% |
© 2021 Connecting Aviators® Above and Beyond
Celebrating women in history this month. One hundred years ago, Amelia Earhart was taking flying lessons. Even today, she remains in the news for her accomplishments and pursuit of goals. Although Amelia may be most frequently mentioned in discussions surrounding her disappearance on the circumnavigation attempt in 1937 she achieved celebrity status in her lifetime for different reasons. Amelia personified the pursuit of adventure, determination, and breaking of norms. She was a strong promoter of air travel and women in aviation and women in new world roles.
MeLinda Schnyder, aviation and travel writer, published 10 anecdotes about Earhart’s life in honor of Women’s History Month. Here are ten things you might not know about A.E.
References:
MeLinda Schnyder, “Aspects of Amelia Earhart That Might Surprise You. Celebrating Women’s History Month With Little-Known Facts About Legendary Pilot,” AOPA, March 3, 2021
Cirrus Aircraft has been manufacturing the certified Vision Personal Jet since 2016 and the SR series airplanes since 1999. Total customer shipments were 8,234 at the end of 2020. Details by the numbers are below.
Table 1: Cirrus Aircraft Shipments by Year
| Year | SF50 Jet | SR22 Turbo | SR22 | SR20 | SRV | Total |
| 2020 | 73 | 184 | 107 | 56 | 0 | 420 |
| 2019 | 81 | 200 | 131 | 53 | 0 | 465 |
| 2018 | 63 | 180 | 135 | 65 | 0 | 443 |
| 2017 | 22 | 174 | 135 | 46 | 0 | 377 |
| 2016 | 3 | 149 | 133 | 35 | 0 | 320 |
| 2015 | 0 | 142 | 128 | 31 | 0 | 301 |
| 2014 | 0 | 160 | 117 | 31 | 0 | 308 |
| 2013 | 0 | 132 | 112 | 32 | 0 | 276 |
| 2012 | 0 | 88 | 81 | 84 | 0 | 253 |
| 2011 | 0 | 102 | 105 | 48 | 0 | 255 |
| 2010 | 0 | 107 | 115 | 42 | 0 | 264 |
| 2009 | 0 | 150 | 88 | 28 | 0 | 266 |
| 2008 | 0 | 250 | 177 | 115 | 7 | 549 |
| 2007 | 0 | 300 | 288 | 112 | 10 | 710 |
| 2006 | 0 | 30 | 535 | 150 | 6 | 721 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 475 | 116 | 9 | 600 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 459 | 91 | 3 | 553 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 355 | 112 | 2 | 469 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 292 | 105 | 0 | 397 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 59 | 0 | 183 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 0 | 95 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 242 | 2348 | 4092 | 1515 | 37 | 8234 |
”Cirrus Aircraft’s first high-performance SR Series airplane – the SR20 – was delivered in 1999 and transformed general aviation with intuitive avionics, game-changing performance and revolutionary safety systems, including the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®). The SR Series has been the world’s best-selling single-engine piston for 18 years in a row, with a portfolio that includes the SR20, SR22 and the turbocharged SR22T.”
In 2021, Cirrus launched a limited edition SR series to commemorate the 8,000th customer delivery. The SR Series aircraft have exceeded 11 million flight hours and are flown in more than 60 countries around the world.
Table 1. References: GAMA Annual Reports and Matt Bergwall, 2006-2010 Cirrus Aircraft stats for factory installed Tornado Alley Turbonormalized (TAT) supplemental type certificate installations, which are not identified in GAMA statistics or the FAA registration database. The FAA records list model SR22 for Cirrus planes with TAT systems.
© 2021 Connecting Aviators® Above and Beyond
