The Debonair

My father, a 5000+ hour USAF pilot, would only rent Bonanzas for family trips. He passed years ago but I recall him teaching me to use fingertips when he'd throw the yoke over and let me feel the plane when I was 10.

Ain’t nowhere colder than the British Isles - the damp creeps into your bones

This is a statesman aircraft.. horsepower to spare, speed, agility, and ease of operating efficiency. It's a well balanced design, and begs to be flown. Nicely done again Mark.

During its first few years, the Debonair had a 225 hp engine. I flew that model (in a flying club) for several years. Certainly not a "hot" performer, but it did just fine on that engine.

There's no replacement for displacement. Beautiful aircraft, and I hope it finds a loving home/hanger.

Mark, I can’t think of a video that you have done that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. In fact I think your format for your videos is consistent and informative,, truly i feel my favorite aviation information source. Not boring, not conceited, not condescending.. just a regular guy with a pretty cool accent, with loads of talent and information well communicated to us regular guys who like airplanes. Thank you

years ago when i was actively flying i had a chance in a club i was in at oak intl airport north field, we had a debonair and it was a great plane and was glad to get checked out too fly it by a club instructor. it is truly the best of the bonanza series aircraft ever built as well as i had a chance to work on it. a great airplane.

Nice video. The 550 with the Scimitar prop is a great mod. Quieter cruise and better climb. The issue with manufacturing Ruddervator skins has more to do with Textron’s desire to be free of liability for anything associated with 50+ year old planes than anything else. They did just complete a production run of I believe 20 sets of skins. All but a few were bought by a single shop in Oklahoma. It’s a misnomer that the wag comes from the v-tail. It’s really a byproduct of the short-bodied nature of the fuselage. If you fly that Deb on a bumpy day, you will certainly feel the wag - especially in the rear seats. The v-tail plane actually has more vertical surface area and rudder authority than a traditional tail. All that said, a modern autopilot with a yaw damper in a straight or v tail solves the issue. Like the Mooney, the Debonair and especially the V-Tails are iconic. As you pointed out though, the Deb and Bonanza might not be as efficient but they sure are comfortable!

great work!

Thanks for making the video.

Loving these videos please do keep making them!

Thanks Mark good job.

Great review. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now imagine this bird upgraded with the 300hp diesel engine in the DA50 burning jet A with single lever power control and glass avionics!!!! Now you've got my dream plane and probably for a bargain price. It might have to be called "experimental"😮

A fine job flying a classic.

Thanks Mark. Your videos are really enjoyable. As long You can keep making them, we'll keep watching them.

thanks Mark, really enjoy your channel, Ted in Sebastian, Florida

Thanks for your excellent work!! These are the best airplane walk-arounds on KZhead. Full stop!

Love that aircraft .

What a fun video to watch and very informative. One can dream right? :)

Great to see you back Mark, great video as usual.

delightful plane and delightful flight. I've gotta put PVF on my list. It's absurd to own a v-tail but I still love them.

love the colors

Thank you Mark. Once again beautifully presented and very informative. Really appreciate your effort.

Nice plane. I learned to fly in a Mooney many years ago. Great video. thanks

Enjoy your videos very much. I like the way you get right to the point without the bloviating introduction that many seem to have to go through.

Thanks for taking us flying with you Mark, miss our Beechcraft.

Loved the video and the plane!

beachcraft does have some beautiful planed. Would love to take a flight in one at some point. Though I doubt I will find one as awesome as this 550 anytime soon.

What a killer Bonanza with the 550. I would love to have an unmolested specimen such as this. Upgradable to the moon. Nice vid.

Fantastic video I'm hard in the market for an Arrow or a Sierra, but now will definitely consider the Debonair! I love that, I would love to get 9 gal per hour but you're absolutely right if you get there twice as fast it's a win-win.

Great video! Thank you!

Thx Mark….now I understand the Debonair….great job as usual!👍🏼

I talked to you before Mark and love your videos. I ended up buying a 65 debonair and love it!

Another Great one Mark!! Also found out a couple things I didn't know about the Debonair. Solid Airplane for sure.

First time watching one of your videos. Very well Done. Thank you. I have never hard of this plane. Very cool. Also I had never heard of a landing gear mirror at the end of the wing. Very interesting.

I almost bought a Debonair. But the guy was never around so I never got to fly it. Then I sat in a Cardinal RG and I said "I don’t care if it's slower". I still wonder if a Debonair is in my future someday but after getting rear ended at a red light my back isn't getting better so we'll see. That's why the Cardinal, which by the way has almost an identical color scheme as the Debonair you flew! Love the videos. Keep em coming 👍

I flew a 225 hp version around Australia in early ‘66. Our company ran 2 x 285 hp A36 Bonanzas on 6 day week ‘paper runs. Our 400 Comanche wasn’t sufficiently fast enough to make the hot starts worth the hassle…..but it DID have a lovely wing. Beechcraft never had a working autopilot back then.

Mark, great video. I’d love to own a Bonanza some day. Currently enjoying my 1964 Cessna 150D….the future is bright! Love your videos and wonderful presentation every time.

Absolutely GORGEOUS Debonair.

Very nice plane and a great video as always. Enjoy them emencilly.

"Unobtaineumn" classic Mark!

That thick wing section is beautiful.

As a former Bonanza (A-36) owner, your video brings back the memories of what a great flying machine it is. I have had the privilege of flying some classics (T-38, AC-47, and B-52).

The first ever aircraft I ever flew was a '69 Beechcraft Musketeer. I never heard of the Debonair before but this looks like it's big brother. Everyday I learn something new.

Flew about 20 hours in a B-33 Debonair, rented at GGG, Longview, TX when I was in school at Le Tourneau University in the mid 90s. I was surprised, and a little uneasy, to be signed off in less than an hour! The only complex I'd flown then was a very old Arrow. However, I learned the simple Debonair quickly & easily. It is still the finest GA airplane I have ever flown! I'll ditto everything Mark said in this excellent video. It's extremely comfortable, fast, quiet, incredibly stable, and easy to fly. What impressed me most was how rock-solid stable the Debonair flew, truly a hands-off plane! I also remember a challenge learning to slow it down. It's very aerodynamic & loves to fly fast!

Did some gold panning out in colfax on the bear river…great to be reminded about how beautiful it is out there!!! Great video!

I agree with the others. Best walk around videos on the interwebs. Keep em coming.

Outstanding.

Nice planes Beech Debonairs are, I happen to own a Debonair B with the IO470K, it’s always a pleasure to fly it. Thanks for the video, excellent channel

Good job putting this Video together .....

Beautiful airplane!!! Greetings from Argentina!!

Absolutely love your videos. I've been honestly torn between my first plane, being a V-Tail, Sundowner, or a Sierra. Never heard of this series but I may have to add this to my list of potentials. I have a couple years before I really need to make a decision and continue building my hours up but channels like this really give me some solid perspective.

14:25 😲 Never seen this sort of positionable yoke before. Simply awesome!!!

What a sweet plane!

Thanks for the video! Owned a 63 B33 IO470 N 35 years, at altitude 162 knots 10.8-11.2 GPH …amazing machine!

You're a great salesman! I want one. Trouble is I end up wanting a lot of the planes you show. (and I'm not a pilot). Of course, I've loved Bonanza's and the Debonairs for over 60 years!

My dream aeroplane, you can really go places in one and as you say relatively speaking good fuel burn rates too. Thanks for sharing 👍😊

Thanks for that 👍🏼 ✨

Had a 76 F33A from 1989 to 1992, back when they were affordable. Great presentation on this beautiful and beefed up Debie!

Hi, Mark! Great aircraft😎

An excellent plane indeed! Enjoyable review of a Beechcraft product. I've not flown a Debonair but I do have time in Bonanzas and Barons. For high performance aircraft, one will be pleased with these machines.

I can see why people really like Debonairs and Beechcrafts in general. Very nice machine and I learned a lot from this great video! Thanks Mark!

Coral Gables 🌴🇺🇸 Nice example. GREAT airplane. 🏄

gosh, what a nice Debonair!

Great video, Mark! My brother has a 1966 C33-A Debonair, IO-520, 285 HP, and a 2-blade prop, it's really a nice ride. He had tip-tanks put on, it's got over a 1600 lb useful load and he can cruise all day in comfort @ 170 kn. He used to have a 1952 Bonanza with the V-tail and yeah, that 'Bonanza Boogy' minor fishtailing in flight, while not a problem, I'd rather do without. The Debonair is a smooth machine. I have minor mobility issues so getting out of a low wing is something of a controlled crash (LOL) so I'm good with my old 172.

I used to fly a 1973 Cherokee Arrow II in the mid-70's. Occasionally, I'd go on charters with my flight instructor in a Beech A-36. The Arrow was nice, but the A-36 was a Cadillac with a lot more muscle. Nice review. Thanks..

Woulda loved your walk-around of a MD-82 at G.R. Mich that just barely survived a terrific downdraft from visual warning from MDOT pickup. i.e. 5 - breaks in main wingspar, vee wing tips hanging to ground, all tin stretched out, antennas gone, oak limbs hanging from belly, & need new Cabin Crew as all injured. You'd a been for that!!

Love the channel. Seen this post before, but came back to watch again because of Jenny Blalock's accident. This is the same type of plane she was flying. Just wanted to get some insight.

Thanks Mark. Great content I have a client I give BFR and ICC in an F33. I learned something form video. Thanks. One soapbox request. Please don’t move flaps on the runway. Especially since you move between “normal” and Beech Switchology Take care.

That is a lovely aeroplane. I think the $250.00 per hour avgas cost, at United Kingdom prices would concern me, but if you want luxury....... 🤔. Thanks for posting.

The Mooney m20f that I flew for several years also had interlinked flight controls.

Every time I installed an oil cooler I placed it outside the engine compartment (flat with a 2" rise) added a thermostat and bypass so when the oil was below normal temp the bypass would block oil from getting to the cooler. When oil temp reached norm the bypass routed oil to the cooler. When oil hit Max Temp a small electric high speed fan kicked in bringing oil temp down fast. Worked like a dream. Especially good if you are stationery on the tarmac waiting to take off.

Beautiful aircraft Mark. Beechcraft have long been known as a "pilots aeroplane"

What a nice plane, really enjoy your reviews! 06:50 - that is 1.5 liter per cylinder... 550 CU = 9.01289 liter, massif indeed.

Love it.

My right ear loved the video.

Hi Mark thanks Again cheers David

Textron is actually making magnesium ruddervators once again.

The first 30-40 ‘47 bonanzas actually had fabric flaps and ailerons, and during development, they had fabric ruddervators

Great video, Mark! But you still can’t beat the efficiency of the 201.

I flew one of these with the IO-470 and it had pretty anemic performance. The IO-550 would be a big improvment.

My flight examiner's last check ride given was in a Beech with a throwover yoke.. I imagine he'd have lived another decade or two if there were two yokes. Flat spin I hear. Ray was a highly respected pilot and man. So this Debonair is splendid in my opinion, except for that particular yoke.

A friend of mine had the V tail and took off and violently turned left, starved the engine of gas, had to make a dead stick landing. He was later killed in bad weather, leaving Houston.

Mark…Nice airplane. The problem with a low wing is the placement of the wing. On a hot summer day you’re flying in a greenhouse. Much rather fly in the shade. That tail wag in a V-tail is cured with a yaw damper. The Garmin GFC 500 autopilot has a YD function that works quite well, as you would expect with Garmin. I bet that yoke with the PTT and trim on the right side was originally a right side yoke for for a double yoke airplane.

the dam youtube channel name is skywagon LETSS SEE A SKYWAGON BABYYYY

Yes I love the debonair, maybe own one someday. No magnesium tail issues. I saw this listed and was wondering when we were getting a video.

I would prefer a Comanche wing on our 36s I flew a 225 hp Deb around Australia in 1966.

I want one!

In 1960 it did not come with a 260hp IO-470-N, it came with a 225hp IO-470K. ( 2:26 ) This early IO-470K power plant is one of the few injected engines that is eligible for an auto-fuel STC. Would have been good to discuss this, no?

hi i love your chanel but have to laugh every time i hear an Englishman say aluminium the wong way :D keep it up you are so good at informative easy to understand no nonsense discriptions 👍

Just watched your vid. I flew only Cessnas m, 152 172 277RG, 182 and 210T. After the 182 the 210T even the boost issues were a natural progression. Now, after your video why the Debonair/Bonanza killed so many! They have hugely complicated systems!0】

Mark, can you do a review on the Jabiru 3300 gen 4?

If you want a scoop try the new Gogetair G750 915 version. Similar to bonanza speed but a fraction of the fuel burn, brand new and a fraction of the running cost. Approximately same new price as a very old bonanza.

We have not been to the moon. Find me a video where the flag isn't blowing around.

Beautiful airplane

These videos are great. Also I can attest that flying an IO550 Beech ruins you for other aircraft.

More like 2k for the bladder and 1609 to put in depend on the tape.

i will be buying his 182

Nice.