COMMON
BE35
Beechcraft Bonanza (V-tail)
The V-Tail
“The tail you can spot from a mile away.”
Beechcraft (Textron) · private
NO PHOTO
Length
26 ft 5 in
Wingspan
33 ft 6 in
Max speed
176 kts
Range
720 nmi
Ceiling
17,500 ft
Engines
1x Continental IO-520 (285 hp)
Crew
1
Max passengers
4
Typical config
1 pilot + 3-4 passengers
Built
10,400+
The original Bonanza did something no other production aircraft dared: it replaced the entire tail with a V. Fast, beautifully built, and expensive, it became the plane successful people bought when they earned their license — and it's still one of the most distinctive shapes in the sky.
Fun fact
The V-tail has no separate rudder or elevator — two surfaces called ruddervators do both jobs at once.
How to spot one
The V-shaped tail is unmistakable — no vertical fin, no horizontal stabilizer, just two surfaces in a V. Low wing, retractable gear. If the tail looks wrong, it's a Bonanza.
Crews call it
The Vee
Sounds like
Smooth six-cylinder Continental hum, faster-moving than most singles in the pattern
Related
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The V-Tail from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.
Get Bogey