This 1978 Beechcraft F33A Bonanza Is a Definitive High-Performance ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Beechcraft’s F33A Bonanza always looks handsome on the ramp. [Courtesy: AirMart Aircraft Sales & Brokerage]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1978 Beechcraft F33A Bonanza.

When people think about Beechcraft Bonanzas, they often conjure images of the original V-tail design. Others prefer the stretched fuselage of the utilitarian A36. For many pilots, though, the F33A, with its shorter fuselage and conventional “straight” tail is the one to have.

For generations F33As like the aircraft for sale here have been considered the top of the line among high-performance, four-seat retractables. Pilots of Piper Comanches, Rockwell Commanders (including yours truly), and others in the same category typically wind up comparing their aircraft with F33A Bonanzas and saying things like, “Mine is almost as fast.”

This 1978 F33A Bonanza has 3,354 hours on the airframe and 1,153 hours on its Continental IO-520-BA engine since factory remanufacture. The engine is equipped with GAMI injectors and a Beryl D’Shannon baffle kit. The McCauley three-blade propeller has 328 hours since overhaul.

The panel features a Garmin GNS 530W GPS/Nav/Com, Apollo SL40 Com, Collins 351 Nav, Apollo SL10-M audio panel, Garmin GTX 335 ADS-B transponder, S-Tec 50 autopilot, and JPI EDM700 engine monitor. Additional equipment includes a standby vacuum system, Door Steward gas springs, and Whelen LED landing and taxi lights. The aircraft was repainted in 2021 and its interior reupholstered in 2023.

Pilots looking for a longtime leader among high-performance piston singles that is an ideal platform for cross-country travel should consider this 1978 Beechcraft F33A Bonanza, which is available for $239,900 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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AircraftForSale Beechcraft Bonanza Continental IO-520 D’Shannon Debonair F33A high-performance piston

Jonathan WelshAuthor

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4