I fly a 1969 Bonanza that I have owned for about five years. My wife Kim and I own AB Plastics, an industrial plastic- fabrication firm specializing in the manufacture of non-metallic chemical process equipment. About 60% of my flight hours are for business. I distinctly remember the moment I decided to install the CAV Aerospace TKS system on this early Model 36 (S/N E-l29).

Rob Basile had a "weeping wing" system installed on his 36 after several business trips had to be cancelled due to weather conditions

Our company is located in Milford, Ohio, which is on the east side of Cincinnati. While flying back from Iowa in December '07 to my home base at Cincinnati/Lunken (LUK), the plane started to pick up ice. I saw it first on the temperature probe; then it started to form on the leading edges.

I was IFR in broken clouds, so I was in and out of the icing conditions. Ice was forming fairly fast when I was in tile clouds, then I'd break out and it would stop. Pretty soon I was back in the clouds and ice again began to accumulate.

It did not place me in an immediately hazardous position because the ceilings were high and there were plenty of options, but at this point I started wondering, "Why am I doing this? This is a business tool and we depend on it. For a reasonable investment, we could have the luxury and the confidence provided by an airplane with good de-icing capability. So what are we waiting for?"

That's when I decided to call the people at CAV Aerospace in Salina, Kansas, to investigate their "weeping-wing" system.

Adding a "weeping wing" system
Often we'll take tools and equipment for maintenance and installations to customers around the Midwest. When I take the rear seats out, the 36 becomes an airborne pickup truck. For what I do, it's a perfect business tool - particularly now that I have the TKS system.

In this part of the country, from October to April you can get into an icing situation almost daily-particularly if you are headed north. I managed to work around it for a few years, but we had to cancel several trips. Not anymore. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner.

The people at CAV did an excellent job with the installation. The titanium leading edges look great on the airplane and now I don't have to worry about losing paint off the leading edge if I fly through some moderate to heavy precip. Now the rain just washes off the bugs.

Over the years I've made quite a few improvements to our Bonanza and they've all contributed to making it an even better business tool, plus making it a lot more enjoyable to fly.

…and other upgrades
I added a full Garmin package to the panel, with a 530 and a 430, plus a GTX 330 Mode-S transponder with traffic alert, and an S-Tec 55X autopilot. I've installed a JPI engine monitor, Precise Flight standby instrument air, a B&C standby alternator and Sirius satellite radio in the audio panel.

Recently I upgraded the engine to an IO-550 from Signature Engines in Cincinnati. It has Millennium cylinders, which are ported and flowed, and a Ram cam. The rotating assembly is balanced and we fitted the 1200-series mags, so it should have a little extra juice over a stock IO-550. We estimate it is in the range of 310 hp. Joe Schott of Avionics Inc. at Lunken did the installation and his work is always top notch.

Next, we had Tornado Alley Turbo in Ada, Oklahoma, install its Whirlwind II turbocharger system. That really made a difference! The STC gives me an increase in maximum takeoff weight to 4,000 pounds, up from 3,600 in the standard Model36.

Useful load is up
Now my useful load is 1,714 pounds - and that's with the de-ice system installed. With full fuel I still have about 1,200 pounds available, and the performance is sensational. Coming out of Salina, Kansas, after the TKS installation I climbed to 9,000' in less than eight minutes. At 13,000' coming back to Cincinnati I was truing 190 knots. I have not yet fully explored the envelope, but I'm expecting it will true out at about 200 knots in the upper teens.
The CAV de-ice system got a real workout on the trip home. When you come into CVGs airspace (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International), ATC brings you down to 4,000' about 30 miles out. That put us right in the icing, which was light rime.

I turned the TKS on low flow (anti-ice mode) prior to entering the clouds and it worked great - exactly as advertised. I kept it on all the way into Lunken and it only used about a gallon-and-a-half of fluid. The system holds seven gallons, so there is plenty of capacity.

With the CAV TKS system added to the increased performance I'm getting from the IO-550 and turbocharger system, my Model 36 has become the perfect business and pleasure airplane. I am a member of a group of pilots based at LUK called the Flying Knights. Five other members also regularly Bonanzas; we are all extremely pleased with the performance and utility of Beechcraft's superb airplanes.

ED. NOTE: Bonanzas are prohibited by Limitation from flight in icing conditions. Although CAV Aerospace offers an ice-certified A36 option, not all its installations are so certified.

The article above is reprinted in its entirety from the May 2009 American Bonanza Society's ABS Magazine. For a trial membership in the American Bonanza Society, go to www.bonanza.org.

Catch Us at Oshkosh

Be sure to catch CAV Aerospace representatives at upcoming Oshkosh EAA Air Venture July 27 to August 2 Outdoor Exhibit Area 121-123, near the main entrance.

For more information, contact:

CAV Aerospace, Inc.
2734 Arnold Court
Salina, Kan. 67401
Salina Aviation Service Center
Salina Airport
tkssales@weepingwings.com
Phone: (888) 865-5511 (785) 493-0946
Fax: (785) 493-0950

www.weepingwings.com