C-GFLD
A Beechcraft Bonanza A36TC
The Story
In 2002, we were approached by a client who had heard good things about us and wanted to have us upgrade the avionics and have some maintenance done on a plane he had recently aquired. We told him about some of his options, and agreed to start what was to be a relatively short long-term project.
Soon after we started taking FLD apart and he was able to see some imperfections under the hood, our todo list began to grow pretty quickly. A year and a half later, upgrades and refurbishments were still being added to the list--always just one more thing, might as well while we have the plane apart--and the avionics we had originally agreed to put in had started to become obselete.
Eventually, in the spring of 2004, we ended up finishing what had become something pretty close to a Pimp My Ride for Bonanzas: the interior, exterior, engine, avionics, and airframe had all been redone, upgraded, modified, and tweaked to perfection. The result was...well, see for yourself below. If you're salivating, we're sorry, but he already sold the aircraft. The good news is, we may be able to do something similar with your aircraft...
Panel
[ View the previous (C-FPPP) or next (C-FMEV) featured panels of ours. ]
The panel in FLD looked a little different after we were through with it. A new audio panel, GPS, EHSI, engine monitoring system, instruments, and enunciator lights called for a whole new layout. See for yourself.
C-GFLD's Panel, Before
[ view full photo in new window | in this window ]
C-GFLD's Panel, After
[ view full photo in new window | in this window ]
Interior
[ View the previous (C-GHDK) or next (N414AY) featured interiors of ours. ]
Our client had us outfit the interior with cream-coloured leather in a club-seating arrangement. Underneath the skin, we installed super sound-proofing insulation, and wired the cabin throughout with Bose X-series headset jacks for maximum passenger comfort.
Club Seating Interior
[ view full photo in new window | in this window ]
Our partners at Tom's Upholstery in Brantford did most of the interior, including the sheepskin covers in the cockpit.
Maintenance Project
[ View the previous (C-GHDK) or next (N414AY) featured maintenance projects of ours. ]
FLD had quite a few extra modifications put in and on it, including a new oxygen system, a new LP Aero windshield, and a new TKS de-icing system.
New Windshield
[ view full photo in new window | in this window ]
The engine itself was Turbonormalized via the Tornado Alley Turbo Whirlwind II system in April 2002, making the aircraft capable of flying at over 200 knots.
GAMIjectors and a Beryl D'Shannon Super Scimitar propellor (with de-icing) made good finishing touches. For added safety, we installed a stand-by alternator and vacuum pump.
"Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads"
To make sure all of our modifications worked well, the client flew FLD all over, including to the northern end of the Alaskan oil pipeline, Newfoundland, and Florida, to name a few. The weather extremes involved were no problem for this newly souped-up bird.
