Development

The Super-V is an extensive conversion of the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. Serial number records indicate the aircraft chosen for conversion range in production dates from 1947 to 1950.^[1] The original conversion was developed by David Peterson as the "Skyline Super-V" in 1955–56, assisted by W.D. Johnson, and the rights to the conversion were acquired by Oakland Airmotive on July 2, 1958. Oakland Airmotive became Bay Aviation Services on July 8, 1960.^[2] The wing spar was strengthened considerably in the process.^[3] The airframe is so different from the original Bonanza that, rather than supplementing the original type certificate, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a completely new certificate for the Super-V.^[4]

Oakland Airmotive intended to produce converted planes starting in 1960, but never progressed beyond manufacturing and installing Super-V conversion kits on customer-supplied Bonanzas.^[2] Ed Gough was the President.^[3] FAA type certification was granted in June 1960.^[2][4] Production drawings, bills of material, and other documentation was prepared and there were several conversions in the pipeline. Flying magazine published a story on the Super V in October 1960^[3] and the marketing efforts were reaching a peak, with a Super-V (Registration N617B) completing a successful circumnavigation of the globe.^[5]

The cost of a standard conversion was priced in 1960 at US$22,500 (equivalent to $232,000 in 2023), not including the cost of the donor aircraft.^[3]

The Super-V was initially certificated with the carburetor-equipped Lycoming O-360-A1A engines.^[4] Although the engines were intended to be fuel-injected, as on David Peterson's developmental prototype, the engines on the prototype did not meet FAA approval.^[2] As a preliminary first step towards true fuel injection, the O-360-A1C engine was adopted in August 1960, which eliminated the possibility of carburetor icing.^[2] The type certificate was later revised to include the A1C engine variant, and flight testing with O-360-A1C engines was not completed until early 1961 at SFO.^[4][6]

The Insul-8 Corporation of San Carlos, California, organized a new aviation division that provided all parts (except engines) for the conversion to the Super-V Aircraft Corporation of San Francisco International Airport. Super-V conversion centers operated under franchise from the Super-V Aircraft Corporation. Tirey L. Ford, Jr., was president of both the Insul-8 Corporation and the Super-V Aircraft Corporation.^[7][8]

Early accidents

The sales manager, Kenneth Bellamy, was killed in a crash fifteen miles southeast of Brighton, Colorado, while demonstrating the Super V to a potential buyer, Don Vest, founder of Vest Aircraft Company on September 14, 1960. A crop-duster pilot, John Curry, was also killed in the crash. It was believed that Vest was at the controls of the Super-V at the time of the crash.^[9][10]

The Super-V belonging to Southland Corporation, a distributor for Bay Aviation Services, crashed on August 12, 1961, near Ardmore, Oklahoma, with at least one survivor.^[2]

Shifting production

It is likely^{[according to whom?]} the relatively high cost of the Super-V conversion and competition from the Beechcraft Travel Air, a factory-built twin-engine aircraft of comparable role and size, resulted in low demand for the Super-V. This, coupled with workmanship issues and early crashes,^[2] led to the rapid dissolution of Bay Aviation. Bay Aviation became Lawrence Properties in 1962.^[2]

Production was transferred to Fleet Aircraft in 1962 with some detail improvements to fulfill existing orders.^[11] A separate type certificate was issued for planes manufactured by Fleet in Canada, this time with O-360-A1D engines.^[12] The production rights were sold again to Mitchell Aircraft in 1963.^[13] The current type certificate holder is KWAD Company.^[4][12]