393 Bonanza Ruddervator Crisis Solved: $500K Prize Spurs Certified Replacement
Aviation News Talk podcast
Glass Cockpit Publishing
4.8 • 730 Ratings
🗓️ 24 July 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Max talks with Tom Turner, Executive Director of the American Bonanza Society’s Air Safety Foundation, about an extraordinary initiative to preserve the operational future of the iconic V-tail Bonanza aircraft. When Textron Aviation quietly stopped producing the magnesium ruddervator skins—a unique flight control surface used only on V-tail Bonanzas—it left over 5,000 aircraft potentially grounded due to a lack of repair parts. Even minor damage could make these aircraft unrepairable.
To solve this crisis, the ABS Air Safety Foundation awarded the $500,000 Maciel Ruddervator Prize to SRS Aviation of Minnesota. Tom explains the history and challenges behind the ruddervator issue: the original parts were made from a now-obsolete thickness of magnesium, which is no longer commonly produced. Even worse, the chemical process used to harden the magnesium is so caustic and environmentally hazardous that almost no facility could perform it anymore.
SRS Aviation, already experienced in building replacement aluminum control surfaces, initially declined to compete. But after realizing no one else was pursuing a solution, they took on the challenge, developing their own safe and FAA-acceptable hardening process. They eventually met the prize’s requirements, which included certifying replacement skins for all three ruddervator design variants and producing at least 100 completed kits to prove production viability.
Tom also discusses the origin of the prize money: a generous bequest from Manny Maciel, a quiet aircraft fueler in Santa Rosa, California, who left $5 million to aviation safety research. The ABS Air Safety Foundation received $1 million of this funding, which it used to underwrite the prize. Tom emphasizes that the Foundation structured the award not just to incentivize a solution, but to ensure long-term support for V-tail Bonanza owners.
The story also touches on how the ruddervator issue impacted aircraft valuations and even insurance policies—some insurers were unwilling to total aircraft with ruddervator damage, knowing repairs were impossible. Tom notes that after the prize was announced, Textron resumed limited production of the original ruddervator skins, showing how serious ABS was about finding a solution.
Max wraps up by asking what other challenges might face Bonanza owners. Tom replies that while issues will always arise, most are solvable. The ruddervator shortage, however, was unique—it was an existential threat. Thanks to SRS Aviation and the support of the aviation community, that threat has now been eliminated.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What if just one broken part could ground your airplane with no replacement in sight? |
| 0:08.1 | That's what happened to over 5,000 V-tail Bananasas until a half-million dollar prize changed everything. |
| 0:15.4 | Today, Tom Turner from the American Bonanza Society tells the story behind the Rottervator crisis and how it was finally |
| 0:21.9 | solved. And during my updates, I'll tell you three stories about where a pilot overlooked a small |
| 0:27.7 | detail. In one case, it led to a mid-air collision this past Saturday, and in the other two cases, |
| 0:34.3 | I didn't fly with pilots this week because it would have been illegal. |
| 0:39.2 | Hello again and welcome to Aviation News Talk where we talk general aviation. |
| 0:43.3 | My name is Max Crescott. I've been flying for over 50 years. I'm the author of several books |
| 0:47.4 | in the 2008 National Flight Instructor of the Year, and my mission is to help you become the safest |
| 0:52.8 | possible pilot. |
| 0:59.2 | Last week in episode 392, we talked with Cole Crawford from Foreflight about the company's latest innovation, dynamic procedures. |
| 1:02.1 | So if you didn't hear that episode, you may want to check it out at AviationNewsTalk.com |
| 1:05.9 | slash 392. |
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| 1:27.5 | patron supporters, including Tony Akila, Rich H, Kurt Anderson, and Herb Shalkie. We also had a |
| 1:34.1 | one-time donation from Michael Barham, and we had one from Andrew Benjamin, who wrote. I received |
| 1:40.7 | my private at age 63. I've been listening to your podcast with my wife when we go driving and in the gym. |
... |
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