It’s tough to argue that the iconic Beechcraft Bonanza has long ago established itself as one of GA’s most respected piston singles.
For buyers searching the six-place, piston-single market, the 36-series Bonanza is certainly worth a look. With a good blend of speed, cabin comfort, and solid build quality, buyers are drawn to them for the same reasons they always have. Still, don’t expect any bargains. Sales pros tell us that while inventory might be more plentiful than it was just a couple of years ago as older pilots walk away from their Bonanzas (many forced out by the hardened insurance market that frowns upon senior pilots flying retracs), resale prices remain strong. In our estimation, Bonanzas might always be premium priced.
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While still in production in limited numbers by Textron as the G36, refurbished A- and B36-series models with new avionics, aesthetic and creature improvements, and low airframe and engine time are good alternatives to high-dollar, later-model G36 airplanes. Moreover, compared to newer composite piston singles (Cirrus as one example) that have more modern styling and safety features, for many there’s simply nothing quite like owning and flying a Bonanza.
Picking Your Bo
Flash back to 1967 when Beech had to compete with Cessna’s 210—a retrac that had a six-place cabin and enough speed for traveling. Even after stretching the fuselage and adding so-called family seats to the S35 V-tail model, the Bonanza wasn’t capable of seating six full-sized adults. But the 1968 model year brought a true six-place Bonanza with aft cabin doors and a conventional tail. The Continental IO-520-B-powered 36 got even more pax-friendly in 1970 with a club seating arrangement.
From a distance, particularly when decked out with new paint jobs, modern interiors and gee-whiz avionics, it’s tough to tell a vintage 36 from a newer one. Part of that is because over the years the 36 remained largely unchanged, although Beech added more equipment as standard, including an autopilot in 1976, and also turbocharging in 1979 with the 300 hp Continental TSIO-520-UB-powered A36TC. Then came the B36TC in 1982, which had the Baron 58 wing—a serious hauler because it carries 102 gallons of fuel. The current 2025 Aircraft Bluebook shows the starting retail price of a 1990 B36TC at around $315,000, and it originally sold for about $390,000, when typically equipped with options.
If turbocharging isn’t your thing, the 1984 model year brought the normally aspirated Continental IO-550 to the Bonanza, plus a new instrument panel and gone was the “throw-over” control yoke in favor of traditional controls and better-placed engine instruments, giving the Bonanza a more modern feel. There were some notable safety improvements too that helped eliminate some gotchas—including the more standard placement of the landing gear and flap switches: gear on the left and flaps on the right. Those new individual control yokes might have added more safety too.
The Bonanza joined the party with Cessna, Diamond, and even glass-panel-equipped Cirrus models in 2006 as the G36, equipped with Garmin’s G1000 integrated avionics and flight control system. The Aircraft Bluebook shows a 2007 G36 priced at around $530,000, though some sell for higher with fresh engines.
Speaking of engines, you’ll see some Bonanzas on the market with turboprop conversions. The now-defunct Tradewind Turbines used a repurposed Allison 250 from the Bell JetRanger on the A36. The current Soloy A36 STC puts a 450 shp Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 engine and a stretched snout on the airplane, reducing takeoff roll by 40 percent and cutting landing distance nearly in half. Published time to climb to 20,000 feet is 18 minutes, and cruise speeds are advertised to be 205 knots at 15,000 feet. Older models might sell for around $500,000 and later ones closer to $800,000.
Loading, Performance
A normally aspirated Bonanza 36 won’t outrun a Cirrus SR22, but it easily pulls away from a Piper Saratoga and keeps up with a normally aspirated Cessna 210. Most A36 owners we talk with plan on 165 knots and 1,000 fpm climbs when lightly loaded. To keep up with a Cessna Turbo 210 and a Mooney 231, the A36TC and B36TC models can do it in the middle altitudes, turning nearly 180 knots. Get a B36TC—with its long wing—up around 20,000, and it will smoke along at 190 knots, while gulping north of 17 gph of fuel to mind the cylinder temps.
Be careful of the CG when loading lots of stuff and passengers, more than one owner told us. In a plain-vanilla A36, plan on 950 pounds in the cabin with the tanks full, and for the A36TC, plan on sacrificing useful load (800 pounds or so) if you want full tanks. The B36TC, with its 200-pound gross weight increase, can carry roughly 900 pounds in the cabin with the tanks full.
Speaking of fuel capacity, Beech changed the fuel system around 1973 when the standard capacity was reduced to only 44 gallons, with a 74-gallon extended range system available. It’s highly unlikely that there are any standard-capacity A36s in the fleet. An 80-gallon system was made standard in 1980, plus auxiliary tip tanks are a popular aftermarket retrofit. Worth mentioning is that D’Shannon’s tip fuel tanks (40 additional gallons) bump the gross weight to 4010 pounds. The company says the fiberglass tanks also provide lower stall speed and increased aileron authority. Learn more at www.d-shannon-aviation.com.
With four people on board, the Beechcraft Bonanza 36 feels like a luxury liner, but adding a fifth and sixth
passenger can really make things tight. [Courtesy: Carolina Aircraft Sales]
Passenger Comfort, Handling
Talk about the 36 Bonanza, and those two go hand-in-hand. Pilots stepping up to the Bonanza immediately notice higher control forces. But that’s a good thing and translates directly to rock-solid stability—desirable in an IFR platform. Done right, landing is much easier than in some airplanes, although at extreme forward CG loadings (common when flying solo), it requires some determination to raise the nose in the flare and make a smooth landing. Bonanza pilots learn early on to use the electric pitch trim. But as with any airplane, a good (and safe) landing begins with a stable approach that’s on speed. Carrying too much speed in the touchdown with a Bonanza is where the potential trouble lurks.
Garmin, and now Dynon, have digital autopilot retrofits for 36 Bonanzas that smooth the ride better than most aging iron-gyro-based autopilots (you’ll find Bendix and King systems—some with yaw dampers—in many). But one characteristic of the classic V-tail that isn’t really a factor in the 36 models is the notorious tendency to Dutch roll in turbulence. That’s because the extra length seems to make for a more comfortable ride. Autopilot yaw dampers aren’t necessary. What is necessary is paying particular attention to the health of an aging autopilot. One analog system, the King KFC200 (and also the later KFC150), can be pricey to maintain. Look for pitch porpoising, roll oscillations, approach coupling, and at the general health of the KI256 flight director gyro that drives the system.
The general cabin experience in a 36-series Bonanza is pleasing. The outside visibility is good, and the dwelling is comfy, although headroom and legroom are cramped for taller people. With four aboard, it’s a luxury liner, but adding a fifth and sixth person makes things tight. It’s one reason Bonanza pilots upgrade to familiar Barons (the nose baggage area makes a big difference), especially ones with growing families who go places. For one, there is a noticeable shortage of baggage space. Some room aft of the third row of seats (watch that CG envelope) was created with the 1979 model. Before that, the only place to stow things was the modest slot between the front seats and the rear-facing center row. There is not enough room to fit six people and six bags on board.
Turbonormalizing
A Tornado Alley 300 hp IO-550 Whirlwind III turbonormalizing engine mod injects power and utility to stock 36 Bonanzas. Fuel mixture management changes for the better, because the manifold pressure remains constant for takeoff and climb (full rich) regardless of altitude and density altitude below the critical 18,000 feet. Moreover, the engine mod moves the airplane’s CG forward so you can load more stuff in the cabin.
But watch that it doesn’t get ahead of the forward CG limit when the tanks are full and with one or two people in the cabin. The American Bonanza Society—find the group at www.bonanza.org (a must-join type organization for anyone interested in ownership) —notes that a turbonormalized Bo may not outrun all normally aspirated ones at lower altitudes, but it will at sweet-spot cruise altitudes.
The engine has GAMIjectors, an overhauled Garrett turbocharger, wastegate, controller and pressure relief valve, stainless-steel exhaust manifold, high-temp silicone/Teflon hose package, new alternate air door with ice detection system, and roughly $67,000 starting price.
There is a 2001 AD requiring the turbocharger exhaust bracket clamp be replaced every 400 engine operating hours. The company has upgrades in place for older Whirlwind systems, plus a $9,000 larger Rammer II intercooler with Scoop Duct for more efficient ram air induction. See more data at www.taturbo.com.
The 36-series Beechcraft Bonanza offers a generally pleasing cabin experience. However, headroom and legroom can be cramped for taller passengers. [Courtesy: Carolina Aircraft Sales]
Premium Priced
A recent sweep of the used Bonanza 36 market turned up a variety of models for sale, though sales pros told us that these planes are still in high demand, and prices are strong. We found a 1973 A36 with 8,300 hours on the airframe but less than 200 hours since a major overhaul on its IO-550 engines. It had a variety of avionics, including a Garmin G5 flight display, Garmin-AT GNS 480 navigator, and basic S-TEC autopilot. It had speedbrakes, flap and aileron gap seals, and vortex generators, plus a dual control yoke. With an annual inspection due in a month, it was priced at $220,000.
A 1994 B36TC with 5,600 hours on the airframe, just under 600 hours since overhaul of its turbocharged TSIO-520 engine, new paint, new interior, full suite of the latest Garmin big-screen avionics, and GFC 500 autopilot was listed for a whopping $650,000. For comparison, a 2011 Garmin G1000-equipped G36 with 1,300 hours on the original engine was priced at $750,000.
No matter which Bonanza you consider, get an insurance quote first. The retractable landing gear could be an issue for senior pilots and those with low time. As we’ve heard in the recent past, the tight insurance market seems to be feeding at least some of the used Bonanza inventory as older pilots facing higher and nonrenewed policies step out of their Bonanzas and into more basic planes that are easier to insure.
We’re also hearing that upgrades to existing Bonanzas are as popular as ever, and that includes the latest avionics. Garmin and Dynon have offered full-glass suites with integrated autopilots, and models with recent upgrades are at the top of the used market when it comes to price and demand. So are engine mods.
The popular D’Shannon Aviation mods, and its Raw Power engine conversion kits, give Bonanzas a serious shot in the arm. All 1983 and previous models need to have the IO-550 STC and baffle cooling kit to qualify for the 3,850-pound gross weight increase. All 1984 and later A36 and G36 models don’t need any upgrades for the increase. D’Shannon’s tip fuel tanks increase the gross to 4,010. The company also has a high-performance exhaust kit for IO-550, IO-520, and IO-470N Bonanzas. There are also gap seals, vortex generators, and new instrument panels. It’s not just about avionics and engines. Safety and utility-enhancing systems are popular too.
Arizona-based AmSafe has STCs for seat belt airbag systems for the Bonanza, and you can find more information at www.amsafe.com. There is also Approach Aviation (www.approachaviation.com) selling its SmartSpace baggage conversions for pre-1979 airplanes. It provides a much-needed 8 cubic feet of baggage area behind the rear seats, with a 70-pound capacity, while retaining the rear hat shelf. Installation is reported to take only a day.
“I bought the $6,500 D’Shannon Genesis Max GWI (gross weight increase) STC, which boosted the gross weight from 3,650 to 3,850 pounds,” G36 Bonanza owner Frank Roe said. “I also upgraded to Garmin’s G1000 NXi. The $28,000 upgrade added significant functionality to my existing legacy G1000 system, and the Garmin Flight Stream 510 wireless capability is a real plus. ADS-B came from a Garmin GTX 345R transponder, which was $5,443. Whelan LED strobes, beacons, and landing/taxi lights were a $2,900 expense.”
For Roe, he bought the newer G36 because he didn’t want the hassle of refurbishing a plane—something he’s done twice in the past. Plus, he makes a good point that the 36 is easy to land and makes for a stable instrument platform. Also, the large cargo doors and air conditioning make it an excellent piston single for hauling passengers in comfort.
This feature first appeared in the May Issue 958 of the FLYING print edition.
