Beech 36 Bonanza

Single Piston· 2,817 globally registered

The Beechcraft Bonanza 36 is the straight-tail variant of America's longest-running production aircraft family, first introduced in 1968 as a stretched, six-seat evolution of the iconic V-tail Model 35. Unlike its distinctive butterfly-tailed sibling, the Model 36 features a conventional empennage and a cabin extended fourteen inches aft of the wing, creating genuine utility for families and small cargo operators who need both speed and space. Powered by a Continental IO-550 producing 300 horsepower in the current G36 configuration, the Bonanza 36 cruises at 176 knots true airspeed while carrying up to 1,060 pounds of payload with full fuel — a combination that made it the gold standard for high-performance single-engine travel throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The type's robust construction, retractable landing gear, and relatively high wing loading give it excellent ride quality in turbulence compared to lighter singles, though the same characteristics demand respect during approach and landing. Beechcraft produced the Model 36 continuously from 1968 through 2021, when Textron Aviation finally ended Bonanza production after more than seven decades, making late-model A36 and G36 airframes among the most sought-after piston singles on the used market. SkyMeter has tracked 361 flights across 151 airframes and 131 operators, with REGISTRATION PENDING the largest observed operator.