Beechcraft Bonanza

 Beechcraft Bonanza

Beechcraft Bonanza. Photo: Bill Larkins, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Make	Beechcraft
Model	Beechcraft Bonanza
Type	Civil utility aircraft
Country	United States
First flight	December 22, 1945
Built	1947–present
Status	In service
Number built	18,525 (at end of 2025)
Registered in the US	10,242 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
Seats	one, five passengers
Engine	Continental IO-550-B, 300 hp
Cruise speed	176 kn (2011 model G36)
Range	716 nmi (2011 model G36)
Service ceiling	18,500 ft (2011 model G36)
Max weight	3,650 lb (2011 model G36)
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The Beechcraft Bonanza is a four- to six-seat, single-engine airplane introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft of Wichita, Kansas. It has been in continuous production longer than any other aircraft in history. More than 18,000 Bonanzas of all versions have been built, plus more than 6,000 twin-engine derivatives. It came with the famous V-tail and with a conventional tail; early conventional-tail models were sold as the Debonair. In the U.S. there are 10,242 Model 33, 35 and 36 Bonanzas with a valid registration.

In November 2025, Textron Aviation, Beechcraft's owner, announced that the Bonanza and the Baron would stop production once the last orders were filled, and promised continued parts, maintenance and support for owners.

History

At the end of World War II two all-metal four- and five-seat airplanes reached the top of the civil market, both cruising up to 170 mph: the Bonanza and the Cessna 195. The 195 carried on prewar thinking with a high wing, a radial engine and a tailwheel. The Bonanza, designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon, was a low-wing, all-aluminum airplane with an easy-to-manage six-cylinder flat engine and retractable tricycle landing gear, at a time when most light airplanes were still wood and fabric.

It first flew in December 1945, and deliveries began in 1947. The first Model 35 used a 165 hp Continental E-185, with five prototypes and 1,500 production airplanes built. The Bonanza became a sought-after business and personal airplane, served as a military trainer, and briefly flew as a feeder airliner for Central Airlines of Texas.

Three Bonanza families

• Model 35: the original V-tail Bonanza.
• Model 33: the conventional-tail Debonair, later called Bonanza, built until 1995.
• Model 36: the longer, six-seat conventional-tail Bonanza, still built today; the A36 is the most common Bonanza on the U.S. register.

Registered in the United States

The FAA register lists 10,242 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.

FAA model name	Registered
A36	2,344
F33A	974
V35B	905
S35	454
V35	419
G36	374
V35A	319
P35	313
B36TC	303
35-B33	289
35	258
C35	252
K35	236
M35	222
H35	220
G35	219
J35	217
F35	189
35-C33	185
A36TC	172
17 other model names	1,378

Specifications (2011 model G36)

Item	2011 model G36
Crew	one
Passengers / capacity	five passengers
Length	27 ft 6 in
Wingspan	33 ft 6 in
Height	8 ft 7 in
Wing area	181 sq ft
Empty weight	2,517 lb
Maximum takeoff weight	3,650 lb
Engine	Continental IO-550-B, 300 hp
Propeller	Hartzell Propeller
Cruise speed	176 kn
Range	716 nmi
Service ceiling	18,500 ft
Rate of climb	1,230 ft/min

Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.

Owner and mechanic notes: coming soon. What to check before you buy, common problems and what they cost to fix. Airplane Wiki is gathering this from owners and mechanics.

Photos

• 
  Beechcraft Bonanza. Photo: User:CambridgeBayWeather, Public domain
• 
  Beechcraft A36 Bonanza with Tradewind Turbines turboprop conversion at Meadows Field, Bakersfield, California. Photo: Alan Radecki, CC BY 2.5
• 
  Beechcraft Bonanza. Photo: Alan Radecki Akradecki, CC BY-SA 4.0
• 
  Beechcraft B35 Bonanza operated by the National Test Pilot School at Mojave. Photo: Alan Radecki Akradecki, CC BY-SA 4.0
• 
  1965-built Beechcraft V35 Bonanaza registered G-VTAL taken at Wellesbourne-Mountford Airfield, England. Photo: MilborneOne, CC BY-SA 3.0
• 
  Beechcraft Bonanza. Photo: Cgettings at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
• 
  A brand-new Bonanza G36 at Oshkosh 2011. Photo: Spartan7W, CC BY-SA 3.0
• 
  1965 Model S35 V-Tailed Beechcraft Bonanza, equipped with auxiliary wingtip fuel tanks. Photo: Tom Fleischman (Tfleischman at English Wikipedia), Public domain

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.

Buying a Beechcraft Bonanza

For sale listings: coming soon. Airplane Wiki will list Beechcraft Bonanzas for sale here, with the facts on this page beside every listing.