Few aircraft in the marketplace enjoy the storied history and delivery longevity of the Bonanza and Baron lines from Beechcraft.
Introduced in 1947, more than 17,000 Bonanzas have been delivered, in a continuous stream that has at times been reduced to a trickle. Nevertheless, the venerable Bonanza soldiers on.
On the twin-engine side of the piston line-up, the Baron came along in 1961. Well over 6,000 have been delivered.
General Aviation News owned a 1973 E-55 model back in the 1980s and 1990s. I earned my multi-engine rating in it and have many fond memories pushing the throttles forward on those twin IO-520s, back when 100LL was under $2 per gallon. Sigh.
Now owned by Textron Aviation, Bonanza and Baron deliveries since 2000 pale in comparison to Cirrus’ popular SR series. But with an unmatched history and lineage, not to mention a robust used market, the Bonanza and Baron live on.
The American Bonanza Society plays a valuable role as the arbiter of information for both current and prospective owners of any model Bonanza or Baron.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) delivery data starts in 2000. That year 153 Bonanzas and Barons were delivered. The Bonanza B36TC model was winding down and ended as 2002 came to a close.
And while not exactly robust, it is nice to see 2007’s low point of 19 total deliveries remains the low point.
Through the first three quarters of 2018, Textron Aviation reports just eight Bonanza and 12 Baron deliveries. It’ll be interesting to see what the fourth quarter produced.
Of course, the Beechcraft line of today is likely best known for the King Air. But that’s a topic for another day.
| Bonanza A36/G36 |
Bonanza B36TX |
Baron 58/G58 |
Year Total |
Cumulative | |
| 2000 | 85 | 18 | 50 | 153 | 153 |
| 2001 | 63 | 26 | 47 | 136 | 289 |
| 2002 | 51 | 5 | 27 | 83 | 372 |
| 2003 | 55 | 0 | 27 | 82 | 454 |
| 2004 | 62 | 0 | 31 | 93 | 547 |
| 2005 | 71 | 0 | 28 | 99 | 646 |
| 2006 | 80 | 0 | 38 | 118 | 764 |
| 2007 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 783 |
| 2008 | 63 | 0 | 40 | 103 | 886 |
| 2009 | 36 | 0 | 20 | 56 | 942 |
| 2010 | 22 | 0 | 29 | 51 | 993 |
| 2011 | 24 | 0 | 30 | 54 | 1,047 |
| 2012 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 36 | 1,083 |
| 2013 | 35 | 0 | 35 | 70 | 1,153 |
| 2014 | 32 | 0 | 40 | 72 | 1,225 |
| 2015 | 23 | 0 | 18 | 41 | 1,266 |
| 2016 | 25 | 0 | 20 | 45 | 1,311 |
| 2017 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 36 | 1,347 |
Interesting figures. Really hope things pick up for Beech over the next few years.
My greatest joy was getting endorsed in BEECH B35V V tail in 1978 then later an A36 i have always wanted to get my twin rating in G58 Baron but l just cannot afford it..l am in Australia.
I would love to own a BEECHCRAFT KINGAIR 250.. dream on
1,347 total airplanes built in 18 years … contrast that with the numbers built during the heydays of GA in the late 70’s. Even discounting the fact that these are higher end airplanes … that’s pitiful. I found it interesting that since 2010, more Barons were sold — most years — than Bonanzas.
That’s all fine and dandy but as the pilot population ages and hangs up their headsets, who is going to replace them with the wherewithal to buy such machines? There’ll always be some but … it’s time for Textron to march up to a plate with a “real” entry level and affordable airplane. A $400K C172 ain’t it.
Slightly off topic — but recently mentioned here in GA News — I recommend anyone interested in Beech airplanes to visit the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma. I stopped there heading south for the winter and was taken aback by what I saw. There is no finer example of a classic airplane than a Staggerwing and they have a bunch. I did not know that the first airplane had fixed gear.
Top photo. Must be one of those ultra rare, single engine Barons.