Beechcraft Bonanza B36TC (1982-2002)

This page describes one airplane: the Model B36TC, Section XVII of FAA TCDS 3A15 Revision 100, serials EA-242 and EA-273 and on. It was split out of a page that covered the B36TC and the earlier A36TC together; the short-winged, 74-gallon A36TC is now at Beechcraft Bonanza A36TC (1979-1981).

The B36TC is what Beech built after three years of the A36TC showed that a turbocharged 36 needs a bigger wing. The span went from 33'6" to 37'10", the tanks from 74 usable gallons to 102, and the maximum weight from 3,650 lb to 3,850 lb. Every airspeed limit went up three knots with it. Twenty years of production followed, and no turbocharged Bonanza has been offered since it stopped in 2002.

That combination -- 300 turbocharged horsepower, 102 gallons, six seats, a double cargo door and a 25,000 ft operating ceiling -- is the most capable piston Bonanza there has ever been, and it is the reason the type holds its value against the normally aspirated A36.

Every figure above is off FAA TCDS 3A15 Rev 100 except the two wingspans, which the certificate does not state -- it carries no dimensions at all. For the normally aspirated A36 see Beechcraft Bonanza 36 / A36 / G36; no A36 figures are quoted here, because Section XIV was not read for this page and a neighbouring variant's numbers are not evidence.

The certificate states no serial-split limits for the B36TC at all -- one gross weight, one set of airspeed limits, one fuel system, one baggage schedule across the whole run. The only serial distinctions in Section XVII are control tab travels, which are not catalogue fields.

No production total is claimed. The certificate's serial block is "EA-242, EA-273 and On", open-ended, so a fleet count cannot be derived from it. The old page asserted "approximately 1,100 B36TCs" with no source; that claim has been removed rather than repeated.

None of the performance figures on this page is sourced. A type certificate states limits and configuration and contains no cruise, climb, range or runway data, and no B36TC POH is in hand. What is below is what the conflated page carried in its Performance Notes -- a paragraph that described the 102-gallon airplane, so it belongs here rather than on the A36TC page -- retained rather than invented.

• Cruise 205 KTAS, quoted at FL200 -- legacy, no power setting recorded
• Sea-level climb 1,175 fpm -- legacy
• Fuel burn 17.0 gph -- legacy
• Range 900 nm -- legacy. Against 102 usable gallons at 17 gph this is at least arithmetically possible, which is more than could be said for the same figure on a 74-gallon A36TC.

The airspeed limits shrink with altitude, and this is the airplane where that bites. 3A15 requires Vno reduced 3 knots and Vne 4 knots per 1,000 ft above 16,000 ft. At FL200 that is Vno 156 / Vne 190; at the 25,000 ft ceiling, Vno 141 / Vne 170. The stored 168 and 206 are the sea-level figures, which is what the schema holds. An airplane bought to fly in the flight levels spends its life under the reduced numbers.

25,000 ft is a maximum operating altitude, not a service ceiling. The certificate states the first; the second is a POH performance figure and nobody has checked it. They are printed here as the same number and they are not the same quantity.

The TSIO-520-UB is a 520 cubic inch, six-cylinder, fuel-injected, turbocharged Continental producing 300 hp at 2,700 rpm and 36 in. Hg. manifold pressure -- both figures stated on the certificate, which names no alternative engine for this model. TBO 1,400 hours.

• Cylinder management: CHTs above 400F shorten cylinder life rapidly.
• Cool-down: 3-5 minutes after high-power flight.
• Lean-of-peak operation is strongly preferred for cylinder longevity, and most airplanes in service carry an aftermarket engine monitor for it.
• Top overhauls are common well inside TBO.

Overhaul reserve uses $58,000 per engine from reference/engine-overhaul-pricing.md, which is the TSIO-520 specialty band and includes the turbocharger.

Legacy market observations from the conflated page's own B36TC rows, not sourced quotes, and perishable.

B36TCs trade above equivalent normally aspirated A36s. The premium is real capability rather than badge -- 28 more usable gallons and 200 lb more maximum weight than the A36TC, four more feet of wing, and an altitude a normally aspirated airplane cannot hold -- and late airplanes carry an extra premium as the last turbocharged Bonanzas built.

A36 airframe concerns apply. B36TC-specific:

1. Wet-wing fuel tank condition: the interconnected leading-edge tanks are 30 to 40 years old on most airframes and can develop seam leaks. Pressure-test during the pre-buy. This is the field where the extra 28 gallons live.
2. Turbocharger condition: inspect for shaft play, oil seepage, blade damage.
3. Cylinder CHT history: review engine monitor data for excursions above 400F. The TSIO-520-UB runs hot and recurring high CHTs are a cylinder bill coming.
4. Exhaust system condition: turbo exhausts run hotter and crack more often. Inspect for cracks, weeping and weld failures.
5. Wastegate operation: verify smooth operation through the full power range.
6. Cool-down practice: look for consistent 3-5 minute cool-downs.
7. Weigh it. With no published empty weight this page can trust, the airplane's own weight and balance is the only payload answer -- and a heavily equipped late B36TC can be well over 2,600 lb empty.
8. TBO is 1,400 hours, not the naturally aspirated A36's 1,700, and an overhaul carries the turbocharger with it.