Beechcraft Bonanza 36 / A36 / G36 vs Cessna 210M/N Centurion II (1977-1984)
Head-to-head — specs, at a glance.
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iBeechcraft Bonanza 36 / A36 / G36
**This page's specifications describe one airplane: the 300 hp Continental IO-550-B A36**, serials **E-1946, E-2104 and E-2111 through E-3635** — 1,526 of 3,450 A36 serials, built from 1984 to 2005. It is the largest single block on the certificate, and the only one with both a freely available handbook and a manufacturer's specification sheet. The 285 hp IO-520 airplanes that came before it are in the variants table with their own figures, and everything on this page that differs between them says so.
- +Six-seat capacity with double cargo doors — most versatile single-engine piston aircraft
- +176 KTAS cruise speed with 920 nm range — genuine cross-country performance
- +Excellent parts availability and mechanic familiarity — still in production as G36
- !Spar carry-through cracks are the single most significant structural concern for A36 models
- !Higher annual operating costs ($20k–$30k/year) and expensive overhauls limit affordability
- !Aging fuel cell bladders and landing gear actuators on mid-to-high-time airframes require planned replacement
Cessna 210M/N Centurion II (1977-1984)
> **The specifications on this page describe the Model 210N** (1979-1984), > which is 1,943 of the 3,325 serials in Sections XIV and XVI of FAA TCDS 3A21 — > 58%. That is a thin majority and it is said out loud: the 1977-1978 210M is a > Variants-table row with its own figures, and on one limit — maximum structural > cruising speed — the 210M is actually the **higher** of the two, so this page > is not quietly flattering the variant it describes.
- +Electric gear system dramatically more reliable than pre-1977 engine-driven design (60-70% reduction in gear squawks)
- +210N (1979+) deleted problematic gear doors, eliminating major failure points
- +Mature, final-production normally aspirated Centurion with proven design
- !1977-1978 models (210M) retain gear doors with chronic valve and actuator problems
- !IO-520-L engine prone to cylinder cracking; borescope inspection essential
- !Airframe age (40-49 years old); SID compliance a significant cost item
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