Beechcraft Bonanza 36 / A36 / G36 vs Piper Saratoga (PA-32R-301, 1980-2009)
Head-to-head — specs, at a glance.
i
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
Piper Saratoga (PA-32R-301, 1980-2009)
The PA-32R-301 Saratoga SP is the 1980 replacement for the Lance: same six/seven-place Cherokee Six cabin, same retractable gear, but on the **tapered wing** that came in with the Saratoga and with the T-tail experiment abandoned. The certificate's own summary is "Same as Model PA-32R-300 except for tapered wings and other minor changes."
- +155+ knots cruise, six seats, 102 usable gallons—genuine cross-country capability
- +Wide cabin and right-side cargo door
- +IO-540 engine superbly supported; overhaul parts readily available
- !Retractable gear system is high-maintenance and expensive ($1,000–$3,000/year budgeted)
- !Weak or absent gear warning on older airframes; higher-than-average gear-up landing rate
- !Slippery when clean; 132-knot gear extension speed makes unplanned descents difficult without speed brakes
Comparing a specific airplane you found for sale?
Get a Tail # Report on that tail number →