Beechcraft Bonanza A36 vs Piper PA-24 Comanche

Side-by-side specs, range, and operating costs.

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Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Beechcraft Bonanza A36
33.5 × 27.5 ft 8.6 ft tall
1× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Piper PA-24 Comanche
36.0 × 25.8 ft 7.5 ft tall
1× Piston Retractable Unpressurized

Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb: best values are at the top.

Mission performance specifications
Specification Beechcraft Bonanza A36Piper PA-24 Comanche
Stall speed 62 kt67 kt
Approach speed 80 kt78 kt
Cruise speed 169 kt160 kt
Range 760 nm1000 nm
Service ceiling 18500 ft19500 ft
Rate of climb 1015 fpm1320 fpm
Fuel burn 15.0 gph14.1 gph

Each axis is scaled independently across the compared aircraft and printed in its own units; every vertex sits at the published figure. Higher is better on all axes: Stall, Approach and Fuel Burn are inverted (lower = higher). A missing figure breaks the line at that axis.

Flight Profile

Service ceiling, range, and climb rate.

Tap legend to isolate

Arc represents the climb-cruise-descent profile based on published service ceiling and range. Climb rate annotated on ascent. FL180 (18,000 ft) shown for reference.

Fuel Burn & Range

Range, endurance, and what the fuel costs by the hour.

Beechcraft Bonanza A36 Avgas
15.0 gph
Baseline
760 nm range 74 gal usable 11.3 nm/gal $98 fuel/hr 4h 56m endurance
Beechcraft Bonanza A36: 15.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 760 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 56 minute endurance, 11.3 nautical miles per gallon.
Piper PA-24 Comanche Avgas
14.1 gph
Baseline
1,000 nm range 56 gal usable 11.3 nm/gal $92 fuel/hr 3h 58m endurance
Piper PA-24 Comanche: 14.1 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,000 nautical mile published range, 3 hour 58 minute endurance, 11.3 nautical miles per gallon.
Avgas range each cell = 1 hr of cruise · width scales with speed

Bars show published still-air range. Endurance is usable fuel divided by the published cruise burn. Estimates only. Always verify against the POH.

Runway Performance

Density altitude adjusted estimates

Outside Air Temp
0°F57°F115°F
Field Elevation
SL4,0008,000 ft
Density Altitude

Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle

Landing ground roll

Base distance DA penalty
Scale: 6,000 ft

FAA 10%/1,000 ft DA rule of thumb (FAA-H-8083-25B). Turboprops and jets are less sensitive in practice. Always verify against the POH.

Estimated Operating Costs

Scale:
Beechcraft Bonanza A36 Avgas
$175 /hr
Baseline
Beechcraft Bonanza A36: $175 per flight hour — fuel $98, maintenance and reserve $77.
Piper PA-24 Comanche Avgas
$166 /hr
Baseline
Piper PA-24 Comanche: $166 per flight hour — fuel $92, maintenance and reserve $74.
Beechcraft Bonanza A36 Piston
$10,900 /yr Baseline
Beechcraft Bonanza A36: $10,900 per year — insurance $3,000, hangar $5,400, annual inspection $2,500.
Piper PA-24 Comanche Piston
$10,346 /yr Baseline
Piper PA-24 Comanche: $10,346 per year — insurance $2,470, hangar $6,376, annual inspection $1,500.

Estimates only. Costs vary by location, pilot profile, and market conditions. See individual aircraft pages for source notes.

Capability & limits

Each bar stacks your selected occupants against full fuel and the aircraft's useful-load limit (the black line). The open gap between them is spare payload. Add an occupant and the gap closes; once it's gone, fuel has to give.

lb

+ lb / pax

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1
Beechcraft Bonanza A36
6 / 6 seats 74 / 74 gal fuel 961 lb wet payload 1,405 lb useful 3,650 lb MTOW
Piper PA-24 Comanche
4 / 4 seats 56 / 56 gal fuel 1,091 lb wet payload 1,427 lb useful 3,200 lb MTOW

Occupants at 190 + 30 lb each. Fuel at 6.7 lb/gal jet-A, 6.0 lb/gal avgas.

Payload-Range Map

Origin: · two fingers to move map

lb

+ lb / pax

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1

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