Beechcraft Twin Bonanza vs Cessna 421C Golden Eagle

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

Aircraft


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Mission Performance

Stall, approach, cruise, range, ceiling and climb — the higher on the chart, the better, on every axis.

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Mission performance specifications
Specification Beechcraft Twin BonanzaCessna 421C Golden Eagle
Stall speed 71 kt86 kt
Approach speed 82 kt98 kt
Cruise speed 165 kt241 kt
Range 825 nm1197 nm
Service ceiling 20000 ft30200 ft
Rate of climb 1450 fpm1940 fpm
Fuel burn 27.0 gph47.0 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.

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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 Twin Bonanza Avgas
27.0 gph
Baseline
825 nm range 134 gal usable 6.1 nm/gal $176 fuel/hr 4h 57m endurance
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza: 27.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 825 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 57 minute endurance, 6.1 nautical miles per gallon.
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle Avgas
47.0 gph
Baseline
1,197 nm range 213 gal usable 5.1 nm/gal $306 fuel/hr 4h 31m endurance
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle: 47.0 gallons per hour at cruise, 1,197 nautical mile published range, 4 hour 31 minute endurance, 5.1 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 Twin Bonanza Avgas
$350 /hr
Baseline
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza: $350 per flight hour — fuel $176, maintenance and reserve $174.
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle Avgas
$598 /hr
Baseline
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle: $598 per flight hour — fuel $306, maintenance and reserve $292.
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza Piston
$15,300 /yr Baseline
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza: $15,300 per year — insurance $5,000, hangar $4,800, annual inspection $5,500.
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle Piston
$32,155 /yr Baseline
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle: $32,155 per year — insurance $16,000, hangar $9,600, annual inspection $6,555.

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.

190 + 30 lb Occupants
×
1
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza
8 / 8 seats 134 / 134 gal fuel 1,406 lb wet payload 2,210 lb useful 6,300 lb MTOW
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle
10 / 10 seats 213 / 213 gal fuel 922 lb wet payload 2,200 lb useful 7,450 lb MTOW

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

Dimensions & configuration

Representative planforms, drawn to shared scale.

Beechcraft Twin Bonanza
45.2 × 31.5 ft 11.5 ft tall
2× Piston Retractable Unpressurized
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle
44.5 × 36.8 ft 11.5 ft tall
2× Piston Retractable Pressurized

Payload-Range Map

Full fuel ← → Max payload

Origin: · two fingers to move map

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