The leader of the largest Beechcraft Bonanza type organization said Textron officials have assured him the company will continue to make parts and provide support for the up to 13,000 Bonanzas and Barons still flying in the wake of the company’s decision to discontinue making the iconic piston aircraft. Textron confirmed Thursday it is ending production of Beechcraft piston models to concentrate on its new Denali turboprop. Tom Turner, executive director of the American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation, told AvBrief he wasn’t surprised by Thursday’s news given the slow sales of both aircraft in recent years, but the pledge of continued support ensures the existing fleet “has a bright future.” According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Textron delivered five Bonanzas and two Barons in all of 2024 and four Bonanzas and two Barons in the first half of 2025. In response to a query from AvBrief, prompted by an eagle-eyed reader who noticed that Bonanzas and Barons had been purged from Textron’s product lineup on its website, a Textron spokesperson issued the following statement.
“As part of Textron Aviation’s product investment plan, the company will end production of the Beechcraft Baron G58 and Beechcraft Bonanza G36 models once all current orders are fulfilled. Known for their power and craftsmanship, the Baron and Bonanza aircraft have been cornerstones of the company’s leadership in the piston market for nearly eight decades. More than 6,000 Baron and 18,000 Bonanza aircraft have been delivered worldwide. This December will mark the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the Beechcraft Bonanza, a testament to the aircraft’s significance in aviation history. This strategic shift will enable Textron Aviation to focus on welcoming the Beechcraft Denali into its product portfolio while thoughtfully assessing future investments within this segment.”
Turner also noted that Textron undershot the production totals of the aircraft in its statement by a few thousand. “Beech has produced a total of 26,165 Bonanza-family airplanes, including: 17,170 Bonanzas (models 35, 36 and Bonanza-designated 33); 1297 Debonairs (Debonair-designated 33s); 6978 Barons (models 55, 56 and 58) and 720 Travel Airs.”
In an earlier version of this story, Textron incorrectly stated that more than 3,000 Barons had been built. In fact, as explained in that story by American Bonanza Society spokesman Tom Turner, Textron and its predecessors built more than 6,000 Barons. We have changed Textron’s statement to correct that figure.
Wow…!
Oh man – I can’t believe it. So sad, like losing a friend.
I had both at various times. Beautiful aircraft that always responded perfectly to prescribed settings. You always knew you could trust them to bring you home and they always did. It’s a sad day for aviation.
As sad day indeed for the Beechcraft line. Who will be the last piston powered GA manufacturer standing I wonder?
Based on current sales numbers, Cirrus? Maybe one of the Cub clones?
Probably time. The Bonanza, Baron and Denali are all priced well above what anyone who is not in the top 5% of net worth in the US can afford. Gone are the days when the mere wealthy could afford to buy a new airplane.
The cynical response is that they just don’t want to screw around with planes that don’t burn kerosene, somewhat akin to the US automakers only wanting to make pickups and SUV’s with high profit margins. The business response is that they possibly see the writing on the wall with MOSAIC and the Light Sport/EAB’s potentially dominating piston GA.
They’ll keep making 172’s, PA28’s, and other trainers to sell to flight schools to get people through their ratings, but many of us who fly for leisure and can’t afford to burn kerosene are likely to more strongly consider EAB and say goodbye to $4,000 annuals and $200 light bulbs.
On top of that , while many of us love the Bonanza/Baron line, the dismal sales figures, especially compared to Cirrus, likely caused resignation.
Last time I was up there they were down to single digits on annual sales of the bonanza and 1 or 2 annually for the baron. kind of hard to have a business with that low of volume
80 years! quite a run. Well done, Beechcraft. As mentioned, losing sales to Cirrus probably was the deciding factor. Does Textron have a Bonanza replacement in the pipeline? In the cad files? In some marketing exec’s dreams?
Textron essentially ceded the “high performance airplane designed after the Kennedy assassination” market to Cirrus and Diamond when they killed off the Cessna 400/TTx.
At this point, Diamond and Cirrus have enough of a presence in the GA piston market that I don’t see how Textron would recoup the investment in a completely new airframe unless something magically causes the GA market to go back to the sales levels it was hitting in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Standard Airworthiness Certificated aircraft are for paying passenger (Commercial) use. The average paying passenger expects a turbine engine to fly their family from A to B. Very few new build piston aircraft are purchased for commercial use anymore. Special Airworthiness Certificated aircraft are coming in mass and will begin a whole new era of private air travel.
Look at the Van’s Aircraft +10,000 fleet of Special Airworthiness Certificated aircraft. Many aircraft companies are going to offer the options of Homebuilt, Fast Build and Factory Build. Whatever best fits your wallet. Time to move forward and upward 🙂
shame on textron. just pure mismanagement. nothing else. 🤷🏽♂️
cirrus, which is less capable is selling like hotcakes. doesn’t take a genius to figure it out…
I agree that the legacy airplanes are superior to the new composites, but I’m old. I’ve been in a Diamond a few times and want to get out of it in a half hour. As a pickup truck/Skylane/206 guy, I can’t stand sitting in a Corvette with my legs straight ahead, and that’s how a Diamond feels.
Also, insurance companies hate piston twins and single engine rg’s, so I think that’s also a factor, as well as the additional maintenance expenses. The Piper Seneca and Arrow are finished as well, and the only reason Piper makes the Seminole is because they’re about the only game in town with a legacy twin trainer, i.e., they sell enough of them to justify making them.
As the beacon turns.
A big loss to those of us lucky enough to fly and maintain these wonderful airplanes. Very predictable in both arenas. As a business decision, I get it; cost-benefit, profit margins, and retail pressures all push the piston markets to turbine-level expectations.