Textron Updates And Upgrades Beechcraft And Cessna Piston Models

Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft Bonanza piston single and Baron twin, along with the Cessna line of piston singles, will receive “a range of enhancements,” announced this week at the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-in & Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. “Customers will experience a noticeable change when they’re inside each of these aircraft,” said Chris Crow, vice president of piston sales at Textron.

In the case of the Bonanza, a maximum-takeoff-weight increase of 155 pounds (in standard configuration) means there could actually be one more “customer” on a given flight experiencing those noticeable changes (though a bit slimmer than the FAA’s standard 180-pounder). The six-seat Bonanza G-36 now has 1,213 pounds of useful load with six seats installed.

The Bonanza—as well as the Baron—also get upgraded to the Garmin GI 275 electronic standby instrument, along with a carbon monoxide detector integrated with the Garmin avionics system, USB ports at every seat, powered headset plugs in the cockpit and updated LED exterior lighting. Buyers of the two Beechcraft models will also have three new interior schemes to choose from and a new cockpit layout with a standalone autopilot controller.

High-wing fans haven’t been left behind. All new-production Cessna pistons are also getting a Garmin GI 275 electronic standby, along with Alcantara inserts in the seats and a backlit USB A/C port in the cockpit. Celebrating the 65^th birthday of the 182 Skylane, Textron harkened back to a retro paint scheme, including the name “Cessna” on the doors in the marque’s early font. And alongside the Skylane on display at Sun ‘n Fun is an example of the turbocharged TIO-540 AK1A Lycoming engine that will power the upcoming Turbo Skylane to be added to the product line. The engine will be able to maintain its full 235 HP up to 20,000 feet, yielding a maximum cruise speed of 165 knots.