Plane & Pilot 2017 Buyer’s Guide: Single-Engine Piston Planes

Newcomers, upgrades, and old favorites: 20 piston singles for 2017.

Plane & Pilot

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 08:13 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The market for piston singles offers a diverse range of aircraft, from utility trainers to pressurized six-place screamers, including significant updates to existing models and new certifications.
Modern piston singles heavily feature advanced avionics, with Garmin's G1000 NXi/Perspective+ and G3000 touch-controlled suites being prominent across many models, enhancing safety and user experience.
The Cirrus SR22 G6 remains the best-selling piston single, distinguished by its updated avionics and standard whole-airplane recovery parachute system.
Key advancements across the featured aircraft include improved comfort, increased speed and range, enhanced safety features (like anti-icing and synthetic vision), and better pilot/passenger amenities.

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Beechcraft G36 Bonanza

When you think of the ideal personal transportation piston single, it’s hard not to think of the G36 Bonanza, a fast, six-place retractable cruiser with club seating in back and a big, comfy barn door for passengers to climb into and back out of the plane. The basic design of the plane hasn’t changed in decades, but the quality and design character, if anything, have only grown stronger over time. And the electronics are light-years ahead of any ’60s-era Model 36, with the Garmin G1000 avionics suite standard. Beechcraft, now a part of Textron Aviation, only sells a few dozen Bonanzas a year, and they go for a premium. But the pleasure and pride Beechcraft owners take in their planes, owners will tell you, is hard to beat.

Niche: Premium, retractable-gear single

Base Price: $799,000

Competitors: Cirrus SR22, Cessna TTx, Piper Matrix

Read our G36 Bonanza pilot report.

Beechcraft G36 Bonanza Specifications

Learn more at Beechcraft.