Textron Aviation announced upgrades to the G36 Bonanza this week that include an increase in the maximum take-off weight.
The new MTOW of 1726 kg represents an increase in the useful load of 70 kg, bringing the payload up to 550 kg.
Beechcraft exponents have been vocal in their criticism of the Bonanza empty weight, which has increased steadily with new models, eating into the useful load.
A typical useful load of some late-model G36s could be around 480 kg depending on the fitment, whereas early 1970s A36 could carry loads exceeding 600 kg.
Textron did not report the delivery of any G36s in 2021 and only 12 were sold worldwide in 2020, putting the future of the type in some doubt.
Textron also announced new-build Bonanzas would have a Garmin GI 275 electronic stand-by instrument, eliminating the need for the three analogue instruments to back up the G1000 NXi avionics.
The upgrades will apply to new-build Bonanzas, which Textron believes it will start to deliver mid 2022.