The Beechcraft Bonanza holds a coveted spot in aviation history as the longest continually produced airplane of all time. Beechcraft celebrated a significant milestone for the storied airplane on Monday, handing over the 4,000th Model 36 Bonanza, a G36 purchased by a Baltimore, Maryland, commercial real estate firm. In all, Beechcraft has produced more than 18,000 Model 33, 35 and 36 Bonanzas since the first one rolled out of the factory in Wichita in 1947.
Although the design is now more than 65 years old, the Bonanza somehow is still regarded as a modern machine. The G36’s new owner is the Segall Group, whose CEO and chairman are both pilots and will fly the Bonanza to client meetings and sites throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The company’s chief pilot is José Santana, who also serves as Segall’s associate vice president of retail sales & leasing.
