As these ads reflect, these small private planes were most commonly used by corporate executives… but if you were well-off, they would also make for some wonderfully fast travel.
Beechcraft Queen Air A80 (1963)
No wonder professional pilots are enthusiastic about the sensational new Beech-craft Queen Air A80! With its wing span extended a full five feet, the A80 can carry even heavier payloads over even longer distances — and offers even more comfort and luxury than its famous predecessor, the original Queen Air 80.
With its redesigned nose compartment for expanded radio installation, and its new streamlined exterior paint design, it’s easy to spot this new Beechcraft masterpiece.
Flight range is increased in the Queen Air A80 because larger fuel tanks enable it to carry an extra 34 gallons of fuel. Standard tanks hold 214 gallons; auxiliary tanks now hold 264 gallons. This makes the new Queen Air A80 an un-usually versatile airplane.
It can, for example, easily fly six people, 135 pounds of baggage, 264 gallons of fuel, and 765 pounds of optional equipment at 212 mph for 1,265 miles nonstop — and still have a 45-minute fuel reserve (or 1,150 miles at 230 mph)!
Other features pilots appreciate include: Separate pilot compartment and passenger salon for privacy . . . a large flight deck with work space to spare and enough panel room for full dual nav/comm equipment plus radar . . . more structural strength than any other airplane in the medium twin class . . . and free annual inspections by factory service teams — a Beechcraft exclusive!
Visit your Beechcraft dealer soon and see all the exciting features of this new Queen Air A80. He’ll gladly arrange a demonstration flight at a time convenient for you.
Add 400 pounds more useful load in the new Queen Air A80 . . . for a new high payload of 3,600 pounds! This means as many as nine people (and their luggage) now can travel in unparalleled comfort and privacy in this luxurious new executive transport. New gross weight for the Queen Air is a big 8,500 pounds.
Add 34 more gallons of fuel capacity in the new Queen Air A80 for new long range. From center of circle, you can fly nonstop to Los Angeles, New York or Miami. With a full reserve cruising range of 1,265 miles at 212 mph (or 1,150 miles at 230 mph), you can span the continent with only one fuel stop.
Write today for all the facts about the new Beechcraft Queen Air A80 before you decide on any twin. Address Beech Aircraft Corp., Public Relations Dept., Wichita, Kansas 67201, U. S. A. The World Is Small When You Fly A Beechcraft
New Beechcraft refrigerated air conditioning gives cool comfort — even during ground operations
You travel cool, arrive refreshed, because a full ton of air conditioning keeps the cabin springtime cool — even when the temperature outside is 100°F. Now say goodbye to hot, sweltering waits while loading, taxiing, holding for take-off clearance.
New Beech-craft Refrigerated Air Conditioning keeps your Beechcraft 18 or Queen Air delightfully cool during ground and flight operations. No need to disturb seating arrangement — self-contained unit mounts hack of starboard rear passenger chair.
Easily installed — and easy to remove in winter. Big one ton cooling capacity — even when OAT is 100°F. Operates on 24 volt DC aircraft electrical system. Unit can be covered to match cabin interior.
See your Beechcraft dealer. Have yours installed now. Cost is low, installation is simple. Also available for other large executive aircraft.
10 vintage Beechcraft aircraft styles from 1965
In each of the 10 specialized fields for private business airplanes, there is a better-built Beechcraft — offering unusual advantages in comfort, performance, and economy of operation.
Only Beechcraft offers such a choice of 10 different business aircraft to best match the varying requirements of different companies.
Your choice ranges from the sporty, low-priced Musketeer II with its jet-fighter construction … the two high-performance utility category single-engine favorites (Debonair and Bonanza) … the speedy, roomy, economical pair of light twins (Travel Air and Baron) … the classic Twin Beech … to the three Queen Airs and new turboprop King Air that make up the incomparable Beechcraft Royal Family.
Not one thing alone makes a Beechcraft a Beechcraft. It’s a combination of many things.
It’s the meticulous care with which all 10 Beechcrafts are built: doors that are made oversize, then patiently hand fitted for a perfect, noise-eliminating seal; or the hundreds of extra rivets and carefully sealed joints; the rugged strength and extra durability.
Vintage Beechcraft S-35 aircraft from 1965
New Beechcraft King Air A90 (1967)
This beautiful bird is really a workhorse in disguise!
Don’t let the good lucks of this business airplane full you. The beauty is more than skin deep. The Beechcraft King Air is a real workhorse. So practical that in less than two years, it has become the world’s largest-selling, high-performance executive aircraft…
New Beechcraft King Air A90 carries 7-10 in complete comfort. Cruse over 4 miles in a minute. Range over 1500 miles.
Vintage 1970s Beechcraft Baron 58P airplanes from 1978
294 mph. Nothing in its class can catch it.
You’ve got to be quick to catch a glimpse of a Beechcraft Baron 58P. Because with a top speed of 294 mph, it doesn’t stay in one place for long. Truth is, the Beechcraft Baron 58P is flat out the world’s fastest pressurized piston twin under 7,000 lbs. Bar none.
New York to Miami in under 4 hours. At typical cruise power settings, the Beechcraft Baron 58P gives you the ability to reach destinations a thousand miles away in about half a working day. But speed is just one area where the Beechcraft Baron out-does its competitors.
This remarkable airplane also has the highest gear and flap extension speed, 177 kts (204 mph) and the highest maneuvering speed, 170 kts (196 mph) of any airplane in its class.
All of which should tell you the Beechcraft Baron 58P is built for more than just speed. Strong, clean design and twin 310 hp turbocharged Continentals team up to deliver even more. Useful load of 2,155 lbs. 1,529 fpm rate of climb at sea level (two engines). Service ceiling above 25,000 ft. (two engines). 1,170 nm (1,347 sm) range, 65% power at 25,000 ft., including all GAMA reserves.
And you don’t have to be the world’s best pilot to get those figures either. Comfort from the ground up. From the moment you step aboard a Beechcraft Baron 58P, you’ll be surrounded by the kind of comfort you find only in a Beechcraft.
Plush chairs contoured to your body. Optional “Club Cabin Seating” for easy conversations or enroute work sessions. Individually-controlled fresh air vents and reading lights.
And a long list of interior decor selections and optional equipment that lets you personalize your Baron to suit your tastes. The efficient pressurization system keeps the cabin comfortable right on up to altitude…
Vintage 1970s Beechcraft Baron 58TC planes from 1978 (2)
Everything goes. Then get up and go over 1000 miles non-stop.
When the turbocharged Beechcraft Baron 58TC leaves the ground, everything and everybody leaves with it. The reason is simple. 2,360 pounds of useful load. Enough to carry full fuel, full IFR equipment and 1,000 lbs. of people or cargo over 1,000 miles non-stop.
If that sounds a bit unusual, it is. In fact, the Beechcraft Baron 58TC is the only airplane in its class that can carry so much. Twin 310 hp turbocharged Continentals perfectly matched to an exceptionally strong airframe team up to give you a true six-seat, full-range, twin-engine aircraft.
And to get this range and payload, you don’t have to give up speed. Fully loaded to maximum gross weight, the Beechcraft Baron 58TC zips through the air at over 4 miles a minute. And that’s at a realistic power setting of 64% at 20,000 ft.
The Beechcraft Baron 58TC was designed from the start to be a pilot’s airplane. And it shows. Control response is crisp and clean. Gear and flaps extend at speeds up to 177 kts (204 mph) for outstanding speed control. The panel is logically arranged and uncluttered. The radio stack is even canted in your direction to make it easier to read channel numbers.
For passengers, the Beechcraft Baron 58TC offers the little extras that make their flights with you enjoyable. Like big double doors that open van-like to make boarding easy. Optional club cabin seating with facing seats for enjoyable conversations or enroute work sessions.
Chair-high seats that give legs plenty of room to stretch out. Individual fresh air vents. Ashtrays. Reading lights. Openable center windows for good ventilation on the ground. And a wide range of interior decor selections and optional equipment that allows you to customize your Baron to suit your personal requirements.
Fly a Beechcraft Baron 58TC soon. With a 2,360 pound useful load and turbocharged powerplants, chances are you won’t have to leave anything behind.
MORE: TWA history: The ups and downs of Trans World Airlines
Vintage 1970s Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft from 1978
Most 6-seat single-engine airplanes are okay to ride in. Until you want to talk to the person sitting in front of you. Then you have to chat through the backside of the seats, or lean forward between them.
Not an ideal way to carry on a conversation. But there is an alternative. The Beechcraft Bonanza A36.
Club Cabin Seating? Your passengers will love it.
What makes the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 different? A simple idea, pioneered by Beech, called “Club Cabin Seating.” Instead of all seats facing forward, the aft seats face each other. And so do the people sitting in them, which makes for very enjoyable conversations. Or work sessions.
Because “Club Cabin Seating” also offers you an optional fold-away work table. If all passengers prefer to face forward, the seats can be quickly reversed. And all seats recline.
Another feature of “Club Cabin Seating” is the ease of entry. No more boarding through the pilot’s door and threading between seats. Instead, two big double doors open wide, van-like, to the aft compartment. Passengers are just two quick steps from their seats.
MORE: The mystery of DB Cooper, the hijacker who got $200,000 then jumped from a jet (1971)
And since you may need to carry something other than passengers, we’ve made the rear seats removable. They can be taken out in just a few minutes, leaving you 62 cubic feet of cargo space.
Performance you’ll love. Being a passenger in a Beechcraft Bonanza A36 is a pure pleasure, but being the pilot of one is even better. Because not only is the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 one of the most comfortable, sweetest handling singles around, it’s also one of the best performing.
Here’s what we mean. Top speed,179 kts (206 mph). Cruise speed, 66% power, 163 kts (188 mph). Range, 66% power plus 45-minute reserve, 748 nm (861 sm).
And if those numbers aren’t enough to impress you, here are others that should: 1,030 fpm rate of climb at sea level. 16,600 ft. service ceiling. Useful load of 1,464 lbs. Take off and clear a stand of 50 ft. trees in 2,020 ft. Land over 50 ft. trees in 1,450 ft.
ALSO SEE: How the Boeing 747 jumbo jet made history
While you’re enjoying the performance, you’ll also discover other pleasant surprises the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 offers you. Creep-proof vernier throttle, prop, and mixture controls.
A handsome, well-organized and highly professional panel. Adjustable rudder pedals on the pilot and co-pilot sides. Super-soundproofing that reduces noise and vibration. And a yoke that’s as smooth as ivory, perfectly molded to the contour of your hand.
The Beechcraft Bonanza A36. With the comfort of “Club Cabin Seat-ing, outstanding performance, and the kind of quality you find only in a Beechcraft, it’s an airplane that will have people talking for years to come. Fly one. You’ll see what they’re talking about.
Vintage Beechcraft Baron B55 and E55 propeller planes (1978)
We’d like to settle, once and for all, the old argument about which of the Unidentical Twins is better. The Beechcraft Baron B55 or E55? They both are. And that’s not just taking the easy way out. Because even though the Unidentical Twins look alike, they’re still two different airplanes. Each has something unique to offer you.
The Beechcraft Baron B55
Practical, hardworking, and bred for economy. Here’s the economy champ of the two; the ideal first twin when you’re stepping up from a high-performance single. Powered by two highly efficient 260 hp Continental engines, the Beechcraft Baron B55 makes the most of every gallon of fuel.
To get an idea of what we mean, consider this: At 10,000 ft., and power back to 66%, you’ll cruise at 184 kts (212 mph) with a fuel flow of only 23.8 gph.
Other impressive performance figures include a – 1,693 fpm rate of climb at sea level; 1,$95 lb. useful load; and a range of 907 nm (1,044 sm) at 66% power with 45 minute reserve.
If you’re looking for better than average economy with good, solid performance, stop right here. The Beechcraft Baron B55 is the Unidentical Twin for you.
The Beechcraft Baron E55
A born athlete. The other half of the Unidentical Twins is the Beechcraft Baron E55. With bigger engines (285 hp Continentals), a larger nose baggage compartment (18 cubic feet), and a standard 10 cubic foot extended rear baggage area, it’s the standout when it comes to performance and payload.
Here’s what you can expect from your Beechcraft Baron E55: 208 kts (239 mph) top speed. 200 kts (230 mph) cruise at 77% power. Useful load of 2,083 lbs. (enough for full fuel, five 2001b. people, and 283 lbs. of baggage or cargo). 19,100 ft. service ceiling. Rate of climb at sea level of 1,682 fpm.
Along with better performance and a bigger pay-load, the Beechcraft Baron E55 also gives you more standard equipment. In addition to the 720 channel COMM and 200 channel NAV, VOR/LOC converter/ indicator, microphone, headset, cabin speaker, NAV/ COMM/GS antenna, and ELT that’s standard on both, the Beechcraft Baron E55 comes equipped with an ADF.
MORE: See what United Airlines flights in the ’50s were supposed to be like
You also have a greater choice of fuel systems with the Beechcraft Baron E55. Choose the standard 100 gallon system, or the extra range of the optional 136 or 166 gallon systems. If you need a little more of everything on your missions — speed, range, payload — the Beechcraft Baron E55 is the Unidentical Twin you want.
The unending debate.
Both Beechcraft Barons are built with the kind of quality and attention to detail you find only in a Beechcraft. Both are big, solid airplanes; beautiful to look at and beautiful to fly. Offering a virtually limitless selection of personalized options and custom appointments.
And both hold their value tenaciously year after year. One offers you outstanding economy and performance, the other even better performance and more payload.
Whichever Unidentical Twin you choose, you can be sure of one thing. You’ll get the best one.
Vintage 1970s Beechcraft Sierra airplanes from 1978
NOW SEE THIS: See vintage Cessna propeller planes from the ’50s, ’60s & ’70s