48-474: The Beechcraft Musketeer is a family of single-engined, low-wing, light aircraft that was produced by Beechcraft . The line includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport , the Model 23 Musketeer , Custom and Sundowner , the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III, the retractable gear Model 24R Sierra and the military CT-134 Musketeer . The Musketeer line was in production from model years 1963 to 1983, during which time
96-405: A Lycoming IO-360 fuel injected powerplant which produced 200 bhp (150 kW), 35 hp (26 kW) more than the standard Model 23 Musketeer of that year. This model initially sold for a price of $ 16,350 in 1966. In 1966 a single demonstration Model 23-24 was equipped with a constant speed propeller. In succeeding years approximately one third of production aircraft were delivered with
144-527: A supplemental type certificate . Despite these issues, many Bonanza 35 owners insist that the aircraft is reasonably safe, and its reputation has resulted in reduced purchase costs for budget-conscious buyers. The conventional-tail Model 33 continued in production until 1995. Still built today is the Model 36 Bonanza, a longer-bodied, straight-tail variant of the original design, introduced in 1968. No Bonanzas were delivered in 2021, but on April 10, 2022, it
192-420: A cable failure just prior to takeoff, and resulting concerns about the age of the cables in fleet aircraft of this age. At the time of the grounding, some Bonanzas had reached 64 years in service. Aircraft with frayed cables were grounded until the cables were replaced, and those that passed inspection were required to have their cables replaced within 60 days regardless. The AD affected only Australian aircraft and
240-450: A civilian test pilot killed. Twenty-seven QU-22Bs (Model 1079) were modified, 13 in 1969 and 14 in 1970, with six lost in combat. Two Air Force pilots were killed in action. All the losses were due to engine failures or effects of turbulence. A large cowl bump above the spinner was faired-in for an AC current generator, and a higher weight set of Baron wings and spars were used to handle the 236-US-gallon (890 L) fuel load. The Bonanza
288-662: A division of Raytheon and then Hawker Beechcraft before a bankruptcy sale turned its assets over to Textron (parent company of Beech's historical cross-town Wichita rival, Cessna Aircraft Company ). It remains a brand of Textron Aviation. Beech Aircraft Company was founded in Wichita, Kansas , in 1932 by Walter Beech as president, his wife Olive Ann Beech as secretary, Ted A. Wells as vice president of engineering, K. K. Shaul as treasurer, and investor C. G. Yankey as vice president. The company began operations in an idle Cessna factory. With designer Ted Wells, they developed
336-570: A standard price of $ 24,950. The Model 24R completed the Beech line between the fixed gear Musketeers and the much larger, faster, more complex and expensive Beechcraft Bonanza . 1974 saw the introduction of the improved B24R Sierra powered by the Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 engine and new propeller variant as a 1974 model year. The improved C24R in 1977 was powered by the same engine and larger propeller. Beech also did an aerodynamic cleanup on
384-464: A total of 4,366 were produced. The type certificate for the Musketeer family of aircraft has been owned by Hawker Beechcraft since March 26, 2007. The first of the line was the Model 23. It was introduced under the "Musketeer" name as a 1963 model at an initial price of $ 13,300 and was powered by a Lycoming O-320 -D2B engine of 160 bhp (120 kW). The next year this engine was replaced by
432-470: Is a substantially wider and heavier aircraft that is mostly dissimilar to the single-engined Bonanza; the only major shared parts are the front fuselage sides, windows, and main cabin door. However, the Twin Bonanza had trouble competing with the similarly capable but substantially lighter Cessna 310 and Piper PA-23 , so Beechcraft used the basic Bonanza fuselage and many other Bonanza parts to create
480-436: Is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas . Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation , an American manufacturer of general aviation , commercial , and military aircraft , ranging from light single-engined aircraft to twin-engined turboprop transports, business jets , and military trainers . Beech later became
528-725: Is less graceful than anticipated. Nevertheless, with practice, smooth landings are easy to accomplish. As a result of this type of landing gear design, Beechcraft did not design or offer wheel fairings for the fixed gear models. Several aftermarket manufacturers have designed and tested wheel fairings for Musketeers. During their production years the Musketeer family of aircraft were popular trainers and were used by many flying schools. Most Musketeers are now privately owned. Data from Airliners.net The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Beechcraft Beechcraft
SECTION 10
#1732780087470576-807: The Continental IO-346 -A engine of 165 bhp (123 kW). This engine was not a success and was in turn replaced by the Lycoming O-360 -A4J engine of 180 bhp (130 kW) starting with the B23 Musketeer Custom of 1968. In 1970 the C23 version was introduced also under the name "Musketeer Custom". In 1972 the C23 was renamed the "Sundowner". When properly equipped, the B23 and C23 are approved for limited aerobatics . A total of 2,331 Beechcraft 23s of all variants were manufactured by
624-704: The Debonair . At the end of World War II , two all-metal light aircraft emerged, the Model 35 Bonanza and the Cessna 195 , that represented very different approaches to the premium end of the postwar civil-aviation market. With its high-wing, seven-cylinder radial engine , fixed tailwheel undercarriage , and roll-down side windows, the Cessna 195 was a continuation of prewar technology. The Bonanza, however, featured an easier-to-manage, horizontally opposed, six-cylinder engine, retractable tricycle undercarriage (although
672-635: The King Air and Super King Air line of twin-engined turboprops, in production since 1964, the Baron , a twin-engined variant of the Bonanza, and the Beechcraft Model 18, originally a business transport and commuter airliner from the late 1930s through the 1960s, which remains in active service as a cargo transport. In 1950, Olive Ann Beech was installed as president and CEO of the company, after
720-556: The Piper PA-28 Cherokees use oleo struts and the Grumman American AA-5s use fiberglass-sprung main gear, the Musketeer family use a trailing idler link gear system with compressed rubber pucks for shock absorption. This gives the aircraft quite different landing characteristics compared to the competition; light touchdowns are often accompanied by the idler links skipping and producing a landing that
768-496: The anodic properties of the magnesium used for the V-tail ruddervator skins, they tend to corrode, often resulting in permanent grounding of affected aircraft because the problem can only be fixed by complete replacement of the skins or the entire empennage , and the required parts are no longer available. The American Bonanza Society has issued a reward of $ 500,000 to encourage the development of aftermarket replacement skins under
816-516: The "C" model making it 6 knots faster than the "B" model it replaced in 1977. Sierra production ended at the same time as the Model 23 Sundowner assembly line was closed up, during the aviation economic downturn of 1983. A total of 744 Sierras were delivered. The Musketeer design was further developed into a twin-engined aircraft, the Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess . The Canadian Forces purchased twenty-four 1971 model B23 Musketeers, with
864-561: The "Travel Air" name, while Curtiss-Wright built the CW-12, 14, 15, and 16 as well as previous successful Travel Air models (mostly the model 4). In 1942 Beech won its first Army-Navy "E" Award production award and became one of the elite five percent of war contracting firms in the country to win five straight awards for production efficiency, mostly for the production of the Beechcraft Model 18 which remains in widespread use worldwide. Beechcraft ranked 69th among United States corporations in
912-580: The A19, B19, and M19 Sports are approved for limited aerobatics. The Model 19 was named the "Musketeer Sport" and a total of 922 were built over the 15 years of production which ended with the 1979 model year. Along with the introduction of the lower-powered Model 19 in 1966, Beechcraft also introduced a higher-powered version of the Model 23 Musketeer and named it the Beechcraft 23–24 Musketeer Super III. This upgraded model, first flown on 19 November 1965, had
960-507: The T-6 and AT-6 military trainer/attack aircraft, as well as the piston-powered single-engined Bonanza and twin-engined Baron aircraft. The jet line was discontinued, but the new company continues to support the aircraft already produced with parts, plus engineering and airworthiness documentation. By October 2013, the company, now financially turned around, was up for sale. On December 26, 2013, Textron agreed to purchase Beechcraft, including
1008-503: The United States between 1982 and 1989 found that the Bonanza had a slightly lower accident rate than other types in the study. Pilot error was cited in 73% of V-tail crashes and 83% of conventional-tail crashes, with aircraft-related causes accounting for 15% and 11% of crashes respectively. However, the study noted that the aircraft had an unusually high incidence of gear-up landings and inadvertent landing gear retractions on
SECTION 20
#17327800874701056-417: The constant speed propeller. The Super Musketeer typically has a useful load of 1050 to 1080 pounds – giving it one of the highest payloads of four-cylinder, fixed gear, simple single-engined aircraft available. Most Model 23-24s were produced in a four-seat configuration. A very small number were produced with a 4+2 configuration with the baggage area convertible to seat two children. This configuration option
1104-538: The discontinued Hawker jet line, for $ 1.4 billion. The sale was concluded in the first half of 2014, with government approval. Textron CEO Scott Donnelly indicated that Beechcraft and Cessna would be combined to form a new light aircraft manufacturing concern, Textron Aviation , that would result in US$ 65M–$ 85M in annual savings over keeping the companies separate. Textron has kept both the Beechcraft and Cessna names as separate brands. As of July 2019, Textron Aviation
1152-499: The early Sierras was introduced. These models were known as the A24 and are not to be confused with the first Sierras, which were designated A24R models. Other than the instrument panel these aircraft were mechanically identical to the earlier A23-24 model. The Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III proved the utility of the 200 hp (150 kW) engine in the Musketeer airframe, but the fixed-gear configuration prevented using full advantage of
1200-472: The extra power of the injected Lycoming. The obvious solution was retracting the landing gear and this resulted in the Model 24R. The Musketeer Super R, A24R in 1970 was the first model year for the new retractable version of the Musketeer to compete with the Piper Arrow. Renamed the "Sierra", in 1972. The initial A24R Sierra was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B of 200 bhp (150 kW) and sold for
1248-700: The field of general aviation manufacturing, along with Cessna and Piper Aircraft . In 1973, Beechcraft found Beechcraft Heritage Museum to host its historical aircraft. In 1994, Raytheon merged Beechcraft with the Hawker product line it had acquired in 1993 from British Aerospace , forming Raytheon Aircraft Company . In 2002, the Beechcraft brand was revived to again designate the Wichita-produced aircraft. In 2006, Raytheon sold Raytheon Aircraft to Goldman Sachs creating Hawker Beechcraft . Since its inception Beechcraft has resided in Wichita, Kansas , also
1296-471: The first CT-134 arriving at CFB Portage la Prairie on March 23, 1971. The initial batch of CT-134s was replaced in late 1981 with twenty-four 1982 model Beechcraft C23 Sundowners, which were designated by the CF as CT-134A Musketeer II. A significant difference between the Musketeer line and other similar light aircraft is the Musketeer's landing gear. While the competitive Cessna 172s use spring-steel main gear,
1344-634: The first aircraft under the Beechcraft name, the classic Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing , which first flew in November 1932. Over 750 Staggerwings were built, with 352 manufactured for the United States Army Air Forces and 67 for the United States Navy during World War II . Beechcraft was not Beech's first company, as he had previously formed Travel Air in 1924 and the design numbers used at Beechcraft followed
1392-458: The ground, which were attributed to a non-standard gear-retraction switch on early models that is easily confused with the switch that operates the flaps . Models starting in 1984 use a more distinctive relocated landing-gear switch, augmented by "squat switches" in the landing gear that prevent its operation while compressed by the aircraft's weight, and a throttle position switch that prevents gear retraction at low engine power settings. In 1982,
1440-547: The home of chief competitor Cessna, the birthplace of Learjet and of Stearman , whose trainers were used in large numbers during WW II. The entry into bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft on May 3, 2012, ended with its emergence on February 16, 2013, as a new entity, Beechcraft Corporation, with the Hawker Beechcraft name being retired. The new and much smaller company produce the King Air line of aircraft as well as
1488-565: The more prestigious V-tail Bonanza. However, most Bonanza features were available as factory options on the Debonair, and by the mid 1960s, most Debonair buyers were ordering most or all of these options. Realizing this, Beechcraft dropped the Debonair name and most of the basic and seldom-ordered standard features with the introduction of the E33 in 1968. Despite its name, the Twin Bonanza
Beechcraft Musketeer - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-499: The nosewheel initially was not steerable, but castering) and low-wing configuration. Designed by a team led by Ralph Harmon , the model 35 Bonanza was a relatively fast, low-wing, all-aluminum design, at a time when most light aircraft were still made of wood and fabric. The Model 35 featured retractable landing gear , and its signature V-tail (equipped with combination elevator-rudders called "ruddervators"). The prototype 35 Bonanza made its first flight on December 22, 1945, with
1584-577: The production of the V-tail Model 35 ended. In the late 1980s, repeated V-tail structural failures prompted the United States Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct extensive wind tunnel and flight tests, which proved that the V-tail did not meet type certification standards under certain conditions; the effort culminated with the issuance of an airworthiness directive to strengthen
1632-609: The project name "Pave Eagle" for the United States Air Force . An AiResearch turbocharged, reduction-geared Continental GTSIO-520-G engine was used to reduce its noise signature, much like the later Army-Lockheed YO-3A . These aircraft were intended to be used as unmanned drones to monitor seismic and acoustic sensors dropped along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and report troop and supply movements. When
1680-610: The project was put into operation in 1968, however, the aircraft were all flown by pilots of the 554th Reconnaissance Squadron Detachment 1, call sign "Vampire". A separate operation "Compass Flag" monitored the General Directorate of Rear Services along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, linking to the 6908th security squadron. Six YQU-22A prototypes (Model 1074, modifications of the Beech 33 Debonair) were combat-tested in 1968, and two were lost during operations, with
1728-459: The same 45 years. Most V-tail failures involved flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions , flight into thunderstorms , or airframe icing . In addition to the structural issues, the Bonanza 35 has a relatively narrow center of gravity envelope, and the tail design is intolerant of imbalances caused by damage, improper maintenance, or repainting. Such imbalances may induce dangerous aeroelastic flutter . Due to
1776-463: The sequence started at Travel Air, and were then continued at Curtiss-Wright, after Travel Air had been absorbed into the much larger company in 1929. Beech had become president of Curtiss-Wright's airplane division and VP of sales, but was dissatisfied with being so far removed from aircraft production. He quit to form Beechcraft, using the original Travel Air facilities and employing many of the same people. Model numbers prior to 11/11000 were built under
1824-406: The sudden death of her husband from a heart attack on November 29 of that year. She continued as CEO until Beech was purchased by Raytheon Company on February 8, 1980. Ted Wells had been replaced as chief engineer by Herbert Rawdon, who remained at the post until his retirement in the early 1960s. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th century, Beechcraft was considered one of the "Big Three" in
1872-488: The tail, which significantly reduced the incidence of in-flight breakups. Despite this, Beech has long contended that most V-tail failures involve operations well beyond the aircraft's intended flight envelope . Subsequent analysis of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records between 1962 and 2007 revealed an average of three V-tail structural failures per year, while the conventional-tailed Bonanza 33 and 36 suffered only eleven such failures in total during
1920-425: The time production was completed 20 years later in 1983. The Beech 19 was introduced as a 1966 model year. Despite having a lower model number, it was a later variant and was a lower-powered trainer version of the Model 23. It lacked the 23's third side window and had a Lycoming O-320-E2C powerplant of 150 bhp (110 kW). The Sport was introduced in 1966 with a standard price of $ 11,500. When properly equipped,
1968-563: The twin-engined Travel Air , which was later developed into the Baron . The V-tail design gained a reputation as the "forked-tail doctor killer", due to crashes by overconfident wealthy amateur pilots, fatal accidents, and in-flight breakups. "Doctor killer" has sometimes been used to describe the conventional-tailed version, as well. However, a detailed analysis by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of accident records for common single-engine retractable-gear airplanes in
Beechcraft Musketeer - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-491: The type receiving an airworthiness certificate on March 25, 1947. Production began that year. The first 30–40 Bonanzas produced had fabric-covered flaps and ailerons, after which those surfaces were covered with magnesium alloy sheet. The Bonanza family eventually comprised three major variants: The Model 33 Debonair was introduced in 1960 as a lower-priced model with more austere standard instrumentation, exterior equipment, paint schemes, and interior fabrics and trim than
2064-486: The value of World War II military production contracts. After the war, the Staggerwing was replaced by the revolutionary Beechcraft Bonanza with a distinctive V-tail . Perhaps the best known Beech aircraft, the single-engined Bonanza has been manufactured in various models since 1947. The Bonanza has had the longest production run of any airplane, past or present, in the world. Other important Beech aircraft are
2112-679: Was announced that production of the Bonanza G36 had restarted. In January 2012, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority issued an airworthiness directive grounding all Bonanzas, Twin Bonanzas, and Debonairs equipped with a single pole-style yoke and that have forwarded elevator control cables that are more than 15 years old until they could be inspected. The AD was issued based on two aircraft found to have frayed cables, one of which suffered
2160-508: Was more common on the Sierra models that followed the Model 23-24. One of the few weaknesses of the Model 23-24 was that it had a simple heat distribution system that provided warm air via the firewall to the area under the instrument panel only. This meant heat to the rear seat passengers was less than optimal. Later aircraft featured increasingly better ducting designs that provided heat to all four seating positions. The fixed-gear Model 23-24
2208-589: Was not adopted by the airworthiness authority responsible for the type certificate , the US Federal Aviation Administration . The FAA instead opted to issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin requesting that the elevator control cables be inspected during the annual inspection. The QU-22 was a Beech 36/A36 Bonanza modified during the Vietnam War to be an electronic monitoring signal relay aircraft, developed under
2256-432: Was produced only between 1966 and 1969. A total of 369 Musketeer Super IIIs were completed before it was superseded by the Model 24 Sierra. These were serial numbered MA-1 to MA-369 and were the only models to have a "MA" serial number, making them easier to distinguish than other members of the Musketeer line. In the last few airframes of the series a new instrument panel with the same "vertical tape" gauges that were used in
2304-580: Was producing the following models under the Beechcraft brand name: Beechcraft Bonanza The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas . The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous production longer than any other aircraft in history. More than 17,000 Bonanzas of all variants have been built, produced in both distinctive V-tail and conventional tail configurations; early conventional-tail versions were marketed as
#469530