This Day in Aviation History
February 29th, 1960
First flight of the Beechcraft Baron.

The Beechcraft Baron is a light, twin-engined piston aircraft developed by Beechcraft. The Baron is a variant of the Travel Air, and was introduced in 1961.

The direct predecessor of the Baron was the Beechcraft 95 Travel Air, which incorporated the fuselage of the Bonanza and the tail control surfaces of the T-34 Mentor military trainer. To create the new airplane, the Travel Air’s tail was replaced with that of the Beechcraft Debonair, the engine nacelles were streamlined, six-cylinder engines were added, and the aircraft’s name was changed. In 1960, the Piper Aztec was introduced, utilizing two, 250 hp Lycoming O-540 engines; Cessna too had improved their 310 with two Continental IO-470 D, producing 260 hp. Meanwhile, Beechcraft’s Bonanza had been improved with a Continental IO-470-N, but the answer to competition was to make a true Twin Bonanza. The first model, the 55, was powered by two, six-cylinder IO-470-L engines, producing 260 hp at 2,625rpm; it was introduced in 1961. It included the fully swept vertical stabilizer of the Debonair, while still retaining the four to four+five place seating of the Travel Air….

Source:
Wikipedia, Beechcraft Baron: http://gstv.us/1RyqbYB

YouTube, Beechcraft Baron G58 Showcase Video: http://gstv.us/1RyqanE

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