Beechcraft Baron!

[Grumman guy]

I dont know what it is but, after all the airplanes I have flown (more than a few less than some) nothing puts a smile on my face like the beechcraft baron. I got to fly one today and have not done so for a while and found myself grinning uncontrollably from ear to ear.

Does anybody feel me on this or what?

 

[Big Dog]

Barons rule! It's God's piston twin.

 

[Say Again Over]

Great sounding engines!:beer:

 

[paulsalem]

To quote groundpointsix:

The Cessna 414 controls are very heavy, but somehow still very sloppy.

Inversly all beachcraftcraft products seem to be very light, and tight on the controls.
(Like a good woman)

 

[Lead Sled]

Most of my Baron time (1000+ hours) was in a 56TC – the short “55” fuselage with the 380 hp Duke engines – it was a real rocket ship, if not the most fuel efficient airplane in the sky. I also have a few hundred hours in a B55 Barons and a little time in a 58P (Which IMHO wasn’t nearly the airplane the other Barons are.) I’ve never flown a 58 or 58TC, but if they’re ½ as nice as the other Barons they've got to be good machines.

'Sled

 

[urflyingme?!]

I got my Multi ni a Baron, woohoooooo!

It flies like a dream, that's all I can say...

 

[JimG]

I dont know what it is but, after all the airplanes I have flown (more than a few less than some) nothing puts a smile on my face like the beechcraft baron. I got to fly one today and have not done so for a while and found myself grinning uncontrollably from ear to ear.

Does anybody feel me on this or what?

Yep....just this afternoon when I took my C340 up for a test drive after it's annual inspection being completed last week.

I took my wife along with me, and she was grinning from ear to ear just watching me act like a little kid at Christmas.

I worried about missing my old bonanza, but I never get tired of flying that airplane, unlike the 414, I find the 340 very responsive and light for the size of the plane.

I've read a few things about the 56TC being hot/fast.

 

[Grumman guy]

The 56TC is the sh$# the fastest production recip twin ever made. My personal favorite is the D55. Best of all worlds. Handles like a 55 with 58 horsies.

 

[Lead Sled]

The 56TC is the sh$# the fastest production recip twin ever made. My personal favorite is the D55. Best of all worlds. Handles like a 55 with 58 horsies.

A straight 55 was just as fast as the 56TC up to about 8,000' or so, but after that there was no contest. To give you some idea of how the airplane performed, the original airframe was basicially the old Beech Travel Air which uses 180 hp Lycs on each wing for a total of 360 hp. The 56TC had 380 hp on each wing! The story goes that Beech used a 55 Baron as a flying test bed for the Duke engine installation. When one of the company executives flew the airplane he had to have one and they ended up building a few.

When I was checked out in the airplane we topped off the tanks, had 4 people on board, and put sandbags in the baggage compartment to bring us up to maximum gross takeoff weight. At that weight, the airplane had about a 500 fpm rate of climb with gear down, full flaps, and a wind-milling engine. It was the closest thing to piston-powered jet performance I've ever seen. The checkpilot had me shut one down in flight and we still were able to true out at around 185 kts. It was faster on one engine than our Aztec was on two.

Oh well, it was fun to fly, but I'd hate to have to pay the fuel bill for it now.

'Sled

 

[UnstableAviator]

Out of the 30 or so different makes of airplanes I've flown, the Baron handles better than any of them. Beech nailed the control feel and stability on that design.

 

[Princedietrich]

I am forced to agree. I've got about 100 hours in the C55 model as student and as instructor. I've also got about 600 hours as a 135 PIC and as an instructor in the 58 model. Fast, repsonsive, agile, reliable, and great single engine performance. I like to refer to them as the sports car of aviation, whereas a Navajo would be a minivan and a Caravan would be a Mack truck.

 

[Northern Lights]

Another plug for the mighty BE58

I love the roll control and stability.

 

[avbug]

I did my multi and initial ATP in the Travel Air, a little before the Baron, and really liked the airplane. Even if it was a little underpowered.

Does anybody feel me on this or what?

I'd really rather not, if it's all the same to you.

 

[G2T]

BE95, the Baron before it was a Baron

I did my multi and initial ATP in the Travel Air, a little before the Baron, and really liked the airplane. Even if it was a little underpowered.

I got about 300 hours instructing in the BE95 travelair, what a beautiful airplane to fly. It was lacking in performance, especially flying in the desert SW, but handled like a dream (even with the big throttles in the middle, inbetween the props and mixtures). Beech definately had the right idea when they put bigger engines on a great airframe and made the Baron.

 

[spudskier]

Did my multi in a B55, every time I got in it I got shivers and couldn't stop the sh!t eatin grin that was from ear to ear the entire flight. Greatest plane EVER? possibly! Best sounding engines, always recognizable everywhere, G-d's little rocket ship. I will own one some day. (Unless I can afford a PC-12, but that gets us into the dream plane thread)

Back to the Baron... thank you Beech

 

[Trogdor]

I couldn't agree more. I flew cargo in old 58's and by far it is my favorite airplane that I have ever flown. The feel of the controls is unmatched, and I love the sound of those engines at idle. I can't wait to own one someday.

 

[volunteer]

How many G.P.H. does the Baron burn?

 

[JasonW]

I really enjoyed flying the BE58 - great control feel and I love the way the cockpit is laid out. But the head room is kind of lacking for me.

 

[groundpointsix]

How many G.P.H. does the Baron burn?

55 with a colemill converstion (Upgrade to Continental IO-520s among other things) burns about 15 per side in cruise.

 

[RockyMnt1]

The BE 56 TC burned about 40 gph in cruise. Around 80 gph for take off!! Fun to fly. Not fun to refuel.

There is so much torque produced that the left main wheel strut is compressed at the start of the takeoff roll, so you are going down the runway listing to the left.

 

[AIR2MUD]

How many G.P.H. does the Baron burn?

We run ours at 25" or max throttle, and 2500 RPM consistently...averages about 30 GPH at those settings.

Want to make some gas? Slow up to 120 kts at 2000 RPM and whatever throttle it takes to make the airspeed at the altitude you're at, and the flow goes WAY down. Helpful in the northeast, especially this time of year, if you can hold between layers or above it in the clear, wait until the courier is at the airport, then dive down, land, turn in a hurry, and be on your way. Minimal ice collection in all but the heaviest of icing conditions.

The Baron is an awesome airplane, I would also like to own one someday. Next to the A-10, it has some of the nicest control and handling characteristics out there.

 

[AIR2MUD]

The BE 56 TC burned about 40 gph in cruise. Around 80 gph for take off!! Fun to fly. Not fun to refuel.

There is so much torque produced that the left main wheel strut is compressed at the start of the takeoff roll, so you are going down the runway listing to the left.

I've noticed that tendency even in our regular BE-58s...unless there's a kicking crosswind from the left, I will usually start out with full right aileron in and take it out to keep the airplane level as it accelerates, even when it's on the ground!

For those that have flown or fly it, just curious - what do you rotate at? Though Vmca is 84 knots (74 on the ones with vortex generators), I always brief rotation at 85 because the bird really wants to fly. Some of our guys hold it on the ground to 90+, and I've witnessed wheelbarrowing on the nosewheel using that technique. The airplane accelerates through intentional single-engine speed (88 knots) and blue line so quickly that I don't feel getting it airborne a few knots above red line is that much of a factor.

Any comments?

 

[Lead Sled]

The BE 56 TC burned about 40 gph in cruise. Around 80 gph for take off!! Fun to fly. Not fun to refuel.

There is so much torque produced that the left main wheel strut is compressed at the start of the takeoff roll, so you are going down the runway listing to the left.

In addition to that, you had to seriously pay attention to Vmcg. Lose an engine before reach that speed and there's no way that you'd keep the airplane on the runway.

The sound of a toilet flushing when you go to takeoff power is the fuel going into the engines.

Barons also have a dark side - pay attention to the Vsse. In a Vmc rollover event they tend to go into unrecoverable flat spins. It's not the problem nowadays as it used to be a few years ago. Most of the fleet has VGs installed. I lost a couple of friends in one.

'Sled