Pressurized, twin-engined piston aircraft produced 1968?1983
Duke
|
|
Role
|
Light aircraft
Type of aircraft
|
Manufacturer
|
Beechcraft
|
First flight
|
December 29, 1966
|
Introduction
|
July 1968
|
Produced
|
1968?1983
|
Number built
|
596
[1]
[2]
|
The
Beechcraft 60 Duke
is an
American
-built twin-engine
fixed-wing aircraft
designed and produced by
Beechcraft
. The aircraft has retractable
tricycle landing gear
and a
pressurized cabin
. The two piston engines are
turbocharged
and the turbochargers also pressurize the cabin with
bleed air
.
Design
[
edit
]
The development of the Beechcraft 60 began in early 1965, and it was designed to fill the gap between the
Beechcraft Baron
and the
Beechcraft Queen Air
. On December 29, 1966, the prototype made its first flight.
[3]
On February 1, 1968, the
FAA
issued the
type certificate
.
[3]
[4]
Distribution to customers began in July 1968. The passenger cabin is fitted with club seating and entry is by means of a port-side
airstair
entry door in the rear fuselage.
[5]
The
Beechcraft A60
, which came onto the market in 1970, represented an advancement over the Baron, with an improved pressurized cabin utilizing advanced bonded honeycomb construction, lighter and more efficient turbochargers, and improved elevators. The last variant, the
B60
, was introduced in 1974. The interior arrangement was renewed and the engine efficiency again increased by improved turbochargers.
[6]
The Beechcraft 60 was, despite its very good performance, only a moderate seller, principally because the complicated technology demanded a high expenditure on maintenance. Production was stopped in 1983.
[1]
Most of the Duke B-60s still flying have retained their original equipment. Electro-mechanical systems, which were highly advanced when the aircraft was introduced, were superseded in other aircraft with simpler I/C controlled mechanical parts. The aircraft design uses turbocharged Lycoming TIO541-B4 engines that develop 380 horsepower (280 kilowatts) each. Other systems, parts, and FAA-certified technicians are increasingly difficult to locate. Normally, pilots figure 45 gallons per hour (170 L/h), plus another 40 US gal (150 L) for each takeoff and climb as typical fuel consumption for cross-country planning. Owners compare the Beechcraft B60 to classic sports cars?noting that they do not fly Dukes to economize.
[7]
Modifications
[
edit
]
Some Dukes have been modified by
Rocket Engineering
of
Spokane, Washington
, replacing the Lycoming reciprocating engines with
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-21
or -35 turbine engines. Called the Royal Turbine Duke conversion,
[8]
the modification increases fuel capacity by 28 US gal (110 L) and the maximum useful load by 400 lb (180 kg). The take-off length required is shortened by over 1,500 ft (460 m) to only 1,000 ft (300 m) and the landing distance is reduced by over 2,000 ft (610 m) to only 900 ft (270 m). The maximum rate of climb is increased from 1,600 to 4,000 ft/min (500 to 1,200 m/min), reducing the time to climb to 25,000 ft (7,600 m) from 25 to 9 minutes. The cruise speed is increased to 290 knots (540 km/h) at 29,000 ft (8,800 m). The modification does have some disadvantages as it increases fuel burn from 56 to 66 gal/h (210 to 250 L/h) and lowers the certified ceiling from 30,000 to 28,000 ft (9,100 to 8,500 m).
[9]
[10]
The supplemental type certificate was issued on 2006-05-12.
[11]
Operational history
[
edit
]
The Duke was purchased by corporate and private pilot owners. Most were registered in the United States but examples were exported to many countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and the United Kingdom. One Duke was flown by the
Jamaica Defense Force
. Many remain in service in the early twenty-first century.
In reviewing the aircraft in 2008, Rick Durden of AVweb stated,
[12]
Built to the quality standards of a King Air, the six-place Duke sported 380 hp [280 kW], Lycoming TIO-541 engines ? rare beasts, those ? which means when both come due for overhaul, the choice is the overhaul or buying a small house in the Midwest. The assertive lines of the airframe made for a startlingly attractive airplane, but led to high costs of manufacture and, surprising to the casual onlooker, horrendous drag. There are those who claim that the Duke was purposefully designed to be about 30 knots [55 km/h] slower than it could easily have been on the available power simply because otherwise it would have been faster than the flagship of the Beech line, the King Air. The roughly 230-knot [430 km/h] maximum cruise speed is only marginally less than that of a King Air 90 and about the same as a Cessna 421, which carries more on slightly less horsepower. While the Duke shares the delightful handling of the Beech line, should pilots have the joy of single-engine operation, they will be up against the highest rudder-force of any piston twin ? 150 pounds-force [670 newtons] at V
mc
? which happens to be the maximum the FAA allows. Owners report buying a Duke partially because of its looks, but selling it because of the cost of keeping it running. They describe King Air maintenance costs in a piston-twin airframe and recognize that the value of the airplane is entirely dependent on the engines. A gear-up landing means an engine teardown and propeller replacement, along with some sheet metal work. The cost is so high in relation to the value of the airframe that, in many cases, the insurance company will consider the airplane a total loss.
Production figures
[
edit
]
[2]
[13]
- Beechcraft 60 : 125
- Beechcraft A60 : 121
- Beechcraft B60: 350
Operators
[
edit
]
Military operators
[
edit
]
-
Angola
[
citation needed
]
-
Jamaica
- Jamaica Defence Force
[14]
Specifications (B60)
[
edit
]
Data from
Janes's All The World's Aircraft 1976?77
[15]
General characteristics
- Crew:
1
- Capacity:
5 passengers
- Length:
33 ft 10 in (10.31 m)
- Wingspan:
39 ft
3
+
1
⁄
3
in (11.972 m)
- Height:
12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
- Wing area:
212.9 sq ft (19.78 m
2
)
- Aspect ratio
:
7.243:1
- Airfoil
:
NACA 23016.5 at root, NACA 2310.5 at tip
- Empty weight:
4,275 lb (1,939 kg)
- Max takeoff weight:
6,775 lb (3,073 kg)
- Fuel capacity:
142 US gal (118 imp gal; 540 L) usable (normal), 232 US gal (193 imp gal; 880 L) with additional optional tanks
- Powerplant:
2 ×
Lycoming TIO-541-E1C4
turbocharged six-cylinder,
horizontally opposed
direct drive engines, 380 hp (280 kW) each
- Propellers:
3-bladed Hartzell constant speed
Performance
- Maximum speed:
248 kn (285 mph, 459 km/h) at 23,000 ft (7,000 m)
- Cruise speed:
178 kn (205 mph, 330 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m), 45% power
- Stall speed:
73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h) (
IAS
), wheels and flaps down, power off
- Never exceed speed
:
235 kn (270 mph, 435 km/h) IAS
- Range:
1,227 nmi (1,412 mi, 2,272 km) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m), 45% power, 45 min reserves, max optional fuel
- Service ceiling:
30,000 ft (9,100 m)
- Rate of climb:
1,601 ft/min (8.13 m/s)
- Takeoff distance to 50 ft (15m):
2,626 ft (800 m)
- Landing distance from 50 ft (15m):
3,065 ft (934 m)
See also
[
edit
]
Related development
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Donald 1994, p.101.
- ^
a
b
"Beechcraft Serialization List, 1945 thru 2014"
(PDF)
.
beechcraft.com
. Beechcraft. August 26, 2014. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 16, 2014
. Retrieved
October 15,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Taylor 1976, p.216.
- ^
"Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A12CE"
(PDF)
.
faa.gov
. Federal Aviation Administration. September 23, 2013. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on November 12, 2016
. Retrieved
October 15,
2014
.
- ^
Simpson, 2001, p. 85
- ^
Olcott, John W.; Wilkinson, Stephan (January 1974).
"Musclebird: the Duke B60"
.
Flying
. New York, New York: Ziff-Davis
. Retrieved
October 15,
2014
.
- ^
"The costs of pleasure"
.
beechcraft-duke.net
. Retrieved
December 30,
2016
.
- ^
Rocket Engineering
.
"Royal Turbine"
.
royalturbine.com
. Retrieved
December 30,
2016
.
- ^
Royal Turbine (2010).
"Performance"
. Archived from
the original
on May 1, 2011
. Retrieved
September 14,
2010
.
- ^
Royal Turbine (2010).
"Comparison"
. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2010
. Retrieved
September 14,
2010
.
- ^
"Supplemental Type Certificate Number SA01672SE: Installation of two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-35 engines and two Hartzell HC-E4N-3N/D8292B-2 propellers"
(PDF)
.
faa.gov
. Federal Aviation Administration. November 20, 2008
. Retrieved
October 15,
2014
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Durden, Rick (May 19, 2008).
"The Pilot's Lounge #126: The Less-Than-Great Planes"
.
AVweb
. Retrieved
October 16,
2014
.
- ^
Simpson, 2005, p. 50
- ^
Wheeler
Flight International
August 4, 1979, p. 362.
- ^
Taylor 1976, pp.216?217.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Donald, David (editor).
The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft
. Leicesrer, UK:Blitz Editions, 1997.
ISBN
1-85605-375-X
.
- Prins, Francois (Winter 1993). "Brisbane's Heritage".
Air Enthusiast
. No. 52. pp. 26?27.
ISSN
0143-5450
.
- Simpson, Rod. Airlife's World Aircraft. Airlife Publishing Ltd, Shrewsbury, England, 2001.
ISBN
1-84037-115-3
.
- Simpson, Rod. The General Aviation Handbook. Midland Publishing, Hinckley, England, 2005.
ISBN
978-1-85780-222-1
.
- Taylor, John W.R.
Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976?77
. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976.
ISBN
0-354-00538-3
.
- Wheeler, Barry C.
"World's Air Forces 1979"
.
Flight International
, August 4, 1979. Vol. 116, No. 3672. pp. 333?386.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Beechcraft Duke
at Wikimedia Commons
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