Beechcraft Twin Bonanza

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Beechcraft Model 50 Twin Bonanza
Supercharged 1961 J50 Twin Bonanza
Type	Utility aircraft
Manufacturer	Beech Aircraft Corporation
Maiden flight	1949
Retired	1992 (US Army)
Status	Active in general aviation
Primary users	United States Army Private operators
Produced	1952-1961
Number built	729
Variants	Queen Air King Air

The Beechcraft Model 50 Twin Bonanza was designed as an executive transport for the business market and a utility transport for the United States Army. Superficially it resembles the Beechcraft Travel Air, a twin-engine variant of the Twin Bonanza's smaller namesake, the Bonanza. The Beechcraft Twin Bonanza is half-again the size of the single-engine Bonanza, has more powerful engines, and is significantly heavier.

The single-engine Bonanza is one of history's most successful civil aircraft, in production since 1947. Like many light aircraft, a twin-engine version was developed in an effort to improve performance. The Twin Bonanza, despite its name, is not a true twin-engined derivative of the Bonanza. The Travel Air, and later the Baron (still in production as of 2006) have much more in common with the single-engine Bonanza. Of the twin-engine Bonanza models, the twin-engine conversion made by Bay Aviation - the Super "V" Bonanza - has the most in common with the early V-tailed models.

Contents 1 Development 2 Military operators 3 Specifications (E50) 4 References 5 Related content

[edit] Development

The first pre-production aircraft were started in 1949. The Model 50's type certificate was awarded in 1952,^[1] entering production as a utility transport for the U.S. Army. It was also the first twin-engine aircraft in its class to be offered to the business market.

The Army adopted the Twin Bonanza as the L-23, making it the largest fixed-wing aircraft in the inventory. During an initial demonstration flight for the Army, a Twin Bonanza crashed while trying to take off over a 50 foot tree line while full of soldiers and sandbags. Everyone involved walked away from the crash. The Army was impressed with the structural strength of the Twin Bonanza, later purchasing approximately 500 of the 729 airframes produced.^[1]

The Beechcraft Queen Air and King Air are both direct descendents of the Model 50 Twin Bonanza. All three aircraft share the same basic wing design, as well as landing gear, flaps, instrument panels, fuel cells, and more. The Queen Air added a larger cabin to the design, while the later King Air added turbine power.

[edit] Military operators

• Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Pakistan, Switzerland, United States.

[edit] Specifications (E50)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1-2 pilots
• Capacity: 5 passengers
• Length: 31 ft 6 in (9.61 m)
• Wingspan: 45 ft 3 in (13.78 m)
• Height: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
• Wing area: 277 ft² (25.7 m²)
• Empty weight: 5,010 lb (2,270 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 7300 lbs (3311 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6, 340 hp (253 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 229 mph (199 knots, 366 km/h)
• Range: 1,000 mi (870 nm, 1,600 km)
• Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9144 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,614 ft/min (8.2 m/s)

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Beechcraft. Aerofiles: A Century of American Aviation (2006-07-14). Retrieved on 2006-10-05.

Twin Bonanza Association http://twinbonanza.com

[edit] Related content

Related development

• Beechcraft Queen Air
• Beechcraft King Air

Comparable aircraft

• Aero Commander

Designation sequence

• Beechcraft: 36 - 38 - 45 - 50 - 55 - 56 - 58
• U.S. military:
  • Air Force (before 1962): L-19 - L-20 - L-21 - L-23 - L-24 - L-25 - L-26
  • Unified sequence (after 1962): U-5 - U-6 - U-7 - U-8 - U-9 - U-10 - U-11

Related lists

• List of utility aircraft