Beechcraft Queen Air

Beechcraft · United States · first flew 1958 · light aircraft

The Beechcraft Queen Air is a twin-engine piston utility transport seating up to ten people, positioned between light twins and pressurised turboprops. It bridged the gap between the Baron and the larger King Air family.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Oval-section fuselage wider than the Baron
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Large oval cabin with ten seats
Oval-section fuselage wider than the Baron
Twin piston engines with round cowlings

Larger and deeper-fuselaged than the Baron, with a wider oval cabin cross-section and relatively long nose. Its round cowlings and low wing identify it as a piston-era Beechcraft.

Specifications

The Beechcraft Queen Air has a length of 10.82 m (35 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.32 m (50 ft).
Typical crew: 1-2 pilots + up to 9 passengers.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1958, the Queen Air built on the Beech 50 Twin Bonanza with a larger fuselage and more powerful engines. It served widely as a feeder airliner, corporate transport, and military utility aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s. The design formed the basis for the turboprop-powered King Air 90.

Variants

The Model 65 was the baseline; the Model 70 and 80 introduced more powerful engines and detail refinements. The Model 88 became the King Air 90 when re-engined with turboprops.

Where you'll see it

Used by commuter airlines and corporate operators through the 1960s–1980s; retired examples survive in South America and Africa for utility work.

Related aircraft

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