
The Beechcraft 60 Duke is an
American-built twin-engine, piston-driven
fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft (in which a rotor mounted on a spinning shaft generate ...
designed and produced by
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and Military aircraft, military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacture ...
. The aircraft has retractable
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...
and a
pressurized cabin
Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for humans flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air is usually bled ...
. The engines are
turbocharged
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
, which also pressurize the cabin with
bleed air
Bleed air in aerospace engineering is compressed air taken from the compressor stage of a gas turbine, upstream of its fuel-burning sections. Automatic air supply and cabin pressure controller (ASCPC) valves bleed air from low or high stage engine ...
.
Design
Development of the Beechcraft 60 began in early 1965, which was designed to fill the gap between the
Beechcraft Baron
The Beechcraft Baron is a light twin-engined piston aircraft designed and produced by Beechcraft. The aircraft was introduced in 1961. A low-wing monoplane developed from the Travel Air, it remains in production.
Design and development
The ...
and the
Beechcraft Queen Air
The Beechcraft Queen Air is a twin-engined light aircraft produced by Beechcraft in numerous versions from 1960 to 1978. Based upon the Twin Bonanza, with which it shared key components such as wings, engines, and tail surfaces, it had a larg ...
. On December 29, 1966, the prototype made its first flight.
On February 1, 1968, the
FAA issued the
type certificate
A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). Certification confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production is in compliance w ...
.
[Taylor 1976, p.216.] 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
An airstair is a set of steps built into an aircraft so that passengers may board and alight the aircraft. The stairs are often built into a clamshell-style door on the aircraft. Airstairs eliminate the need for passengers to use a Ground s ...
entry door in the rear fuselage.
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. 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.
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 each. Other systems, parts, and FAA-certified technicians are increasingly difficult to locate. Normally, pilots figure , plus another 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.
Modifications

Some Dukes have been modified by
Rocket Engineering of
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
, replacing the Lycoming piston engines with
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-21 or -35
turboprop
A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
s. Called the Royal Turbine Duke conversion, the modification increases fuel capacity by and the maximum useful load by . The take-off length required is shortened by over to only and the landing distance is reduced by over to only . The maximum rate of climb is increased from , reducing the time to climb to from 25 to 9 minutes. The cruise speed is increased to at . The modification does have some disadvantages as it increases fuel burn from and lowers the certified ceiling from .
The supplemental type certificate was issued on May 12, 2006.
Operational history

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
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...
. Many remain in service in the early twenty-first century.
In reviewing the aircraft in 2008, Rick Durden of AVweb stated,
Production figures
* Beechcraft 60 : 125
* Beechcraft A60 : 121
* Beechcraft B60: 350
Operators
Military operators
;
; :
Jamaica Defence Force
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...
[Wheeler ''Flight International'' August 4, 1979, p. 362.]
Specifications (B60)
See also
Notes
Bibliography
*Donald, David (editor). ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Leicesrer, UK:Blitz Editions, 1997. .
* Pelletier, A. J. ''Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. .
*
*Simpson, Rod. Airlife's World Aircraft. Airlife Publishing Ltd, Shrewsbury, England, 2001. .
*Simpson, Rod. The General Aviation Handbook. Midland Publishing, Hinckley, England, 2005. .
*
Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77''. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. .
*Wheeler, Barry C
"World's Air Forces 1979" ''
Flight International
''Flight International'', formerly ''Flight'', is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", i ...
'', August 4, 1979. Vol. 116, No. 3672. pp. 333–386.
External links
{{Beechcraft
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
1960s United States civil utility aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1966
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear