Light · ICAO BE55

Beech 55 Baron

The Beechcraft Baron 55 paired the proven Bonanza fuselage with two engines instead of one, giving owner-pilots twin-engine redundancy without a completely new airframe to certify. Its relatively fast cruise speed for a piston twin made it popular with business owners flying themselves between smaller regional airports too small for airline service. Beechcraft kept the Baron in continuous, largely evolutionary production for decades, refining engines and avionics while keeping the basic airframe familiar to generations of pilots. It remains one of the most recognisable light piston twins still flying today.

Beech 55 Baron, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Eddie Maloney from North Las Vegas, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The Baron 55 paired the proven Bonanza fuselage with two engines instead of one, adding redundancy without a new airframe to certify.

Specifications

Length8.1 m (27 ft)
Wingspan11.5 m (38 ft)
Height2.8 m (9 ft)
Maximum passengers5
Persons on board6
Maximum take-off weight2.2 t
Range1,000 NM (1,852 km)
Maximum speed200 kt (370 km/h)
Stall speed73 kt (135 km/h)
Service ceiling19,900 ft (6,066 m)
Optimum ceiling17,000 ft (5,182 m)
Rate of climb1,670 ft/min (8.5 m/s)
Take-off distance511 m (1,677 ft)
Landing distance670 m (2,198 ft)
Fuel capacity414 l
Engines2x Continental IO-470/520

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Beech 55 Baron starts as a Uncommon catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Beech, the 55 Baron family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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