Beech 60 Royal Turbine Duke
The Royal Turbine Duke is a rare turboprop conversion of the Beechcraft Duke, a handsome pressurised piston twin already known for its unusually clean lines. Rocket Engineering replaced the original Lycoming piston engines with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops, dramatically improving climb and cruise performance. The conversion turned an expensive and maintenance-heavy piston aircraft into a very fast personal turboprop. Its scarcity reflects both the small Duke production run and the specialist nature of the conversion programme.
Did you know?
A rare turboprop conversion of the pressurised Beechcraft Duke, trading its Lycoming pistons for PT6A turboprops for much better climb.
Specifications
| Length | 10.7 m (35 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Height | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 6 |
| Persons on board | 5 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 3.5 t |
| Range | 1,560 NM (2,889 km) |
| Maximum speed | 290 kt (537 km/h) |
| Stall speed | 73 kt (135 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 30,000 ft (9,144 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 27,000 ft (8,230 m) |
| Rate of climb | 2,700 ft/min (13.7 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 305 m (1,001 ft) |
| Landing distance | 300 m (984 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 900 l |
| Engines | 2x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-21 |
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.
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