Beechcraft Baron 55

Piston twin engine • Low Wing • Retractable gear

Range Map

Origin:

• nm at current load

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Payload vs. Range

Configure weights

Occupants

lb + lbs / pax

Select payload

gal

Fuel on board

lbs

Extra weight

Range

Available Range / nm

Mission capable. Aircraft can handle the current load with full fuel tanks.

Fuel capacity reduced by gallons ( gal usable for nm range).

Over max gross weight. Reduce payload by lbs to safely operate this aircraft.

Extra weight is the additional payload available with your selected passengers.

Mission Profile

Used market

188

KTAS

Cruise Speed

830

Max Range

19,300

Service Ceiling

Occupants

1228

lbs

Wet Payload

Endorsements & ratings:

High-Performance
Complex
Multi-Engine

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the Beechcraft Baron 55

Type certificated 1963 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet

Overview

The Beechcraft Baron 55 is the original short-fuselage member of Beechcraft’s piston-twin Baron line, the step up from the Bonanza for an owner who wants a second engine in the same Continental-powered idiom. This record reflects the 95-B55, the highest-volume variant on the used market: two 260-horsepower Continental IO-470-L engines, six-place seating, retractable gear, and the light, well-harmonized controls the Baron line is known for. Most B55s cruise about 188 knots on roughly 24 gallons per hour combined, carry 106 usable gallons in the standard tanks, and operate at a 5,100-pound maximum takeoff weight. Later 55-series aircraft (the C55, D55, and E55) moved to the 285-horsepower Continental IO-520-C for higher cruise; this record represents the IO-470-L B55.

It sits one rung below the stretched Beechcraft Baron 58, which adds a longer cabin and aft double doors. Owners cross-shop it against the Cessna 310 for similar speed in a Cessna airframe, the Piper Aztec for a roomier but slower cabin, and the single-engine Bonanza A36 for buyers weighing one engine against two. The Baron 55 is the entry point to the line: twin-engine redundancy and Beech handling at lower weight and cost than the 58, for buyers who do not need the larger cabin or cargo doors.

Key Features for GA Buyers

Beech handling in a light twin. The 55 is widely described as a pilot’s airplane: well-harmonized controls and a stable instrument platform that make it a comfortable IFR machine for an owner stepping up from a high-performance single.
Continental IO-470-L power. 260 horsepower per side on a 1,500-hour TBO, supported broadly across the Continental overhaul network.
Genuine cross-country speed. Roughly 188 knots true at 65 percent power, quicker than the Piper Aztec in the same six-seat class.
Fleet and parts depth. The 55 shares much of its systems and structure with the Bonanza and the Baron 58, which keeps mechanics, parts, and type knowledge unusually deep.

Trade-offs

Cabin size. The fuselage is narrower than the Cessna 310 or Piper Seneca, and the rear seats are tight for taller passengers. The club seating and large cargo doors belong to the longer-body Baron 58, not the 55.
Two-engine operating cost. Two Continentals and a retractable gear system cost more to maintain than a high-performance single, and single-engine climb is marginal at maximum gross weight on hot days, so blue-line speed discipline matters.
Endorsements and insurance. The 55 requires high-performance, complex, and multi-engine endorsements, and underwriters step premiums up sharply for low-multi-time pilots until recurrent training and time on type are established.
Full fuel versus payload. The optional auxiliary tanks that extend range to roughly 1,050 nautical miles trade cabin payload for fuel; a full-tanks B55 is rarely a full-seats airplane.

Base model

Beechcraft 95 Travel Air

Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Height: 9.6 ft
Length: 28.0 ft
Parking area (ft²): 1578.39 ft²

Max Takeoff Weight: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 5,100 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 5,100 lbs
Useful Load: 1,864 lbs
Fuel Capacity: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 106 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed: 188 KTAS
Never-Exceed (V_NE): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 224 KIAS
Max Structural Cruise (V_NO): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 183 KIAS
Approach Speed: 90 KIAS
Stall, Clean (V_S₁): 79 KIAS
Range: 830 NM
Service Ceiling: 19,300 ft
Rate of Climb: 320 - 1693 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle: 2,160 ft
Landing ground roll: 2,150 ft

Engines

Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Beechcraft Baron 55 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.