Beechcraft Queen Air 65

Piston twin engine • Low Wing • Retractable gear

Range Map

Origin:

• nm at current load

• click map to move • two fingers to move map

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

183

KTAS

Cruise Speed

883

Max Range

27,000

Service Ceiling

Occupants

932

lbs

Wet Payload

Endorsements & ratings:

High-Performance
Complex
High-Altitude
Multi-Engine

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the Beechcraft Queen Air 65

Type certificated 1959 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet

Overview

The Beechcraft Queen Air 65, the “Straight 65,” is the airplane that opened Beechcraft’s cabin-class twin line in 1959. It developed the wing and tail of the Twin Bonanza into a wider, walk-through fuselage with a separate flight deck, a center aisle, and an airstair door, anticipating the cabin layout the King Air would later inherit. Power comes from two geared, supercharged 340-horsepower Lycoming IGSO-480 engines; the type seats up to nine and cruises in the low-180-knot range on about 37 gallons an hour combined.

For a buyer, the Queen Air 65 offers a true cabin-class cabin: a stand-up center aisle, an airstair door, and a genuine separate cockpit, for a fraction of a cabin-class turboprop’s purchase price. The cost of entry is the IGSO-480 powerplant, geared and supercharged engines that reward disciplined throttle handling and punish neglect, on a 1,400-hour TBO with an overhaul bill well above a naturally aspirated twin’s. It is a hauler for an owner who values cabin and payload over speed and simplicity, and who will operate the engines by the book.

Key Features for GA Buyers

Cabin-class access at light-twin prices. A stand-up center aisle, an airstair door, and a separate flight deck: the cabin-class experience without a turbine-class purchase price.
Payload and range. A useful load near 2,000 pounds and 178 gallons of standard fuel make it a capable people-and-baggage hauler well beyond 800 nautical miles.
Beechcraft structure and parts depth. Developed from the Twin Bonanza and the direct ancestor of the King Air 90, so the airframe is well understood by Beech-experienced shops.

Trade-offs

Geared, supercharged engines. The IGSO-480 demands gentle power changes and careful operation; gearbox and supercharger complexity raise overhaul cost and make engine condition the single biggest factor in any purchase.
Fuel and operating cost. About 37 gallons per hour combined, plus the reserve burden of two complex engines on a 1,400-hour TBO, put the Queen Air among the most expensive pistons to run.
Insurance and currency. Weight, two geared engines, and aging systems mean underwriters look for multi-engine time and recurrent training; this is not a low-time-pilot airplane.

Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Height: 14.25 ft
Length: 35.33 ft
Parking area (ft²): 2446.82 ft²

Max Takeoff Weight: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 7,700 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 7,700 lbs
Useful Load: 2,000 lbs
Fuel Capacity: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 178 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed: 183 KTAS
Never-Exceed (V_NE): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 234 KIAS
Max Structural Cruise (V_NO): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 178 KIAS
Approach Speed: 95 KIAS
Range: 883 NM
Service Ceiling: 27,000 ft
Rate of Climb: 210 - 1300 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle: 1,310 ft
Landing ground roll: 1,425 ft

Engines

Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Beechcraft Queen Air 65 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.