BEECH 95-B55

The Baron 55, the light twin most pilots think of as the standard against which the others are measured. It handles well, it is fast for its power at around 190 knots, and the control feel is noticeably better than most of its contemporaries. The T-42A designation reflects the US Army versions used as instrument trainers. It is a six-seat aeroplane, though the rear seats are for children or short legs rather than adults. The 95-B55 designation proper dates from 1964, when Beech lengthened the nose seven inches for baggage and avionics and raised gross weight to 5,000 lb; the 1961-63 aircraft are the 55 and A55 under their own designations. From mid-1965 gross weight went to 5,100 lb, which is the figure every later B55 carries, and the 1974 model simplified the fuel system to interconnected tanks and a plain on-off-crossfeed selector in place of the earlier arrangement that caught pilots out. The 260 hp IO-470s stayed throughout; the aeroplane was built until 1982.

It is the light twin most pilots think of as the standard: 190 knots, six seats, and control feel noticeably better than its contemporaries. The costs are a professional's — two 260 hp Continentals, two propellers, roughly 28 gallons an hour, and a light-twin annual. Single-engine climb is adequate but not generous and asymmetric handling requires currency; light twins are statistically more dangerous than singles for pilots who do not stay current. Insurers require a multi-engine rating and usually annual recurrent training.