BEECH 95-B55 (T42A)

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.

What a buyer should know is that this is an enthusiast's aeroplane with a professional's cost base. Two 260 hp Continental IO-470s, two propellers and a light-twin annual mean running costs several times a comparable single's, for a speed gain of perhaps 25 knots over a Bonanza that costs far less to operate. Single-engine climb is adequate but not generous and asymmetric handling requires proper training and currency — light twins are statistically more dangerous than singles in the hands of pilots who do not stay current. There is also a long-standing airworthiness directive history around the fuel system and the Beech ruddervator and control components on related models. Insurance requires a multi-engine rating and, for most owners, annual recurrent training.