Beechcraft Duke

The Beechcraft 60 Duke is an American-built twin-engine piston aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear and a pressurized cabin; its turbocharged engines also supply the bleed air that pressurizes the cabin. Development began in early 1965 to fill the gap between the Baron and the Queen Air, the prototype first flew on 29 December 1966 and the FAA issued the type certificate on 1 February 1968, with deliveries to customers beginning that July. The A60 of 1970 added an improved cabin built with bonded honeycomb construction and the B60 followed in 1974. Despite its very good performance the Duke sold only moderately, mainly because its complicated technology demanded a high expenditure on maintenance, and production stopped in 1983.