Beechcraft Duchess
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox aircraft
The Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess is an American twin-engined monoplane built by Beechcraft intended partly as a low cost introduction to twin-engine aircraft.[1][2]
Development
Developed as Model PD289 (Preliminary Design 289), the prototype was unveiled on November 4, 1974, although it had first flown in September 1974.[1][3]Template:Rp The Model 76 was designed as an economical twin-engine trainer for the Beech Aero Centers and to compete with the similar Gulfstream Cougar as well as the Cessna 310.[1][4]
The first production version flew on 24 May 1977, and the name "Duchess" was chosen through a company competition.[1][3] Construction of the Duchess was set for a new factory built at the Liberal Division,[5] with deliveries beginning early in 1978.[3]Template:Rp
Production of the Duchess continued until 1983, with no significant changes.[6] A single example was tested with turbocharged engines in 1979, but did not proceed to production.[7]Template:Rp
Design
The Duchess is an all-metal low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear and a T-tail. It seats four.[8] The design used components and the bonded wing construction from Beechcraft's single-engined Musketeer line.[7]Template:Rp The basic fuselage and wing structure was adapted from the Model 24 Sierra, a Musketeer variant with retractable landing gear, but the Sierra wing spar was redesigned to support the added weight of the engines.[9] Nose landing gear from the A36 Bonanza was used.[9]
The Model 76 incorporates right and left "handed" Lycoming O-360 engines that rotate in opposing directions to eliminate the critical engine during single engine operation.[10]
In 1979, a single example was converted to test the turbocharged versions of the engine. The cowlings were reshaped and the exhaust moved to accommodate the aft-mounted turbochargers.[7]Template:Rp
The Duchess wing is of aluminum honeycomb construction fastened by bonding, rather than rivets, to reduce cost and produce a smoother aerodynamic surface.[10]
T-tail
The use of a T-tail on the Model 76 met with mixed critical reception when the aircraft was introduced. Plane & Pilot pronounced: "Outstanding design characteristics of the new Duchess include an aerodynamically advantageous T-tail, which places the horizontal surfaces above the propeller slipstream for better stability and handling.",[10] while Gerald Foster said: "[Beechcraft's] interest in T-tails was perhaps an affectation triggered by their wide use on jet airliners".[11] AVweb wrote that Beechcraft adopted the T-tail after flight tests revealed that the initially used conventional horizontal stabilizer was too small and suffered from buffeting problems, increasing noise and vibration during flight; moving the horizontal stabilizer out of the propeller slipstream eliminated the buffeting and the need for enlargement while adding only Script error: No such module "convert". of weight.[9] Additionally, the T-tail design moved the stabilizer rearward, increasing its effectiveness and giving the aircraft a broader center of gravity range.[9] The later Piper Seminole also adopted a T-tail.[9]
Variants
- Model 76 Duchess
- Four-seat, twin-engine (Lycoming O-360), low-winged trainer with bonded aluminum construction.
- Model 76TC Duchess
- Unofficial designation for single test aircraft using turbocharged Lycoming O-360.
Operators
The aircraft remains popular with flight training schools.
- Beechcraft - Tested one Duchess to investigate its spin recovery characteristics in conjunction with NASA.[12]
- National Test Pilot School - Operates one Duchess.[13]
- Purdue University - Uses a Duchess modified with air sampling equipment as Airborne Laboratory Atmospheric Research (ALAR).[14]
- Scaled Composites - Uses one Duchess as a test aircraft.[15][16]
Specifications
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
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- ↑ a b c Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 84. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. Template:ISBN
- ↑ Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition, page 92. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. Template:ISBN
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