The Beechcraft Musketeer is a family of single-engined, low-wing, light aircraft that was produced by
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...
. The line includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport, the Model 23 Musketeer, Custom and Sundowner, the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III the retractable gear Model 24-R Sierra and the military
CT-134 Musketeer.
The Musketeer line was in production from model years 1963 to 1983, during which time a total of 4,366 were produced.
[Aircraft Bluebook Spring 2006 Edition Penton Media, Overland Park, KS USA] The
type certificate
A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
for the Musketeer family of aircraft has been owned by
Hawker Beechcraft
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) was an American aerospace manufacturing company that built the Beechcraft and Hawker business jet lines of aircraft between 2006 and 2013. The company headquarters was in Wichita, Kansas, United States, with ...
since March 26, 2007.
Development
Model 23 Musketeer and Custom
The first of the line was the Model 23. It was introduced under the "Musketeer" name as a 1963 model at an initial price of $13,300 and was powered by a
Lycoming O-320
The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...
-D2B engine of . The next year this engine was replaced by the
Continental IO-346
The Continental IO-346 engine is a Fuel injection, fuel-injected four-cylinder aircraft engine that was developed especially for the Beechcraft Musketeer, Beechcraft Musketeer Custom III by Teledyne Continental Motors, Continental Motors. It was ...
-A engine of . This engine was not a success and was in turn replaced by the
Lycoming O-360
The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 produc ...
-A4J engine of starting with the B23 Musketeer Custom of 1968. In 1970 the C23 version was introduced also under the name "Musketeer Custom". In 1972 the C23 was renamed the "Sundowner". When properly equipped, the B23 and C23 are approved for limited
aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...
.
A total of 2,331 Beechcraft 23s of all variants were manufactured by the time production was completed 20 years later in 1983.
Model 19 Musketeer Sport
![BeechcraftB19MusketeerC-GDYW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/BeechcraftB19MusketeerC-GDYW.jpg)
The Beech 19 was introduced as a 1966 model year. Despite having a lower model number, it was a later variant and was a lower-powered trainer version of the Model 23. It lacked the 23's third side window and had a Lycoming O-320-E2C powerplant of . The Sport was introduced in 1966 with a standard price of $11,500. When properly equipped, the A19, B19, and M19 Sports are approved for limited aerobatics.
The Model 19 was named the "Musketeer Sport" and a total of 922 were built over the 15 years of production which ended with the 1979 model year.
Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III
Along with the introduction of the lower-powered Model 19 in 1966, Beechcraft also introduced a higher-powered version of the Model 23 Musketeer and named it the Beechcraft 23–24 Musketeer Super III. This upgraded model had a
Lycoming IO-360
The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 producing ...
fuel injected
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All compr ...
powerplant which produced , more than the standard Model 23 Musketeer of that year. This model initially sold for a price of $16,350 in 1966.
In 1966 a single demonstration Model 23-24 was equipped with a constant speed propeller. In succeeding years approximately one third of production aircraft were delivered with the constant speed propeller.
The Super Musketeer typically has a useful load of 1050 to 1080 pounds – giving it one of the highest payloads of four-cylinder, fixed gear, simple single-engined aircraft available. Most Model 23-24s were produced in a four-seat configuration. A very small number were produced with a 4+2 configuration with the baggage area convertible to seat two children. This configuration option was more common on the Sierra models that followed the Model 23-24.
One of the few weaknesses of the Model 23-24 was that it had a simple heat distribution system that provided warm air via the firewall to the area under the instrument panel only. This meant heat to the rear seat passengers was less than optimal. Later aircraft featured increasingly better ducting designs that provided heat to all four seating positions.
The fixed-gear Model 23-24 was produced only between 1966 and 1969. A total of 369 Musketeer Super IIIs were completed before it was superseded by the Model 24 Sierra. These were serial numbered MA-1 to MA-369 and were the only models to have a "MA" serial number, making them easier to distinguish than other members of the Musketeer line. In the last few airframes of the series a new instrument panel with the same "vertical tape" gauges that were used in the early Sierras was introduced. These models were known as the A24 and are not to be confused with the first Sierras, which were designated A24R models. Other than the instrument panel these aircraft were mechanically identical to the earlier A23-24 model.
Model 24 Sierra
![BeechcraftC24RSierraC-GGKPlanding gear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/BeechcraftC24RSierraC-GGKPlanding_gear.jpg)
The Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III proved the utility of the engine in the Musketeer airframe, but the fixed-gear configuration prevented using full advantage of the extra power of the injected Lycoming. The obvious solution was retracting the landing gear and this resulted in the Model 24R.
The Musketeer Super R, A24R in 1970 was the first model year for the new retractable version of the Musketeer to compete with the Piper Arrow.
Renamed the "Sierra", in 1972. The initial A24-R Sierra was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B of and sold for a standard price of $24,950. The Model 24R completed the Beech line between the fixed gear Musketeers and the much larger, faster, more complex and expensive
Beechcraft Bonanza
The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still being produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous prod ...
.
1974 saw the introduction of the improved B24-R Sierra powered by the Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 engine and new propeller variant as a 1974 model year. The improved C24-R in 1977 was powered by the same engine and larger propeller. Beech also did an aerodynamic cleanup on the "C" model making it 6 knots faster than the "B" model it replaced in 1977 .
Sierra production ended at the same time as the Model 23 Sundowner assembly line was closed up, during the aviation economic downturn of 1983. A total of 744 Sierras were delivered.
The Musketeer design was further developed into a twin-engined aircraft, the
Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess
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.
Development
Developed as Model PD289 (Preliminary Design 289), the prototype was u ...
.
CT-134 Musketeer
The
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
purchased twenty-four 1971 model B23 Musketeers, with the first CT-134 arriving at
CFB Portage la Prairie
Canadian Forces Base Portage la Prairie is a former military airport of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) located adjacent to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. Today the airport is operated as Portage la Prairie/Southport Airport.
History ...
on March 23, 1971. The initial batch of CT-134s was replaced in late 1981 with twenty-four 1982 model Beechcraft C23 Sundowners, which were designated by the CF as CT-134A Musketeer II.
[Milberry, Larry: ''Sixty Years – The RCAF and Air Command 1924–1984'', page 384. McGraw Hill Ryerson Canav Books, 1984. ]
Design
Landing gear
A significant difference between the Musketeer line and other similar light aircraft is the Musketeer's landing gear. While the competitive
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. s use spring-steel main gear, the
Piper PA-28 Cherokee
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...
s use
oleo strut
An oleo strut is a pneumatic air–oil hydraulic shock absorber used on the landing gear of most large aircraft and many smaller ones. This design cushions the impacts of landing and damps out vertical oscillations.
It is undesirable for an airp ...
s and the
Grumman American AA-5s use fiberglass-sprung main gear, the Musketeer family use a trailing idler link gear system with compressed rubber pucks for shock absorption. This gives the aircraft quite different landing characteristics compared to the competition; light touchdowns are often accompanied by the idler links skipping and producing a landing that is less-graceful than anticipated. Nevertheless, with practice, smooth landings are easy to accomplish.
As a result of this type of landing gear design, Beechcraft did not design or offer
wheel fairings
An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...
for the fixed gear models. Several aftermarket manufacturers have designed and tested wheel fairings for Musketeers.
Operational history
During their production years the Musketeer family of aircraft were popular trainers and were used by many flying schools. Most Musketeers are now privately owned.
Variants
![1963BeechcraftModel23](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/1963BeechcraftModel23.jpg)
;23 Musketeer
:Four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
, powered by a
Lycoming O-320-D2B piston engine, gross weight of , first certified February 20, 1962.
;A23 Musketeer II
:Four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a
Continental IO-346-A piston engine, gross weight of , first certified June 7, 1963.
;A23A
:Four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Continental IO-346-A piston engine, gross weight of , first certified November 5, 1965.
;A23-19 (Model 19)
:Two or four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2B, E2C or E3D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified December 9, 1965.
;A23-24
:Four or six-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A2B or A2D, or when equipped with a constant speed propeller a Lycoming IO-360-A1B or A1D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified March 7, 1966.
;A24
:Four or six-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A2B or A2D, or when equipped with a constant speed propeller a Lycoming IO-360-A1B or A1D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified February 5, 1970.
;19A
:Two or four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2B, E2C or E3D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified August 31, 1967, approved in the
aerobatic
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...
category March 12, 1968.
;M19A
:Two-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2B, E2C or E3D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified December 9, 1969, including in the aerobatic category.
;B19
:Two or four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2B, E2C or E3D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified February 13, 1970, including in the aerobatic category.
;B23
:Four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a
Lycoming O-360-A2G piston engine, gross weight of , first certified December 13, 1967 and in the aerobatic category November 22, 1968.
![Beechcraft BE-23 Sundowner C-GJML](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Beechcraft_BE-23_Sundowner_C-GJML.JPG)
;C23
:Four-seat light cabin aircraft, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming O-360-A4G, A2G, A4J or A4K piston engine, gross weight of , first certified February 13, 1970 including in the aerobatic category.
;A24R Sierra 200
:Four or six-seat light cabin aircraft, retractable tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B or A1D piston engine, gross weight of , first certified December 23, 1969.
;B24R Sierra 200
:Four or six-seat light cabin aircraft, retractable tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 piston engine and new propeller variant, gross weight of , first certified June 18, 1973 sold as a 1974 model also had a new larger rear baggage door.
;C24R Sierra 200
:Four or six-seat light cabin aircraft, retractable tricycle landing gear, powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 piston engine, gross weight of , first certified October 1, 1976 with a new larger prop and aerodynamic cleanup by Beech made it 6 knots faster than the "B" .
Operators
Military operators
;
*
Algerian Air Force
The Algerian Air Force (AAF) ( ar, القُوَّاتُ الجَوِّيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, links=, lit=, translit=al-Quwwāt al-Ǧawwiyyah al-Ǧazāʾiriyyah, french: Forces aériennes algériennes, links=, lit=, translit ...
(4 x B24R Sierra); no longer in service
;
*
Canadian Armed Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
(24 x B23 and 24 x C23 Sundowners, designated as
CT-134) until 1992 when they were replaced by
Slingsby T67 Firefly
The Slingsby T67 Firefly, originally produced as the Fournier RF-6, is a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft, built by Slingsby Aviation in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, England.
It has been used as a trainer aircraft by several armed forces, as ...
;
*
Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF) was a Hong Kong Government department based in Hong Kong. It was formed as an air force in 1949 as part of the Hong Kong Defence Force. In preparation for the transfer of sovereignty from the Uni ...
(2 x B23-19); retired in 1993 with disbanding of RHKAAF with GFS ordering
Slingsby T67 Firefly
The Slingsby T67 Firefly, originally produced as the Fournier RF-6, is a two-seat aerobatic training aircraft, built by Slingsby Aviation in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, England.
It has been used as a trainer aircraft by several armed forces, as ...
;
*
Mexican Air Force
The Mexican Air Force (FAM; es, Fuerza Aérea Mexicana) is the primary aerial warfare service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of t ...
(20 x A23-19); all retired
;
*
Royal Moroccan Air Force
The Royal Moroccan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الملكية; ber, Adwas ujenna ageldan; french: Forces Royales Air) is the air force of the Moroccan Armed Forces.
History
The Moroccan air force was formed on 14 May 1956 as the ...
(1 x 23); no longer in active service
Specifications
A23A Musketeer Custom III
See also
References
External links
Airliners.netMusketeer page
{{Beechcraft
Musketeer
A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pre ...
1960s United States civil utility aircraft
1960s United States civil trainer aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1963