BEECHCRAFT MUSKETEER/ SUNDOWNER

摘要

Over the following 20 years, the Musketeer would evolve into a wide variety of subtypes. More than 4,000 examples would be built, including the more powerful Sundowner and the retractable-gear Sierra. Here, we'll explore the fixed-gear variants of the Musketeer family-and evaluate whether the combination of Beechcraft quality and refinement, at a price comparable to a basic Cessna or Piper, remains as attractive today as it was then. Presented as a simpler and less expensive alternative to the popular Bonanza, the Musketeer was launched as a 1963 model following a particularly speedy development process. Beechcraft took the concept from a blank sheet of paper to full FAA type certification in only 16 and a half months.