Beechcraft Baron The Beechcraft Baron is a light , twin - engined piston aircraft originally developed by Beech Aircraft Corporation and currently manufactured by the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation , an Onex Holding Corporation . The Baron is a variant of the Beechcraft Bonanza , more specifically the Travel Air , and was introduced in 1961 . Beech also offered a Twin Bonanza line ; they featured some design commonality with the Bonanzas , but in all respects were entirely different airplanes and could not be considered to be true " Twin Bonanzas " . Design and development . The direct predecessor of the Baron was the Beechcraft 95 Travel Air , which incorporated the fuselage of the Bonanza and the tail control surfaces of the T - 34 Mentor military trainer . To create the new airplane , the Travel Air ' s tail was replaced with that of the Beechcraft Debonair , the engine nacelles were streamlined , six - cylinder engines were added , and the aircraft ' s name was changed . In 1960 , the Piper Aztec was introduced , utilizing two , 250 hp Lycoming O - 540 engines ; Cessna too had improved their 310 with two Continental IO - 470 D , producing 260 hp . Meanwhile , Beechcraft ' s Bonanza had been improved with a Continental IO - 470 - N , but the answer to competition was to make a true Twin Bonanza . The first model , the 55 , was powered by two , six - cylinder IO - 470 - L engines , producing 260 hp at 2 , 625rpm ; it was introduced in 1961 . It included the fully swept vertical stabilizer of the Debonair , while still retaining the four to four + five place seating of the Travel Air . Since its inception , the Baron has always been near the top of the light airplane hierarchy . In 2008 a new Baron costs roughly $ 1 , 040 , 000 . As expensive to operate as it is to buy , the ' next step up ' from a Baron is a very big one . Faster aircraft , with greater range and more load - carrying capability are generally turbine - powered and far more expensive . The older Baron variants , mainly the 55 series , have dropped little in value , with their fair market prices numerically equal to that of their original pricing , in today ' s dollars . Variants . Barons come in three basic types : the Baron 55 ( short body ) , Baron 56 ( short body ) and Baron 58 ( long body ) , with several sub - variants each . Baron 55 . The early Baron 55 , A55 and B55 were fitted with 260 hp ( 194 kW ) Continental IO - 470 engines and had gross weights of 4880 to 5100 lb ( 2 , 200 to 2 , 300 kg ) . These had a typical cruise speed of 190 knots ( 350 km / h ) at 7000 ft ( 2100 m ) , and came with 116 or 136 US gallon ( 440 or 515 L ) fuel tanks . The 55C , 55D and 55E models had an increased cruise speed of 200 knots ( 370 km / h ) due to the 285 hp ( 213 kW ) Continental IO520s . The gross weights of these later models increased to 5300 lb ( 2400 kg ) . They were about a foot ( 0 . 3 m ) longer than the 55B Barons , and came with 136 , 142 , or 166 US gallon ( 515 or 628 L ) fuel tanks . Model 55 Barons were produced from 1961 to 1983 , and some 3155 were produced . Baron 56TC . In 1967 , Beechcraft had begun development of a faster , pressurized twin , the Model 60 Duke ; the Duke was to go head - to - head with Cessna ' s 320 Skyknight . The Duke was to use two turbocharged 380 - hp Lycoming TIO - 541 - E1A4 engines , therefore , Beech wanted experience working with , and flying the new engine . The engine was the 380 - hp Lycoming TIO - 540 - E1B4 , Beech produced in limited quantities , fitted to a modified Baron E55 , becoming the 56TC ( that prototype , EG - 1 , was later retired after certification ) . The result of the 56TC came as planned , it proved a good testbed and experience building model for the Duke ' s development . However , it was a noticeably loud airplane , especially so for a Beechcraft . Along with its increased noise , the 56TC saw , throughout its production , and increase in structural build to compensate for the higher power . When introduced in 1967 , it was the fastest Beech aircraft , rivaling even the early King Airs sold at the time . The Baron 56TC was built between 1967 and 1971 , seeing its fate come from the Duke , and the Baron 58 , which was introduced in 1970 . Baron 58 . Introduced for the model year 1969 , the larger , more powerful Baron 58 was developed from the Baron 55 , introducing club seating , double aft baggage doors , and new gross weight of 5 , 400 lbs . Depending on the variant , the Baron 58 is fitted with either the Continental IO - 520 or IO - 550 300 - hp engine . The Baron 58 can cruise at 200 knots ( 370 km / h ) at 7000 ft ( 2100 m ) . The lengthening of the fuselage increased rear baggage space , as well as providing more comfortable six - place seating over the Baron 55 and 56TC . In 1976 , the turbocharged Baron 58TC and pressurized Baron 58P were introduced . These variants were powered by turbocharged Continental TIO - 520s of 310 – 325 hp ( 230 – 240 kW ) , had an increased 6100 – 6200 lb ( about 2800 kg ) gross weight , and were certified under FAR23 with a new type certificate . The Baron 58P / 58TC models were capable of cruising at 200 knots ( 370 km / h ) at 8000 ft ( 2400 m ) and 220 knots ( 410 km / h ) at 20000 ft ( 6100 m ) , and were typically equipped with 190 US gallon ( 719 L ) fuel tanks . A big change in panel / system layout on 58 / 58TC / 58P occurred in 1984 , including relocating throttle , gear , flap , propeller and mixture controls to industry - standard positions . Although the turbocharged 58TC / 58P variants were discontinued in 1984 and 1985 , respectively , the normally aspirated Baron 58 was still in production as of 2010 . < ref name = " http : / / www . hawkerbeechcraft . com / beechcraft / baron _ g58 / " > Hawker Beechcraft Official Site < / ref > The current production version is the G58 , featuring a glass cockpit , improved passenger cabin and changes to selected airframe details . T - 42A Cochise ( 95 - B55B ) . The T - 42A Cochise is a military version of the Baron 95 - B55 for use by the United States Army as an instrument training aircraft . The Army Aviation School took delivery of 65 aircraft , a further five were bought for delivery to the Turkish Army . By 1993 , the Army ' s remaining T - 42 aircraft had been transferred to the Army Reserve and the National Guard and were no longer in standard use . SFERMA SF - 60 Marquis . A Twin 530 hp Astazou X turboprop modification first flown in 1961 , developed from SFERMA ' s 1960 Twin Bonanza Astazou IIA turboprop conversion ( SFERMA PD - 146 Marquis ) .