The Beechcraft Queen Air series is a family of twin-engined light aircraft that has been in use since 1960. It was developed as an enlarged and refined version of the earlier Beechcraft Twin Bonanza, sharing key components like wings, engines, and tail surfaces. The Queen Air has a larger fuselage, which allows for a more spacious and comfortable cabin and can accommodate six to nine passengers. Over 1,000 aircraft were built across several variants, and production ended in 1978, but it went on to be developed into the King Air series.
Since it entered service in 1960, with the initial Model 65, the Queen Air has been refined with several modified variants, including the A65, A80, B80, and the pressurized Model 88. The B80 was the best-selling model, with over 500 delivered up to 1977 and powered by two Lycoming IGSO-540 engines. The Excalibur was a later added upgrade to the Model 65, featuring uprated Lycoming IO-720 engines. The Queen Air has been very popular in military, private, and corporate use, and it has also been popular with government and military users, including the US Air Force. The Queen Air was the basis for the later King Air series with 7,000+ units produced.
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Jim Goodrich
Jim Goodrich is a pilot, aviation expert and founder of Tsunami Air.
What is the Beechcraft Queen Air?
The Beechcraft Queen Air is a twin-engined light aircraft produced by Beechcraft in several versions from 1960 to 1978. Based upon the Twin Bonanza, it shared key components like wings, tail surfaces, and engines, but featured a larger fuselage. It served as the basis for the King Air series.
The Queen Air is a low wing, low horizontal stabiliser aircraft with two piston engines and a main landing gear that retracts forward into the nacelles. The cabin features three square cabin windows and seats up to 8 passengers plus 1 pilot. Cabin length is 19.58 feet, width is 4.5 feet, and headroom is just under 5 feet.
Beechcraft produced 1,005 Queen Air aircraft. There are 411 units of the Model 65 and A65, 35 units of the Model 70, 511 units of the A80, the Models 80, and B80 together, 1 unit of the Model 85D, and 47 units of the Model 88.
The Queen Air is often used as a private aircraft, a utility, or a small commuter airliner, valued for its spacious cabin, versatility and reliability. Engines are expensive to maintain, and reliability falls if not flown correctly. The gearbox needs attentive handling. Safety notice 622305 demands inspection for fan center grooves being worn down and for problems with the part that changes speed on Lycoming GO, IGSO engines, GSO, and IGO.
What are the specifications of the Beechcraft Queen Air?
The specifications of the Beechcraft Queen Air are given in the table below.
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | 14 ft 3 in (4.34 m) |
| Wingspan | 50 ft 3 in (15.3 m) |
| Length | 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m) |
| Passengers | 6-9 |
| Engine | Lycoming IGSO-540-A1D |
| Power | 380 hp per engine |
| Max Speed | 208 kts |
| Cruise | 191 kts normal |
| Range | 1,317 NM |
| Service ceiling | 26,800 ft (8170 m) |
| Climb | 1,300 fpm |
| Max Weight Takeoff | 8,000 lb (3628.74 kg) |
| EmptyWeight | 5,227 lb (2370.9 kg) |
| Max Payload | 3,000 lb (1361 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 1,380 lb (626.0 kg) |
| Takeoff | 1,800 ft (548.64 m) over 50 ft (over 15.24 m) |
| Landing | 2,311 ft (704.8 m) over 50 ft (over 15.24 m) |
The Queen Air is a twin-engined nine-seat low-wing cantilever cabin monoplane with a retractable landing gear. It has an exterior height of 14 ft 3 in (4.34 m). The prototype Beech 65 Queen Air first flew on 28 August, 1958. The 65 Queen Air is powered by two 340 hp Lycoming IGSO-480 engines. It has a gross weight of 7,700 lb (3,493 kg) and a useful load around 2,000 lb (907 kg). Its takeoff distance is 1,310 ft (399 m), and it has a max range of 630 nm (1,167 km). The A65’s gross weight was increased to 3,719 kg (8,200 lbs), and available fuel was increased to 1,000 L (264 gal) with the extended wing. The Lycoming IGSO480 engines produced 340 HP, and the Queen Air 65 seats up to 8 passengers plus 1 pilot.
The Queen Air A80 has a new wing with a wingspan of 15.3 m (50 ft 3 in) and a takeoff weight of 3,855 kg (8,500 lb). The B80 uses two Lycoming IGSO-540 A1D engines with 283 kW (380 hp), which gives a gross weight of 3,992 kg (8,800 lb) and a useful load of over 1,361 kg (3,000 lb). Due to this, the long wing A80 and B80 models have better payload and range for business missions. A B80’s takeoff distance over a 50 ft obstacle is about 1,800 ft (549 m), and its range is 1,317 NM (2,439 km). The Model 88 has a gross weight of 8,800 pounds (3,992 kilograms) and a useful load of 2,735 pounds (1,241 kilograms). Its takeoff distance over a 50-foot (15.24-meter) obstacle is 1,845 feet (562.36 meters), and it has a cruising range of 1,225 miles (1,971.44 kilometers).
The Queen Air 70 is an A65 with the B80 wing, so it has a wingspan of 50 ft 3 in (15.32 m). It is powered by the 340 hp Lycoming IGSO-480, and it has a crew of 1 to 2 and 9 riders. The 70 has a top speed of about 402 kilometers per hour (250 miles per hour) and a typical cruise speed of 344 kilometers per hour (186 nautical miles per hour). Its range is 934 nautical miles with reserves, and the rate of climb is 1,300 fpm. The service ceiling is 30,000 feet (9,144 meters).
What engines power the Beechcraft Queen Air models?
The Beechcraft Queen Air models are powered by different Lycoming engines. The original Queen Air 65 uses two Lycoming IGSO-480 engines. These engines produce 340 hp at 3400 rpm, and they have a 1400-hour TBO. The Queen Air A65 is similar to the Queen Air 65 because it is powered by the same 340 hp Lycoming IGSO-480. However, the Queen Air A65 can also use the Excalibur upgrade, which changes the engines to Lycoming IO-720 engines. The Queen Air 70 uses the IGSO-480 engine type, but it has lower power engines and does not have supercharged engines.
The Queen Air A80 shares the engines of the B80. The Queen Air B80 has Lycoming IGSO-540-A1A engines, and it later added the more robust Lycoming IGSO-540-A1D engines. These engines produce 380 hp. However, the Queen Air B80 does not have supercharged engines. The Queen Air B90 has 380 horse strength per engine. The IGSO-540-A1A is boosted, has 6 engine chambers, and has a displacement of 541.5 volume. It uses 100 octane aviation fuel. The IGSO-540-A1D is adapted, has a 20-spline gearbox, uses lead-free airplane fuel, and produces 380 hp at about 3400 spins per minute.
Due to the Excalibur upgrade, many Queen Air models can swap out the IGSO-480 or IGSO-540 engines. This upgrade uses Lycoming IO-720 engines, specifically the IO-720-A1A. The Excalibur conversion makes the engine bigger, grows displacement, and changes the number of cylinders to eight. It removes gear slow-down boxes and takes off superchargers. This makes the aircraft lighter, boosts engine power to 400 hp, and gives single-engine capability. The upgrade improves efficiency, lowers fixing needs, and cuts repair bills. It uses a four-blade propeller, gives increased speed, and boosts climb rate. The Beechcraft Model 87, known as the NU8F, uses Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-6 turboprop engines. This military version does not have Lycoming piston engines.
What is the market value of the Beechcraft Queen Air?
The Beechcraft Queen Air 88 has a market value of $259,500 when new. In 2025, asking prices for Queen Air aircraft in North America often ranged between $150,000 and $450,000 depending on variant, total time, engine cycles, panel upgrades and interior condition.
Age changes market value. Hours on the motor since overhaul affects market value, and airframe value gets worse with hours in the air. Engine hours lead to value fluctuations. Time between overhaul goes from 1,800 running hours to 2,000 running hours, and that time is from about two years to about three and a half years. A worn out motor cuts market worth. For example, an engine with 2100 hours since the last full fix has a lower value if the recommended TBO is 2000 running hours. Brand new does not assure high value; past care records and time elapsed since fixing also change value.
Upgrades boost aircraft value. Engine changes raise resale value, and modern avionics separate drive lease rate differentiation. Aftermarket modifications diminish value by about ten to fifteen percent, while approved modifications increase value. The Queen Air 65 has a PAPI Price Estimate of $276,469 as of March 1, 2026, and its expense of ownership is $61,033.54. The Queen Air B80 has an average asking price of $85,000 and a purchase price of $125,000.
