Beechcraft A23 Musketeer

Beechcraft B19 Musketeer

Beechcraft B24 Sierra

Beechcraft B24 Sierra main landing gear showing the characteristic trailing idler link landing gear

Beechcraft CT 134A Musketeers - the Canadian military version of the Model 23. These ones were assigned to 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School at CFB Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, 1982

The Beechcraft Musketeer line is a family of single-engine, low-wing, light aircraft that includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport, the Model 23 Musketeer, Custom and Sundowner, the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III and the retractable gear Model 24-R Sierra. Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftA23MusketeerC-FSJL.jpg Summary I took this photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftA23MusketeerC-FSJL.jpg Summary I took this photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftB19MusketeerC-GDYW.jpg Summary I took this photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftB19MusketeerC-GDYW.jpg Summary I took this photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftB24RSierraC-GORQ.jpg Summary I took this photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftB24RSierraC-GORQ.jpg Summary I took this photo Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftC24RSierraC-GGKPlanding_gear. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftC24RSierraC-GGKPlanding_gear. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftCT134Musketeers. ... Image File history File linksMetadata BeechcraftCT134Musketeers. ... The Beech Aircraft Corporation, purchased by Raytheon Aircraft on February 8, 1980, and often called Beechcraft after the name they give their aircraft, is a manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. ...

The Musketeer line was in production from model years 1963 to 1983, during which time a total of 4366 were produced. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1963: Events January January 7 - Aeroflot commences direct services between Moscow and Havana February February 14 - the Indian Air Force receives its first batch of Soviet fighters, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s March March 18 - the Dassault Balzac makes its first transitions... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1983: Events January January 31 - the Ayres Turbo Thrush NEEDS cropduster plane officially joins the United States war on drugs. February February 1 - Boeing announces it will stop producing Boeing 727 airliners. ...

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-D2B engine of 160 bhp. The next year this engine was replaced by the Lycoming IO-346-A engine of 165 bhp. This engine was not a success and was in turn replaced by the Lycoming O-360-A4J engine of 180 bhp 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”. The Lycoming O-320 is a normally-aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engine commonly used on entry-level aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. ... The Lycoming O-360 is an air-cooled, carbureted, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed piston aircraft engine. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1970: Events January January 31 - Mikhail Mil dies, aged 61 February February 17-18 - US Air Force Laos. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1972: Events January January 5 - US President Richard Nixon announces $US 5. ...

A total of 2331 Beechcraft 23s of all variants were manufactured by the time production was completed 20 years later in 1983.

Model 19 Musketeer Sport

The Beech 19 was introduced as a 1966 model year. Despite having a lower model number, it was a later varient 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 150 bhp. The Sport was introduced in 1966 with a standard price of $11,500. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1966: Events Puerto Rican International Airlines begin services. ... The Lycoming O-320 is a normally-aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engine commonly used on entry-level aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. ...

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. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1979: Events January January 12 - Pilatus Aircraft acquires Britten-Norman February February 26 - Production of the A-4 Skyhawk ends after 26 years, with the delivery of the 2,690th and final aircraft to the United States Marine Corps. ...

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-A2B6 fuel injected powerplant with a constant speed propeller which produced 200 bhp, 20 hp more than the standard Model 23 Musketeer. This model initially sold for a price of $16,350 in 1966. The Lycoming O-360 is an air-cooled, carbureted, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed piston aircraft engine. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

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. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1966: Events Puerto Rican International Airlines begin services. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team is formed. ...

Model 24 Sierra

The Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III proved the utility of the 200 hp 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 24.

Christened the “Sierra”, the first model year for the new retractable version was 1970. The initial A24-R Sierra was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B of 200 bhp and sold for a standard price of $24,950. The Model 24 completed the Beech line between the fixed gear Musketeers and the much larger, faster, more complex and expensive Beechcraft Bonanza. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1970: Events January January 31 - Mikhail Mil dies, aged 61 February February 17-18 - US Air Force Laos. ... An early model 35 V-tail Bonanza, very similiar to the aircraft Holly, Valens and Richardson died in. ...

1973 saw the introduction of the improved B24-R Sierra powered by the Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 engine variant. The improved C24-R was powered by the same engine and replaced the “B” model in 1977. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1973: Events Icelandair established. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1977: Events March March 27 - 579 people are killed when two Boeing 747s collide on the runway at Santa Cruz airport, Tenerife. ...

Sierra production ended at the same time as the Model 23 Musketeer assembly line was closed, during the aviation economic downturn of 1983. A total of 744 Sierras were delivered. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1983: Events January January 31 - the Ayres Turbo Thrush NEEDS cropduster plane officially joins the United States war on drugs. February February 1 - Boeing announces it will stop producing Boeing 727 airliners. ...

The Musketeer design was further developed into a twin-engine aircraft, the Beechcraft Model 76 Duchess. The Beechcraft 76 Duchess was a twin-engine development of the Beechcraft Musketeer, and was designed as an economical twin-engine trainer to compete with the successful Piper Seminole. ...

Present Day

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 and are prized for their large, roomy cabins, airframe strength and stability, if not their high cruise speeds. Model 24 Sierras especially find a strong following today and are sought after in the used airplane market.

Landing Gear

The main difference between the Musketeer line and other similar light aircraft is the Musketeer’s undercarriage. While the competitive Cessna 172s use sprung steel main gear, the Piper PA-28 Cherokees use oleos and the Grumman American AA-5s use fibreglass sprung main gear, the Musketeer family use a trailing idler link gear system with a compressed rubber puck suspension system. 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 less-graceful than anticipated landing. With practice smooth landings are easy to accomplish. As a result of this type of landing gear design, the fixed gear models cannot be fitted with wheel fairings and consequently these are never seen on Musketeers. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane. ... Cherokee is the common name for the Pipers PA-28 family of aircraft models, which received its type certificate from the FAA in 1960 and is still under production by The New Piper Aircraft Company. ... The Grumman American AA-5 series is a family of all-metal, 4-seat, light aircraft. ...

Canadian Military Service

In the early 1960s the Royal Canadian Air Force’s standard elementary training aircraft was the Dehavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk. Flight instruction was completed by student pilots on the DHC-1 before they progressed to the then-brand-new Canadair CT 114 Tutor jet trainer. A decision was made by RCAF HQ in 1964 to remove the DHC-1s from service and not replace them, as it was felt that the CT 114 was easy enough to fly that initial training was not needed. The CT 114 quickly developed a wash-out rate of near 95% amongst student jet pilots and it was clear that an elementary trainer was needed. Due to the RCAF’s previous relationship with Beechcraft while operating the Beech 18 Expeditor, a hasty purchase of twenty-four 1968 model A23 Musketeers was made. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... The de Havilland Chipmunk is a tandem two seat single engined training aircraft, and was the standard primary trainer for the British military though most of the post-war years. ... CL-41 CT-114 Photo courtesy of the Department of National Defence (Canada) The CL-41, known in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF, now CF) as the CT-114 Tutor, is a low wing monoplane with a tricycle undercarriage and a T-type tail assembly. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1964: // Events February February 7 - The Canadian Golden Hawks aerobatic team is disbanded. ... Beechcraft 18/C-45 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force Beechcraft 18 on floats The Beechcraft Model 18 was a small six- to 11-place, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Witchita, Kansas. ...

The new trainers were designated “CT 134 Musketeer” in the then Canadian Forces. The aircraft purchased were standard Model A23s equipped with the O-360-A4G engine of 180 bhp, modified by the addition of a cowling strake, horizontal stabilizer strake and ventral fin to improve spin recovery performance. They were numbered 134001-134024. The Canadian Forces (French: Forces canadiennes) are the combined armed forces of Canada. ... A Strake is part of a boat or ship. ... The tail of a Lufthansa airliner (Airbus A319) in flight, showing the horizontal and vertical stabilizer Mathematics: see Group action. ...

The initial batch of CT 134s was replaced in late 1981 with a purchase of twenty-four more aircraft. These were 1982 model Beechcraft C23 Sundowners and were designated by the CF as “CT 134A Musketeer II”. These were numbered 134025-134048.

Both batches of Musketeers served with 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School and the Canadian Forces Flying Instructor School at CFB Portage la Prairie Manitoba and the Canadian Forces Central Flying School in Winnipeg until they were replaced by Slingsby Fireflys operated under contract by Bombardier Aerospace in 1995. During their 27 years of service the CT 134 and CT 134A fleet at 3 CFFTS trained about 5400 Canadian military pilot graduates. Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Official languages English (French is an official language of the Manitoban legislature and courts) Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 14 6 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked... Motto: Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Area: 465. ... The T-67 Firefly is a two seater military training aircraft, built by Slingsby Aviation in Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire, England. ... Bombardier Aerospace is a division of the Bombardier group. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1995: Events A Concorde sets a new speed record for a round-the-world flight. ...

Epithets

Often maligned as a trainer due to its lacklustre cruise performance and difficult-to-master landing characteristics, the Musketeer was often given non-complimentary nicknames by student pilots who did not appreciate its stronger points. These epithets included:

• Mouseketeer
• Mouse

Annette Funicello on The Mickey Mouse Club The Mickey Mouse Club was a very long-running variety television series in the 1950s, produced and televised by the Walt Disney Studios, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers, of which the most popular was Annette Funicello. ... Feral mouse A mouse is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents in the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridæ (Old World Mice). ...

Type Club

The Musketeer family of aircraft are supported by an active aircraft type club, the Beech Aero Club. Aircraft type clubs exist to provide information and support to a single aircraft type or a group of aircraft types from the same manufacturer or family of aircraft. ...

Specifications (A23A Musketeer Custom III)

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Capacity: 3 passengers
• Length: 25 ft 8 in (7.85 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 9 in (10.00 m)
• Height: 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
• Wing area: 146 ft² (13.6 m²)
• Empty: 1,375 lb (624 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 2,400 lb (1,089 kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Lycoming IO-346-A, 165 hp (125 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 146 mph (235 km/h)
• Range: 650 miles (1,046 km)
• Service ceiling: 13,000 ft
• Rate of climb: 880 ft/min (268 m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Specifications (CT 134 Musketeer)

General characteristics

• Crew: Student and instructor
• Capacity: 2 passengers
• Length: 25 ft 8.5 in (7.85 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 9 in (10.00 m)
• Height: 8 ft 2.4 in (2.50 m)
• Wing area: 146 ft² (13.6 m²)
• Empty: 1,560 lb (707 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 2,450 lb (1,110 kg) normal category 2150 lb (974 kg) aerobatic category
• Powerplant: 1x Lycoming O-360-A4G, 180 hp (136 kW)

The Lycoming O-360 is an air-cooled, carbureted, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed piston aircraft engine. ...

Performance

• Maximum cruise speed: 124 knots (231 km/h)
• Range: 675 miles (1,257 km)
• Service ceiling: 13,000 ft
• Rate of climb: 880 ft/min (268 m/min)
• Wing loading: 16.8 lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power Loading: 14.1 lb/hp (8.2 kg/kW)

Military Operators

• Algeria, Canada (CT 134 and CT 134A), Hong Kong, Mexico, Morocco.

External links

• Beech Aero Club Aircraft type club
• Airlines.net

Related content

Related development: Beechcraft Duchess The Beechcraft 76 Duchess was a twin-engine development of the Beechcraft Musketeer, and was designed as an economical twin-engine trainer to compete with the successful Piper Seminole. ...

Comparable aircraft:

• Cessna 172
• Cessna 177
• Piper Cherokee
• Grumman American AA-5

Designation sequence: 17 - 18 - 19 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane. ... Cessna 177B Cardinal at Smiths Falls, Ontario 2004 Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG at the COPA Flight 33 Arnprior, Ontario Fly-in 10 July 2005 The Cardinal badge sported by many Cessna 177 and 177RG aircraft Cessna 177B Cardinal at the COPA Convention, Wetaskiwin, Alberta June 2005 The Cessna 177 Cardinal... Piper Cherokee PA-28-181 (Archer II) Piper PA-28 Cherokee 180E Cherokee is the common name for the Pipers PA-28 family of aircraft models, which received its type certificate from the FAA in 1960 and is still under production by The New Piper Aircraft Company. ... The Grumman American AA-5 series is a family of all-metal, 4-seat, light aircraft. ... 1943 Beech D.17S Staggerwing The Beechcraft Staggerwing is a biplane with, unusually, a backward stagger (the lower wing is further forward than the upper wing). ... Beechcraft 18 on floats The Beechcraft Model 18 was a small six to eleven place, all metal, aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Witchita, Kansas. ...