Beech 65 Queen Air

Twin Piston· 37 globally registered

The Beechcraft Queen Air is a twin-engine utility aircraft that bridged the gap between the company's smaller Twin Bonanza and the pressurized King Air series that would follow. First flown in 1958, the Queen Air was designed as a rugged, unpressurized workhorse for corporate transport, air taxi, and cargo operations where reliability mattered more than speed or altitude performance. Its spacious cabin could accommodate up to nine passengers or be configured for freight, making it popular with regional carriers and charter operators throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Powered by two Lycoming IGSO-480 or IGSO-540 piston engines producing 340 to 380 horsepower each, the Queen Air cruised at around 200 knots with a range of approximately 1,200 nautical miles. The type's heavy-duty landing gear and generous wing area gave it excellent short-field performance, allowing operations from unimproved strips that larger turbine aircraft couldn't access. While it never achieved the commercial success of its pressurized King Air descendants, the Queen Air carved out a lasting niche in bush operations, freight hauling, and specialized roles like aerial survey and medical evacuation. Production ran through 1978 with over 900 aircraft built across multiple variants, including the stretched Model 70 and 80 series. Today the Queen Air remains in service primarily with cargo operators and small charter companies, valued for its load-carrying ability and straightforward piston-engine maintenance economics. SkyMeter has tracked 56 flights across 11 airframes and 5 operators, with BEMIDJI AVIATION SERVICES INC the largest observed operator.