Just Flight has recently released the Beech Duchess for FSX/P3D which, as we found, has been packed with new features…
In the heyday of general aviation, all the major manufacturers produced a single engine, four-seat aircraft that could be used for more advanced training and cross-country flights. Beechcraft’s offering was the Musketeer and its point of difference from other companies was its higher payload and very robust trailing landing gear. Then in the mid-1970s, Beechcraft was looking at developing an aircraft to compete with the emerging Piper PA-44 Seminole and Cessna C310 twin piston-engined aircraft.
They didn’t have to look too far and found the construction method of the Musketeer could be readily adapted to this light twin format without too much effort. The Duchess 76 quickly found its market and was commercially produced between 1974 and 1982.
Some believed the Duchess was designed as an executive’s ‘pleasure machine’ and weekend flyaway with a design life of just 20 years. This was readily apparent when compared to its stablemates, the iconic and powerful single-engine Bonanza and twin-engine Baron. However the Duchess survives at many flying clubs and advanced training organisations ar…
