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Beechcraft Baron G58 continues to impress aviation experts

Over it’s nearly 60 year history in the aviation industry, the Beechraft Baron G58 has consistently impressed aircraft experts and pilots alike with it’s performance and dependability. And with it’s new cabin configuration the Baron can now comfortably seat six passengers in club seating, an improvement from the Baron’s previous configuration which only accommodated four or five passengers.

While only the normally aspirated G58 is available for purchase today, the owners of Beechcraft at Textron Aviation report that a total of 2,485 normally aspirated Model 58’s have been produced since 1969, with another nearly 650 airframes that were produced being split between the turbocharged and the pressurized models. And though the Model 58 is past it’s peak in terms of production (the height of which was in 1975, which saw the production of 155 Model 58’s), the current model is just as impressive as it was all those years ago.

Sophisticated cockpit and rock-solid handling qualities

Despite the fact that the power of the Model 58 has increased only slightly from the original, 285 hp producing Continental IO-520-C engine, to the 300 hp producing Continental IO-550-Cs engine with a pair of McCauley three-blade metal propellers, the Baron G58 still has a maximum climbing rate of 1,700 fpm.

But what really sets this aircraft apart from the rest according to aviation author and pilot, Rob Mark, is more than just sheer power. “The secret to why the Baron still matters in a world where light twins are a rarity is its sophisticated cockpit and rock-solid handling qualities” (What It’s Like to Fly the Beechcraft Baron G58). Consider that the ‘G’ in G58 stands for Garmin, or more specifically the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics system which gives the pilot access to features like: optional wireless flight plan, database loading from a tablet, improved joystick maneuvering for faster panning on the MFD, sophisticated IFR and VFR chart options, as well as a night mode for improved readability in a darkened cockpit.

As is the case with any multi-engine aircraft, frequent and in-depth training is a must-have for pilots flying the Baron G58, but pilots find that it is well worth the training to be able to operate an aircraft with such a beautifully crafted interior and refined avionics system.

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