Page 28 - Volume 11 Number 5

performance. The two final versions of the A23-19 series were the Model B19 that was introduced in 1970, followed in 1972 by the B19 Sport 150. Both versions were powered by the 150-horsepower Lycoming O-320 engine. Production of the A23-19 series was terminated in 1978 after 1,525 units had been built.
In 1970, the Model C23 Musketeer entered production. The front cabin section was widened by four-and-a-half inches (at the two front seats) and the cabin featured larger, reshaped windows to improve outside visibility. The final version of the Model 23 was the C23 that entered production in the 1970 model year. The four- place C23 was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A4G engine rated at 180 horsepower.
In 1972, a left-side cabin door became standard equipment, and the Beechcraft was renamed “Sundowner 180.” Cruising speed was 143 mph and gross weight had increased to 2,450 pounds. The next model year Beech engineers decreased the height of the Sport and Sundowner instrument panels by one- and-a-half inches to improve forward visibility, and the throttle, mixture and carburetor heat controls were housed in a new, center-mounted quadrant. The final change to the Model C23 occurred in the 1974 model year when the height of the cabin windows was increased one inch. Late-model C23 airplanes produced from 1975 until 1983 when production was terminated, were powered by Avco Lycoming O-360-A2G, -A4G, -A4J or -A4K engines rated at 180 horsepower at 2,700 RPM. The first production Sundowner 180 was serial number M-1362 and the last C23 built was M-2392, completed in 1983 when manufacture of the Sundowner was terminated, ending a production run that spanned 20 years.
A grand total of 4,366 airplanes were manufactured, all under Approved Type Certificate A1CE, including 48 CT-134 ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1971 as a replacement for the de Havilland DHC-1 “Chipmunk.” These airplanes were fitted with strakes on the cowling, stabilator and ventral fin to improve recovery from intentional spins. In 1981, the original CT-134 fleet was augmented by the acquisition of another 24 Beechcrafts designated CT-134A. These were modified versions of the Model C23. In addition, in 1970 the factory built 86 Model A23-24 and A24 aircraft that were equipped with Avco Lycoming engines rated at 200 horsepower and fitted with two-blade, constant-speed propellers.
gap between the Model C23 and the iconic Model 35 Bonanza. Engineering and flight testing was progressing well by late 1969 in preparation for the aircraft’s introduction for the 1970 model year. FAA certification was achieved on December 23, 1969, under the original Approved Type Certificate A1CE of the Model 23 series.
Salient changes included installation of an electro- hydraulic retraction/extension systems that was similar to that used on the Piper PA-24 and the Cessna 177RG. The main gear retracted outward into large recesses in the wing, but the nose gear retracted aft, turned 90 degrees and laid flat in a recess under the engine. The engine chosen for the new Beechcraft, designated the Model A24R “Super R,” was Avco Lycoming’s four-cylinder opposed, fuel-injected IO-360-A1B that developed 200 horsepower at 2,700 RPM and was fitted with a two-blade, constant-speed propeller. In general, performance was on par with Piper and Cessna competitors with a cruising speed of 162 mph at an altitude of 7,500 feet, and a range of 711 statute miles at a 75 percent power setting.
Priced at $24,950, the A24R sold well with 59 being delivered in 1970, followed by 35 in 1971 and 55 in 1972. The improved B24R “Sierra 200” debuted for the 1973 model year equipped with a left-side cabin door as standard equipment. Minor upgrades included the same 1.5-inch decrease in instrument panel height incorporated in the Model C23 Sundowner, refined cabin features and an Avco Lycoming IO-360-A2B engine featuring a new crankshaft with counterweights, and the oil cooler was relocated to improve airflow through the core.
Factory workers in Liberal, Kansas, built 39 airplanes that year and another 113 in the 1974 model year – the highest production number achieved for the series. When the C23R entered production for the 1977 model year, it featured fairings surrounding the main landing gear wheel wells to reduce drag, aileron gap seals and a more efficient propeller that increased maximum speed by six knots. The C24R Sierra 200 was manufactured for seven years from 1977-1983 before an economic recession forced termination of the Model C23 and C24R. For example, only 13 A24R were built in 1983. KA
NOTES:
1. Beginning in the late 1940s, this principle had been employed with great success by Cessna Aircraft, thanks to the marketing savvy of general aviation visionary, Dwane L. Wallace.
Ed Phillips, now retired and living in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kan. His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the
By 1970, the success of Beech Aircraft Corporation’s
Musketeer program prompted introduction of a
retractable-gear airplane based on the proven airframe
of the Model A24. In keeping with Beech Aircraft’s
marketing strategy, the new airplane would fill a “Air Capital of the World” for more than 80 years.
26 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MAY 2017