Departure
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
The Beechcraft Baron 58 is the long-body, six-seat variant of Beechcraft's enduring light twin-piston family, developed from the Beechcraft 95 Travel Air and Bonanza lineage and introduced in 1969. Fast, capable in IFR conditions and long in production, it has become a benchmark owner-flown cabin-class twin, and remains a familiar sight in general aviation and flight training fleets, with the modern G58 continuing the line until Textron's announced end of production.
The Baron 58 is a twin-engine, low-wing, piston-powered civil utility aircraft manufactured by Beechcraft. It represents the long-body branch of the Baron family, the other being the short-body Baron 55 and Baron 56TC, and was designed to offer more cabin space and club seating than its shorter siblings while retaining the twin-engine performance and handling that made the Baron line a lasting success in the light-twin market since the type's introduction in 1961.
The Baron line traces its ancestry to the Beechcraft 95 Travel Air, which combined the Bonanza's fuselage with the tail control surfaces of the T-34 Mentor military trainer. To create the Baron, the Travel Air's tail was replaced with that of the Debonair, the engine nacelles were streamlined, six-cylinder engines were fitted, and the aircraft was renamed. The first Baron, the Model 55, appeared in 1961 powered by two 260 hp Continental IO-470-L engines, developed partly in response to competitors such as the Piper Aztec and the improved Cessna 310. The Baron 58, a long-body derivative offering greater cabin length and revised seating, followed in 1969. Production of the original Model 58 continued until 2004, when it was succeeded by the G58 model featuring Garmin G1000 avionics, which remains in production. In November 2025 Textron Aviation announced that production of the Baron, alongside the related Bonanza, will end once existing orders are fulfilled, though the company intends to continue supporting the type with parts indefinitely.
The Baron 58 is a low-wing, twin-engine monoplane of all-metal construction, seating up to six occupants with club-configuration seating in the cabin, double aft baggage doors, and additional baggage stowage in the nose. It offers a longer fuselage than the short-body Baron 55/56, a maximum gross weight of 5,400 lb, and cabin dimensions of 4 ft 0 in high, 3 ft 6 in wide and 10 ft 7 in long, with total baggage capacity of 46 cubic feet, all external. Depending on the production year, the Model 58 was fitted with either Continental IO-520 or IO-550 engines of up to 300 hp per side; the later G58 model is powered by two Continental IO-550-C engines. The G58 features the Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics suite with synthetic vision, terrain awareness and automatic flight control, and is certified for single-pilot operation with standard six-passenger seating provisions.
The Baron 58, as manufactured between 1970 and 2005, has a normal cruise speed of 197 knots (227 mph) and a seats-full range of 1,015 nautical miles (1,168 statute miles), with a maximum operating altitude of 21,000 feet. Balanced field length is 2,242 feet and landing distance 3,246 feet. The later G58 model cruises at 202 knots on its twin IO-550-C engines and has a maximum range exceeding 1,400 nautical miles, with Textron Aviation quoting a maximum range of 2,741 km for the Baron 58G variant.
The Baron family divides into three basic body types: the Baron 55 and Baron 56 (both short body) and the Baron 58 (long body), each with several sub-variants. The 58 line offered a longer fuselage than the 55/56 series, new club seating, double aft baggage doors and a gross weight of 5,400 lb, fitted with either Continental IO-520 or IO-550 300 hp engines depending on year of manufacture. A pressurized derivative, the Baron 58P, and a turbocharged 58TC were also produced within the wider family. Production of the original Model 58 ended in 2004 after 2,124 aircraft were built, and it was replaced by the G58, introduced in 2005 with Garmin G1000 glass cockpit avionics and still in production; 151 examples of the related turbocharged 58TC were built.
The Baron 58 has served principally as an owner-flown and charter cabin-class twin for business and personal transport, valued for its speed, twin-engine redundancy and IFR capability. The Baron G58 received London City Airport landing approvals in 2010, reflecting its suitability for demanding operations. Across the wider Baron family, military and government operators have included the Argentine Army, which flew one Baron 55 and one Baron 58 until their retirement in 1983, and export examples served with air forces such as Brazil's, which designated the Model 95-C55 as the C-55.
For a simulator pilot, the Baron 58 represents a fast, well-mannered cabin-class piston twin offering genuine cross-country performance with twin-engine redundancy, six-seat club seating and, in later G58 form, a full Garmin G1000 NXi glass cockpit with synthetic vision for realistic IFR procedures. Its combination of respectable cruise speed, useful range, and short-field capability from a balanced field length of just over 2,200 feet makes it a satisfying type for practising instrument approaches, engine-out procedures and long cross-country flights, while its long production history and enduring popularity in real-world owner-flown fleets make it a natural subject for study-level simulation.