Beechcraft Musketeer
 Beechcraft Musketeer. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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| Make | Beechcraft |
|---|---|
| Model | Beechcraft Musketeer |
| Type | Light personal and trainer aircraft |
| Country |  United States
|
| First flight | 23 October 1961 |
| Built | 1963–1983 |
| Number built | 4,366 |
| Registered in the US | 1,398 (FAA register, October 30, 2026) |
| Seats | one, three passengers |
| Engine | Continental IO-346-A, 165 hp |
| Cruise speed | 102 kn (A23A Musketeer Custom III) |
| Range | 676 nmi (A23A Musketeer Custom III) |
| Service ceiling | 13,000 ft (A23A Musketeer Custom III) |
| Max weight | 2,400 lb (A23A Musketeer Custom III)
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The Beechcraft Musketeer is a family of single-engine, low-wing light airplanes built by Beechcraft from model years 1963 to 1983, with 4,366 built. It includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport, the Model 23 Musketeer, Custom and Sundowner, the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III, the retractable-gear Model 24R Sierra, and the military CT-134 Musketeer.[1] In the U.S. there are 1,398 with a valid registration.[2]
History
The first was the Model 23 Musketeer of 1963, priced at $13,300 with a 160 hp Lycoming O-320. A 165 hp Continental IO-346 replaced it the next year but was not a success, and from the 1968 B23 Musketeer Custom a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 was used. The C23 arrived in 1970 and was renamed the Sundowner in 1972; properly equipped, the B23 and C23 are approved for limited aerobatics. Beechcraft built 2,331 Model 23s over 20 years.[1]
The Model 19 Musketeer Sport came out for 1966, and the retractable-gear Model 24R Sierra completed the line.[1] The C23 Sundowner is the most common on the U.S. register.[2]
Registered in the United States
The FAA register lists 1,398 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.[2]
| FAA model name | Registered |
|---|---|
| C23 | 445 |
| C24R | 174 |
| B19 | 141 |
| 23 | 139 |
| A23-24 | 120 |
| B24R | 115 |
| A23 | 84 |
| A23-19 | 69 |
| B23 | 61 |
| A24R | 48 |
| 24R | 2 |
Specifications (A23A Musketeer Custom III)
| Item | A23A Musketeer Custom III |
|---|---|
| Crew | one |
| Passengers / capacity | three passengers |
| Length | 25 ft 8 in |
| Wingspan | 32 ft 9 in |
| Height | 8 ft 3 in |
| Wing area | 146 sq ft |
| Empty weight | 1,375 lb |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 2,400 lb |
| Engine | Continental IO-346-A, 165 hp (four cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed aircraft piston engine) |
| Propeller | fixed pitch |
| Maximum speed | 127 kn |
| Cruise speed | 102 kn |
| Stall speed | 63 kn |
| Never-exceed speed | 152 kn |
| Range | 676 nmi |
| Service ceiling | 13,000 ft |
| Rate of climb | 728 ft/min |
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]
Photos
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Beechcraft Sundowner belonging to the Chicoutimi College, on the ramp at St-Honoré airport (CYRC). Photo: Louis Rousseau, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Beechcraft B19 Musketeer Sport (C-GDYW). Photo: Original uploader was Ahunt at en.wikipedia, Public domain -
Beechcraft C24-R Sierra landing gear. Photo: Ahunt, Public domain -
Beechcraft Sierra. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
1963 Beechcraft Model 23. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Beechcraft A23A Musketeer (VH-RWA) at the 2013 Avalon Airshow. Photo: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 au -
A beechcraft 180 parked inside a hangar at the curacautin airfield. Photo: TRTPUWU, CC BY-SA 4.0
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All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.
Buying a Beechcraft Musketeer
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wikipedia, "Beechcraft Musketeer", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.