Page 8 - Volume 16 Number 4

cheap. These truly were the glory years of aviation. Beechcraft came out with the pressurized version of their very popular Baron in 1976, continuing production until 1985 with just under 500 of them being built. The P-Baron’s formula looks great on paper; take a great selling airplane and give it more capability with little more complexity. Beech started with the proven model 58, beefed up the fuselage, hung on new turbocharged engines, traded the big double rear doors for a much smaller left-hand one that sealed tight, and kept most of the systems and parts the same.
As a side note, Beech also produced an unpressurized turbocharged Baron during a similar time period. This should not be confused with the Baron 56TC, produced from 1967 to 1970, essentially a Baron 55 with Duke engines. Both the Baron 58TC and the P-Baron are more abundant in the American west, where high and hot takeoffs are more commonplace. So, if you see a 58 Baron with the intake air scoops on the sides of the cowlings, rather than the tops, one assist step on the right side of the fuselage means it’s a Baron 58TC and two assist steps, one on each side, means it’s a P-Baron. OK, so much for aircraft identification 101.
The Baron 58P’s Continental TSIO-520 turbocharged engines produced 310 horsepower, as opposed to the 285 hp in the early straight 58s. Beginning in 1979, later models incorporated a modified fuel system and an increase to 325 horsepower. The early pressurization system was a little on the light side, offering only a 3.6 psi maximum pressure differential. But, this still gave the 58P a maximum operating altitude of 25,000 feet with a cabin altitude of 12,500 feet. The cabin was given 3.9 psi differential in 1979.
Benefits Package
The pressurized Baron does incorporate many other benefits over the straight Baron. The simple
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