The Skipper was conceived with the design goals of creating a low cost
primary trainer with an emphasis on ease of maintenance and low operating costs. which made its maiden flight on February 6, 1975. The Skipper was
Beechcraft's attempt to enter the two-place trainer market with an aircraft capable of competing with the popular
Cessna 150 line of trainer aircraft. Though the aircraft first flew with a standard tail configuration, by the time it entered production, a
T-tail configuration had been adopted, giving it an appearance very similar to its close competitor, the
Piper PA-38 Tomahawk introduced in 1978. The Skipper wing utilizes a GA(W)-1
airfoil, specifically developed for low-speed aviation applications, based on 1970s
NASA research. The aircraft was certified for intentional spins. While it is an all-metal design, the Skipper incorporated a number of innovative construction techniques, including tubular spars and aluminum honeycomb construction with metal-to-metal bonding, a technique inherited from the Musketeer family. The
flaps and
ailerons are actuated by torque tubes, rather than cables. The landing gear is mounted to the fuselage/wing junction, but has a wide wheelbase, giving it a "spraddle-legged" appearance on the ground. ==Operational history==