65 This is the initial version of the Queen Air, powered by two
Lycoming IGSO-480s. Fitted with short span () wings and a straight unswept tail. It had a gross weight of . Usually referred to as a "straight 65". 316 built from 1959 to 1967.
A65 First produced in 1967, the A65 is very similar to the straight 65. The major change was the addition of a swept tail with a dorsal fin. Available fuel was also increased, with a maximum capacity of when auxiliary tanks are fitted. A dedicated airliner version, the A65-8200 Queen Airliner was available with an increased gross weight of . A total of 96 A65s were built between 1967 and 1970.
70 Introduced in 1968, the 70 is essentially an A65 with the B80 wing. This allows the 70 to have a greater lifting ability than the 65 but a lower fuel burn and operating cost than the 80. It. Its gross weight is . A total of 35 were built between 1969 and 1971.
80 The 80 (also known as the Model 65-80) was the first of the Queen Airs to have the swept tail, although it retained the short wings of the Model 65. First flown on June 22, 1961, and
certified on February 20, 1962, it was powered by
Lycoming IGSO-540 and had a gross weight of . 148 built from 1962 to 1963.
A80 Beech 65-A80 The A80 (also known as the Model 65-A80) was introduced in 1964 with a new, longer wing, increasing
wingspan from to . Other major changes included a redesign of the aircraft nose, an increase in fuel capacity, and a 500-pound increase in takeoff weight to gross. 121 built between 1964 and 1966.
85D A single Model 85D was built with construction number LN-1. It later became the prototype for the Model 65-88. the Model 88 was introduced later that year. The only pressurized Queen Air, it shares the engines and long wing of the B80. Sales were slack due to its higher sales price and lower useful load as compared to the B80, and ended in 1969. Only 47 examples were produced, of which two were converted to
King Air standard. Its round cabin windows make the 88 look quite similar to a 90 series King Air. The first two models of the King Air's official designation were 65-90 and 65-A90 owing to its Queen Air heritage.
Excalibur The Excalibur is an up-engined aftermarket modification to the 65 performed by
supplemental type certificates (STC). It replaced the six-cylinder
Lycoming IGSO-480 and
Lycoming IGSO-540 with the far more robust eight-cylinder
Lycoming IO-720. This eliminated the need for a gearbox or superchargers and their associated maintenance and potential reliability problems, at the expense of being limited to a cruising altitude below fifteen thousand feet. Gross weights increased to for all short-wing aircraft (65, A65, 80), for the 70, and 8800 for the other long-wing aircraft (A80, B80, 88). The US Army National Guard installed this modification on some of their aircraft. The Excalibur can be recognized by the noticeably smaller engine cowlings and lower-set engines. It was originally designed and produced by Ed Swearingen, who was well known for his work on the Twin Bonanza, Queen Air, and later
Merlin and
Metro Swearingen aircraft. The ownership of the pictured aircraft changed hands many times over the years, and was
Bemidji Aviation, an operator of Excalibur Queen Airs as well as other charter and freight aircraft in the upper mid-west of the United States, at the time of the photo in 2011.
Military variants ;
L-23F :24 aircraft based on the Beechcraft Queen Air delivered to the US Army. ;U-8F :L-23F redesignated in 1962 and 46 new-build aircraft delivered to the US Army, plus single Beechcraft Model 87 delivered used as NU-8F in 1964 and one Queen Air purchased second-hand in 1966. In addition, one U-8F was delivered to the
Pakistan Army instead of the US Army ;NU-8F :US military designation assigned to a modified commercial Queen Air converted as the prototype
Model 65-90 King Air, and fitted with two 500 shp
Pratt & Whitney PT6A-6 turboprop engines. The aircraft was evaluated by the US Army in 1964. ;C-8 :
Brazilian Air Force designation for the Model B80. Originally designated
U-8. ;EU-8 :Brazilian Air Force designation for "electronics" variant of the Model B80. ;B.PhTh.2A :() Royal Thai Armed Forces designation for the Model A80. •
65 and A65 - 411 (including military production) •
70 - 35 •
80, A80, B80 - 511 •
85D - 1 •
88 - 47 •
Total - 1,005 ==Military operators==