On 28 August 1958 Beech flew the prototype of the new Beech Model 65
Queen Air business aircraft. Designed to meet the requirements of what the company considered to be a growing market, this seven/nine-seat low-wing monoplane had retractable tricycle landing gear, and was powered by two 254kW Avco Lycoming IGSO-480-A1B6 flat-six engines. Full IFR instrumentation was standard, and optionally available equipment, such as an autopilot, and navigation and weather-avoidance radar, could provide the Queen Air with the capability of a contemporary airliner. In the following January Beech flew the first of three Model 65s that were to be used by the US Army for evaluation. This resulted in orders totalling 71 of these aircraft, under the designation L-23F Semi-nole, an identification chosen because of the general similarity between the Twin Bonanza and Model 65 Queen Air, the latter differing primarily by its deeper section fuselage and more powerful engines. In 1962 the L-23F was rede-signated U-8F, and some modified at a later date to provide improved interior accommodation became U-8Gs. A number of commercial Queen Airs were
acquired by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, for use in navigation trainer and transport roles, and others went to the air forces of Uruguay and Venezuela. An improved Model A65 Queen Air, introduced at a later date, had swept vertical tail surfaces and greater fuel capacity; and a version with a high-density seating arrangement for a crew of one or two, with 10 or nine passengers respectively, was known as the Queen Airliner. A Model 65 Queen Air was provided with two 373kW Pratt & Whitney PT6A-6 turboprop engines. Identified initially by the company as the Model 65-90T Queen Air, this was evaluated by the US Army, from 17 March 1964, as the NU-8F.
Expansion of the Queen Air line came on 22 June 1961 with a first flight of the Model 80 Queen Air. This had more powerful engines (283kW), but the Queen Air A80, introduced in January 1964, had increased wing span that allowed for operation at a higher gross weight. Final version was the Queen Air B80, incorporating a number of design and equipment improvements, and 11-seat Queen Airliners were available for each of these basic versions. A pressurised version of the
Model 80 was introduced in August 1965: generally similar to the Queen Air B80, it differed by having structural modification of the fuselage to cater for pressurisation, and by the incorporation of circular cabin windows. Identified as the Model 88 Queen Air, it was taken out of production during 1969 after 45 had been built.
A third member of the Queen Air family was introduced in 1968. Known as the Model 70 Queen Air, this was basically an A65 with the increased span
wing of the B80.
Manufacture of the Models 65 and 70 was terminated at the end of 1971, at which time production figures totalled 404 (including U-8Fs) and 42 respectively. Production of the Model 80 Queen Airs continued until the end of 1978, at which time approximately 510 had been built.
