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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Beechcraft Duke combined turbocharged piston engines with a pressurised cabin and retractable landing gear. Its swept-looking tail and compact low-wing airframe give it a distinctive outline. It entered the market between smaller touring twins and turbine-powered business aircraft. Royal Turbine conversions replace the piston engines with PT6 turboprops, creating a materially different aircraft.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A piston Duke and time with friends
Rankin's first Duke flight formed part of his 2017 project to experience 52 aircraft in 52 weeks. The Navy pilot joined owner Chris Phillips and fellow pilot Brett Taylor for an outing from Gulf Shores, Alabama. The aircraft's appearance had attracted him before boarding, and he found the piston-powered, pressurised twin smooth and comfortable once they were airborne.
SRQ Daily, 23 March 2017. Ryan Rankin’s first flight in Chris Phillips’ piston Beechcraft 60 Duke.
SRQ Daily · Read more ↗The turbine conversion changes the engine story
Black Square's Turbine Duke models the Royal Turbine conversion with PT6A-35 engines, a different propulsion system from the piston Duke's turbocharged Lycomings. The manual describes persistent wear and failures, pressurisation and environmental systems, and a broad choice of navigation equipment. Period radios, the Century IV autopilot and optional modern GPS installations form distinct cockpit configurations.
Beechcraft Duke · Black Square · Black Square · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Black Square / Just Flight · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube twotonemurphy · 186 min ·
Vertical Cockpit Cam LIVE | BlackSquare Piston Duke | Oregon to Lake County🛩️
A Black Square piston Duke flight across Oregon in MSFS 2024.
Simulator · Black Square piston Duke · MSFS 2024
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Beechcraft Duke
The Beechcraft Duke combined turbocharged piston engines with a pressurised cabin and retractable landing gear. Its swept-looking tail and compact low-wing airframe give it a distinctive outline. It entered the market between smaller touring twins and turbine-powered business aircraft.
Royal Turbine conversions replace the piston engines with PT6 turboprops, creating a materially different aircraft. Black Square models both branches with different engine behaviour while sharing a broad selection of period and modern navigation equipment. Its systems and performance differ between the piston and turbine versions.
Beechcraft Duke
Beechcraft → · Explore the family →
Beechcraft Duke
Wikipedia contributors · Beechcraft Duke ↗Black Square · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
First flight: December 29, 1966
Wikipedia contributors · Beechcraft Duke ↗Beechcraft Duke · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1342466818
Pilot accounts
A piston Duke and time with friends
Rankin's first Duke flight formed part of his 2017 project to experience 52 aircraft in 52 weeks. The Navy pilot joined owner Chris Phillips and fellow pilot Brett Taylor for an outing from Gulf Shores, Alabama. The aircraft's appearance had attracted him before boarding, and he found the piston-powered, pressurised twin smooth and comfortable once they were airborne. The equipped cockpit and passenger cabin suited the relaxed transport role he describes.
What stayed with him most was the company. Rankin knew Phillips through another interest: turning discarded aircraft parts into furniture. Taylor helped with that work, but the Duke outing was their first flight together. Rankin felt the aeroplane left them enough attention to enjoy talking and spending time together.
SRQ Daily, 23 March 2017. Ryan Rankin’s first flight in Chris Phillips’ piston Beechcraft 60 Duke.
Read the full account · SRQ Daily ↗The prototype turbine conversion climbs away from Truckee
Cox flew the Royal Turbine development aircraft with Darwin Conrad from Truckee-Tahoe, a high-elevation airport in California. With three people and approximately half fuel aboard, the climb was the immediate surprise. He reported reaching 23,000 feet only minutes after departure, then allowing the aeroplane to accelerate in smooth air until its indicated speed and temperature gave a calculated 301 knots true airspeed. These were observations of the prototype before the conversion's anticipated certification.
During the descent, Conrad suggested evaluating it with the right engine shut down and its propeller feathered. Cox describes trimming the aircraft and finding considerable remaining speed on the operating engine. The flight made the increase in performance tangible, while the existing Duke cabin and pressurisation system still defined its accommodation at altitude. It should be read as a flight in that early conversion, with the later approved configuration considered separately.
Plane + Pilot, 1 July 2005. Royal Turbine prototype demonstration with Darwin Conrad; conversion certification still described as forthcoming.
Read the full account · Plane + Pilot ↗Fast acceleration, a rapid climb and a manageable arrival
Bedell flew two Royal Turbine sorties from Spokane's Felts Field. The first supported air-to-air photography, after which Darwin Conrad demonstrated the conversion's asymmetric handling. Bedell took the left seat for a second flight to check its high-altitude performance. The takeoff demanded attention: the engines did not accelerate identically, power needed careful setting and the aircraft gathered speed very quickly. A continuous climb then carried them to 28,000 feet in twelve minutes.
He found the descent and approach more manageable than that initial rush might suggest. The aircraft could slow using its landing gear and flaps with relatively small trim changes, and his own first landing used little runway, although he did not match Conrad's earlier demonstration. He also noted the limits of the original pressurisation system at high altitude and the difficulty of remaining below the indicated-speed limit down low. His enthusiasm for the turbine Duke includes those practical constraints, alongside its climb, quietness and responsive handling.
AOPA Pilot, 5 August 2007. Northwest Turbine Royal Turbine conversion, two demonstration flights from Felts Field.
Read the full account · AOPA Pilot ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024Beechcraft Duke · Black Square
Black Square · Released
Beechcraft Duke · Black Square
Black Square · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 33 ft 10 in (10.31 m) |
| Wingspan | 39 ft 3 + 1 ⁄ 3 in (11.972 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m) |
| Wing area | 212.9 sq ft (19.78 m² ) |
| Empty weight | 4,275 lb (1,939 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 6,775 lb (3,073 kg) |
| Powerplant | 2 × Lycoming TIO-541-E1C4 turbocharged six-cylinder, horizontally opposed direct drive engines, 380 hp (280 kW) each |
| Propellers | 3-bladed Hartzell constant speed |
| Maximum speed | 248 kn (285 mph, 459 km/h) at 23,000 ft (7,000 m) |
| Cruise speed | 178 kn (205 mph, 330 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m), 45% power |
| Stall speed | 73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h) ( IAS ), wheels and flaps down, power off |
| Range | 1,227 nmi (1,412 mi, 2,272 km) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m), 45% power, 45 min reserves, max optional fuel |
| Service ceiling | 30,000 ft (9,100 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,601 ft/min (8.13 m/s) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
The turbine conversion changes the engine storyBeechcraft Duke · Black Square · Black Square · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Black Square's Turbine Duke models the Royal Turbine conversion with PT6A-35 engines, a different propulsion system from the piston Duke's turbocharged Lycomings. The manual describes persistent wear and failures, pressurisation and environmental systems, and a broad choice of navigation equipment. Period radios, the Century IV autopilot and optional modern GPS installations form distinct cockpit configurations.
Black Square Turbine Duke · PDF p.9; introduction and feature overview
Black Square / Just Flight · Read the source ↗Pilot account
A piston Duke and time with friendsSRQ Daily, 23 March 2017. Ryan Rankin’s first flight in Chris Phillips’ piston Beechcraft 60 Duke.
Rankin's first Duke flight formed part of his 2017 project to experience 52 aircraft in 52 weeks. The Navy pilot joined owner Chris Phillips and fellow pilot Brett Taylor for an outing from Gulf Shores, Alabama. The aircraft's appearance had attracted him before boarding, and he found the piston-powered, pressurised twin smooth and comfortable once they were airborne. The equipped cockpit and passenger cabin suited the relaxed transport role he describes.
Ryan Rankin, interviewed by Philip Lederer
SRQ Daily · Read the source ↗The prototype turbine conversion climbs away from TruckeePlane + Pilot, 1 July 2005. Royal Turbine prototype demonstration with Darwin Conrad; conversion certification still described as forthcoming.
Cox flew the Royal Turbine development aircraft with Darwin Conrad from Truckee-Tahoe, a high-elevation airport in California. With three people and approximately half fuel aboard, the climb was the immediate surprise. He reported reaching 23,000 feet only minutes after departure, then allowing the aeroplane to accelerate in smooth air until its indicated speed and temperature gave a calculated 301 knots true airspeed.
Bill Cox
Plane + Pilot · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developers Piston Duke manualBlack Square / Just Flight Turbine Duke manualBlack Square / Just FlightAircraft background
Beechcraft DukeWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1342466818 · retrieved 2026-09-12Product
Piston DukeBlack Square · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12 Turbine DukeBlack Square · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 4 profile choices
Black Square Piston Duke
Black Square · Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Black Square Piston Duke: The named Duke's yoke response is independent of its piston or turbine engine cues; conversion identity does not calibrate control force.
Black Square Turbine Duke
Black Square · Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Black Square Turbine Duke: The named Duke's yoke response is independent of its piston or turbine engine cues; conversion identity does not calibrate control force.
Beechcraft B60 Piston Duke
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Beechcraft B60 Piston Duke: The named Duke's yoke response is independent of its piston or turbine engine cues; conversion identity does not calibrate control force.
Beechcraft Turbine Duke
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Beechcraft Turbine Duke: The named Duke's yoke response is independent of its piston or turbine engine cues; conversion identity does not calibrate control force.
Documented interfaces
Source-documented identifiers. Documentation does not prove that every add-on populates a value correctly.
L:var_PilotCws
Pilot CWS button; aircraft-specific behavior.
- Units
- Boolean
- Access
- hardware control input; explicit readback contract unknown
Archived manual revision
Black Square / Just Flight · PDF page 140 ↗K:SYNC_FLIGHT_DIRECTOR_PITCH
Requires Control AP Pitch with Hardware Events tablet option.
- Units
- button/event
- Access
- send
v1.1 / SU15 notes
Black Square / Just Flight · PDF page 161 ↗Discuss this aircraft (0)
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