Beechcraft Parts and Maintenance

Beechcraft Intro

Beechcraft has built personal and business aircraft since the 1930s, and the Bonanza and Baron families remain two of the most enduring designs in general aviation.

Keeping a Beechcraft flying depends on a handful of interconnected systems: landing gear, wheel & brake, fuel, electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, and pneumatic. Each has its own parts, wear points, and maintenance intervals, and Beechcraft's landing gear design in particular sets it apart from most other airframes AAI services.

At Aircraft Accessories International (AAI), we work on Beechcraft aircraft every day as an FAA and EASA Part 145 repair station. This guide walks through the Beechcraft models AAI supports and what owners, mechanics, and fleet managers should know about maintaining each of the aircraft's core systems.

Beechcraft's Electromechanical Landing Gear Design

Unlike most Cessna and Piper aircraft, which use hydraulic actuators for retractable landing gear, popular Beechcraft models such as the Bonanza, Baron, and King Air use an electromechanical gearbox transmission consisting of a landing gear actuator, electric landing gear motor, and rods and linkages to extend and retract the gear. Beechcraft has proven this electromechanical design since the 1940s. Typical components in a gearbox transmission include gears, shafts, bearings, seals, and rods and linkages.

Common Landing Gear Inspection Findings

When the electromechanical system is working properly, the gear comes up and down without fail. But small issues with the motor and actuator can cause big problems for the owner, including worn motor brushes, cracked sector gears, and bent attach points. Left unaddressed, these issues can lead to costly repairs down the road.

The landing gear system takes extreme abuse on every takeoff and landing, so keeping it maintained is critical.

As with any landing gear actuator or gearbox transmission, corrosion and wear are the most common problems AAI sees. AAI commonly receives parts in for leaks and can identify more severe root causes that need to be fixed and fully restored, rather than simply replacing seals.

Beechcraft Landing Gear Repair Services

AAI performs detailed inspections and develops surface repairs or in-house parts manufacturing to restore Beechcraft landing gear gearboxes, actuators, and motors so they can go back into service for years to come.

AAI services Beechcraft models including Baron, Bonanza, King Air, Duke, and Skipper, but primarily Bonanza and Baron.

Beechcraft Wheel and Brake Parts and Services

AAI carries and services brake assemblies and wheel assemblies for Beechcraft aircraft as part of its certified parts capabilities.

More Wheel and Brake Content Coming Soon

Stay tuned. We'll be producing future videos and articles about brake wear indicators, wheel assembly inspection intervals, and AAI's repair-or-replace process.

Beechcraft Fuel System Parts and Services

A fuel selector valve lets the pilot choose which tank feeds the engine, alternating between Left and Right tanks, a Both position on some systems, and an Off position.

Common signs a Beechcraft fuel selector valve needs attention include weak or excessive force required to turn it, a smell of fuel in the cockpit, and the valve failing to respond when rotated.

A fuel selector valve is made up of a body, rotor, seals, shafts, and detent springs. AAI recommends checking regularly for damage, cracks, or corrosion, leaks, loose fittings, stiff or binding operation, and any fuel smell in the cabin.

There is typically no set requirement for flight hours or years between overhauls, since overhaul need is based on the valve's condition, though a common rule of thumb is to overhaul the fuel selector valve at the same time as the engine.

AAI is among a small number of repair stations that overhauls Beechcraft fuel selector valves outside the manufacturer's own factory, with numerous FAA tech approvals in place.

Beechcraft Electrical System Parts

AAI services alternators, magnetos, starters, starter generators, tach generators, and solenoids as part of its certified Beechcraft parts capabilities.

More Electrical Part Content Coming Soon

Beechcraft Hydraulic Parts

Beechcraft Hydraulic Content Coming Soon

Stay tuned. We'll be producing future articles about Beechcraft hydraulic system parts and maintenance.

Beechcraft Mechanical Parts

The electromechanical landing gear gearbox transmission described above, along with flap actuators and flap motors, makes up the core of AAI's Beechcraft mechanical parts work. AAI also services drag brace assemblies, shimmy dampers, and shock strut assemblies for Beechcraft aircraft.

Beechcraft Pneumatic Parts

AAI services de-ice valves, ice vane actuators, and vacuum manifolds for Beechcraft aircraft as part of its certified parts capabilities.

More Beechcraft Pneumatic Content Coming Soon