Beechcraft Sierra C24R (retractable gear, 1970-1983)

This page's specifications describe the Model C24R, approved 1 October 1976, the final and longest-produced Sierra (1977-1983) and the only one carrying FAR 36 noise certification. TCDS A1CE Section IX covers B24R and C24R together with one set of limits; the earlier A24R (Section VIII, 1969-1973) is in the Variants table with its own figures.

This is a new page, split from beechcraft-musketeer-sundowner-sierra. That page previously described the fixed-gear Musketeer/Sport/Sundowner line AND the retractable Sierra under one set of specifications — a Sundowner's frontmatter naming a retractable airplane in its title and Variants table. docs/CATALOG-SPLITTING-RULE.md Step 1 (retractable vs fixed gear) forces a hard split with no exceptions, so the Sierra now has its own page and the Musketeer/Sundowner page is narrowed to the fixed-gear models only. Since that page is not retired, no entry was added to SPLIT_REDIRECTS — this is a genuinely new URL, not a redirect target.

AOPA's own account of why the Sierra exists: "It is an outgrowth of the Beech Model 23 Musketeer, which was introduced in 1963 to provide Beech with an entry-level airplane. The Musketeer line was dolled up in the early 1970s to aid in marketing the aircraft that would, ideally, entice the pilot with Beech Aircraft Company products from a start in the trainer (the Sport), to the basic fixed-gear airplane (the Sundowner), to the retractable, cross-country airplane (the Sierra)." The Sierra also serves flight schools directly: "The Sierra fits into the training program because it qualifies as a complex aircraft, in which commercial students must spend 10 hours of their training."

Why C24R and not A24R is stored. C24R is the longest-produced (seven model years against A24R's three), carries the certificate's noise certification the earlier Sierras lack, and is AOPA's own current-technology example in its Sierra fact sheet. All three variants share the same 200-hp IO-360 family and 2,750 lb gross weight, so Step 2's thresholds do not fire between them — one page, three Variants-table rows.

The reference cruise is 140 KTAS at 75% power, 10.3 gph, from AOPA Pilot's September 1982 flight test of a brand-new C24R: "On most of the trip, I ran at 140 knots at 75-percent power... Fuel consumption averaged 10.3 gph." The article notes the airplane "performed consistently better than what the book called for" despite drag-inducing anniversary medallions glued to the cowling — this is a NEW-airplane result, likely at or slightly above a worn rental's real-world performance.

No economy-power row exists, and the article says so directly: "Since the engine had less than 50 hours when I started out, I did not run any checks at lower power settings." econ_cruise_* fields are left blank because the source itself declines to provide them, which is a stronger reason than the usual "no source found."

No performance grid file exists for this page. One flight-test cruise point and no climb table is not enough data to build a .cruise.json or .climb.json — inventing rows around a single point would misrepresent what was actually published. A June-1977-or-later Model C24R POH is confirmed to exist by TCDS A1CE's own equipment list but was not located in this research pass.

Stall speed matches between the narrative and the data table within the same article — a real internal cross-check: "Stalls provide a definite, but gentle, break, but the high stall speed (60 knots dirty) should be kept in mind," and the specifications table's own "Stall Speed Landing Configuration ... 60 Knots" agree exactly.

AOPA's qualitative flight-test findings: "The Sierra handles well in the air. Although aileron control is slightly stiff, it is not heavy... handling is sprightly, but one should not expect a baby Bonanza; the Sierra does not have the same crisp handling." On landing: "the pilot may tend to flare too high, and it is difficult to get the feel of the airplane," though "a couple circuits of practice landings will have the pilot who usually greases it on proficient in the Sierra as well."

With 57 usable gallons at 6.0 lb/gal (342 lb) and a 1,030 lb useful load (1,720 lb empty against 2,750 lb gross):

No range_nm is stored, so no scenario above states a range — see the Performance Notes and the validator_exempt entry: the one flight-test data point available has no paired range or reserve assumption to compute one honestly.

• Flight Training (6): Certified complex aircraft, used specifically to fulfil the FAA's 10-hour complex-time requirement for the commercial certificate; not a primary trainer.
• Backcountry (2): Low-wing retractable, not built for unimproved strips.
• Business Travel (6): 140 KTAS on 10.3 gph is a genuine step up from the fixed-gear Sundowner, at real complex-airplane insurance and maintenance cost.
• Aerobatics (1): Normal/utility category only; not certificated for intentional spins.
• Cross-Country (7): The retractable gear and 200 hp make this the fastest, longest-legged airplane in the Musketeer family.
• Cargo Hauling (3): Four-seat cabin (nominally up to six with the optional rear bench), 270 lb structural baggage limit.
• Local Fun Flying (6): "A solid, comfortable airplane that is pleasant to fly," per AOPA, with a cabin AOPA calls larger than its class and "spaciousness for larger pilots yet accessibility for shorter operators."
• Surveying (4): Low wing, retractable gear, moderate speed — not suited to slow-flight observation work.

Same pattern as the fixed-gear Musketeer/Sundowner: largely original panels common on unmodified examples, with a single added GPS/ADS-B source typical. The retractable gear adds an annunciator/warning-horn system worth checking on any pre-buy. The Beech Aero Club is the type-specific resource.

Per runbook rule 32, the certificate's silence on these is not evidence they don't exist. No specific STC number or verified performance delta for this airframe was found in this pass, so none is recorded in stc_variants.

• Parts: fair — the smallest production run in the Musketeer family (well under a thousand Sierras total across three variants), so parts support is thinner than the Sundowner's.
• Mechanic familiarity: common for retractable-gear singles generally; the Beech Aero Club is the type-specific resource.
• Engine overhaul: $46,000 (IO-360, fuel-injected) per reference/engine-overhaul-pricing.md.

Asking price, 8 September 2026 — Controller.com's "C24R SIERRA" facet (raw/market/market-sierra-2026-09-08.md) returns exactly one priced listing: a 1980 C24R at $164,900. Vref/Bluebook subscription-gated, Trade-A-Plane HTTP 403.

This is a single-listing derivation, flagged explicitly here and in the confidence note. AOPA frames the Sierra's value proposition directly: "For the pilot who likes Beech quality, comfort and manageability but not new aircraft prices, the Sierra is a good buy."

The retractable landing gear is the system that most differentiates this airplane's ownership experience from the fixed-gear Sundowner's — gear rigging, actuator condition, and the emergency extension system are standard pre-buy items on any Sierra. No Sierra-specific AD beyond the general Musketeer-family items (wing spar inspection requirements, fuel tank sealing history) was identified in this pass.

Per GA Insurance Underwriting. Retractable-gear complex singles carry a premium over the fixed-gear Sundowner — expect a complex-aircraft endorsement requirement and dual instruction in type for a new-to-type pilot. No hull-value-specific quote was sourced this pass; typical_hull_insurance_annual_usd left unset rather than invented.