The Short Run of the Burns BA-42

Despite an aerodynamic cleanliness of its airframe, the light piston twin suffered in a crowded market in the 1970s.

Tuesday, February 07, 2023 at 09:12 AM ET

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One of the two Burns BA-42s, stored in Portage, Wisconsin. The second example is kept preserved in a nearby hangar, ready for any future production efforts. [Courtesy: Jason McDowell]

Key Takeaways:

The Burns BA-42 was an obscure light twin aircraft from the 1960s, collaboratively designed with input from Al Mooney, noted for its extreme focus on aerodynamic cleanliness and drag reduction, including engines placed unusually close to the fuselage centerline.
Despite its innovative design and claimed impressive performance, the aircraft's unique engine placement failed to achieve its primary goal of Vmc being below stall speed, as evidenced by its FAA type certificate.
The project ultimately failed in 1973 due to a crowded market and weight and balance issues, leading to FAA certification for only four seats instead of the planned six; only two BA-42s were built, and subsequent attempts to bring it into production have not materialized.

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Postwar aircraft development, particularly throughout the 1960s and 1970s, was an interesting chapter in general aviation. Light singles saw a wide variety of new and creative designs launched and tested, ranging from small experimental aircraft like the Rutan Quickie to larger-sized design studies like the Cessna XMC. Some of these more unique types like the pressurized Mooney M22 Mustang even reached limited production.

Light piston twins saw considerably less variety and experimentation than singles. While a few less-conventional examples like the Piper Aerostar and Angel 44 made their marks, the scene was dominated by relatively conservative designs like the Piper Seneca, the Beechcraft Baron, and Cessna’s 300 and 400-series cabin-class twins.