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, aerodynamically advanced light piston twin designed in the 1960s by a team including Al Mooney, prioritizing performance with features like flush riveting and close-set engines.
It boasted impressive performance claims, including a 218 mph cruise speed, and unique engineering such as closely positioned engines intended to minimize Vmc, though its effectiveness was debated.
Despite receiving FAA type certification, the project ultimately failed in 1973 due to weight and balance issues that limited it to four seats, and only two prototypes were ever built.
The two BA-42s are currently stored in Wisconsin, with one reportedly capable of being returned to airworthy condition.

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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.