The Travel Air was Beech’s entry into the then-new light twin market, making use of a formula used successfully by several manufacturers: take the basic design of a successful single and make a twin out of it. The single in this case was the Bonanza. Later on, Beech did the same thing over again and got the Baron as a result. Compared to the prestigious and pricey Barons, though, the Travel Air can be a real bargain.
However, the Travel Air is, shall we say, a vintage airplane; one that, no matter how virtuous, is getting very long in the tooth. The tough decision for a buyer, then, is whether the price savings offered by the Model 95-which has escalated to perhaps $50,000 to $70,000 or so-should swing a choice away from one of the sweet-flying newer light twins like the Beech Duchess or Piper Seminole. Mechanics in the field tell us there are lots of really doggy Travel Airs out there moldering in tiedowns around the country, so it pays to be especially careful with this class of aircraft. That’s not to take anything away from the basic design, though, because its solid stuff, built to last.