Beechcraft was never all-in in the training market. It’s niche was carved out from day one with the Bonanza, a high-performance traveling machine that the company knew would attract buyers who learned to fly in something made by Cessna or Piper.
That’s why when some pilots walk the ramp, they clap eyes on a Musketeer or a Sundowner and cant quite place what it really is. There just aren’t that many of them out there and they are far outnumbered by Skyhawks and Cherokees. But to Beech’s credit, what it did, it did right, at least in terms of comfort and handling, if not performance.