Beech Aircraft and Their Predecessors

225 Pages·1995·155.38 MB·English

by  Pelletier A.J.

AM
Aircraft
and their Predecessors
AJ Pelletier
Beech Aircraft
BeechModelA36Bonanza(N8154L)in1994. (AJPelletiercollection)
Beech Aircraft
and their
Predecessors
J
A Pelletier
Naval
Institute
Press
'IttakesaBeechcrafito beataBeechcrafi'
©A.].Pelletier1995
FirstpublishedinGreatBritainin1995by
PutnamAeronauticalBooks,
animprintofBrassey's(UK)Ltd,
33JohnStreet,
LondonWCIN2AT
PublishedanddistributedintheUnitedStates
ofAmericaandCanadabythe
avalInstitutePress
118MarylandAvenue,Annapolis,Maryland21402-5035
LibraryofCongressCatalogCard o.
95-69497
ISBN1-55750-062-2
Thiseditionisauthorizedforsaleonly
intheUnitedStates,itsterritories
andpossessions,andCanada
Allrightsreserved.Unauthorizedduplication
contravenesapplicablelaws.
ManufacturedinGreatBritain
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements 7 Model23 and 24Musketeer,Sundowner, Sport
andSierra 130
Author's Notes 9 Model90KingAir,VC-6, U-21,T-44 134
Model 60Duke 140
Originand Corporate History 11 Model99Airliner 143
Model36Bonanza,QU-22 147
TravelAir Model 100KingAir, U-21F 150
TravelAirNo.1 andModelA 21 Model58Baron 152
Model BandB6CSpecial 22 Model200SuperKingAir,C-12Huronand
ModelC/Model7000 24 RU-21J 154
Model5000 25 Model76Duchess 162
Model8000 27 Model77 Skipper 163
Model9000 28 Model300and350SuperKingAir 164
Model 2000 29 Model38Lightning 166
Model 3000 31 Model 1900Airlinerand Exec-Liner 166
Model 4000andModel4Series 32 Model400BeechjetandT-1AJayhawk 169
Model 6000andModel6 40 Model2000Starship 1 171
Model 10 42 Model 1300Commuter 174
Model 11111000 44 MiscellaneousAircraftand Projects 175
Model RMysteryShip 45 PilotlessAircraftandTargetDrones 179
Curtiss-WrightCW-12 SportTrainer 48
Curtiss-WrightCW-14Sportsman,Speedw~ng
Appendices
andOsprey 49
Curtiss-WrightCW-15 Sedan 50 I. MilestonesinTravelAirand
Curtiss-WrightCW-16LightSport 51 BeechcraftHistory 183
II. TravelAirModelDesignations 187
Beech III. SurvivingTravelAirAircraft 189
Model 17Staggerwing, GB,JB, UC-43 IV. BeechcraftModelDesignations 191
Traveler 53 V. TypeCertificatesIssuedtoCommercial
Model 18,C-45 andJRB Expeditor,AT-7and BeechcraftAeroplanes 193
S BNavigator, AT-II Kansan 65 VI. BeechcraftProductionDetails 197
Model25/26,AT-10Wichita 85 VII. SerialNumbersofUS ArmyandAirForce
Model 28,XA-38 Grizzly 86 AircraftDesignedbyBeechcraft 203
Model35 Bonanza 89 VIII. BureauofAeronauticsNumbersofUS
Model34Twin-Quad 95 NavyAircraftDesignedbyBeechcraft 210
Model 45,T-34MentorandTurboMentor 96 IX. SerialNumbersofBritishCommonwealth
Model50TwinBonanza,L-23 Seminole 105 AircraftDesignedbyBeechcraft 214
T-36A 111 X. NACAINASA, US CoastGuardsand
Model73JetMentor III FAAAircraft 215
Model 95TravelAir 112
Model65 and70QueenAir, L-23, Abbreviations and Acronyms 217
U-8 Seminole,U-21 Ute 114
Model33 Debonairand Bonanza 121 IndexofAircraft 218
Model 55 Baron, 56TurboBaron,
T-42ACochise 125 IndexofPeople 223

Preface and Acknowledgements
'Well, we've got an airplane. Now thickerthan Ioriginallyexpected. As Michel Cristescu, Jean Delmas,
let's see if we can sell a couple!', my research continued, I was faced ReneJ Francillon,Joseph G Hand
Walter H Beech said one day, when with another problem, had the elman, Gordon B Inglis, Benjamin
consideringthe brandnewBeech 17 Travel Air designs to be included in Knowles Jr, Keith Palmer, John L
Staggerwing his engineers had just the book? After much discussion Parish, Edward H Phillips, Tom K
designed. As a tremendous sales with some fellow historians, I de Rayer, Louis Sampite, Rod W
man, Walter H Beech had only one cided to do so, aware ofthe fact that Simpson, Martin R Smith, Carl J
idea in mind all his life, market and there was absolutely no formal con Waldenmaier, John Wegg, John
sell the best aircraft in the world. nection between the two companies Zimmerman, and all those I may
More than sixty years after the and from a purely historical stand haveoverlooked.
Beech Aircraft Company had been pointTravel Air and Beech Aircraft Although this book has not been
established, the least we can say is were entirely separate entities, de sponsored by Beech, public affairs
thatthe Beechadventurewasquitea spite the fact that both companies managers assisted with photographs
success. To date, more than 50,000 usedthesamefacilities andthesame and information wherever possible,
aircraft have been delivered to people to a great extent. Therefore, namelyMikePotts and PatAZerbe.
countless customers throughout the thisbookis divided intotwoseparate My thanks also to Allison Gas Tur
world, ranging from the elegant parts, one devoted to Travel Air bine Oim D Jackson), Colernill En
Model 17 Staggerwing to the in designs and the other to Beech terprises, Continental Airlines, Ex
novative Model 2000 Starship, not designs. With such a vast subject, calibur Aviation Co. (Michael M
tomention the ubiquitous Model 18 therehavebeenlimitstotheexhaus Davis), National Air and Space
and Bonanza. In fact, the aircraft tiveness of detail that can be in Museum, Raisbeck Engineering
designedbytheWichita-basedcom cluded, that is why here and there Inc., RAM Aircraft Corp. (Chuck
pany not only won the respect of pet:forrriance and data figures have Morrow), Scaled Composites (Kaye
their owners but had became a true beenintentionallyrestricted. LeFebvre), Short Brothers PLC,
reference in the aviation world and SierraIndustries Inc (PeterW Con
today, more than ever, Beechcraft * * * rad), Smithsonian Institution,
remains deeply committed in the This book is the work ofa team of TradewindTurbines OoeCBoyd).
researchforperfection. people throughout the world. First A very special thanks to my San
When I was asked to write this ofall, Iamindebtedtoseveralfellow Francisco friend Rene J Francillon
book about Travel Air and Beech historians for readingand correcting for his very valuable assistance, and
aircraftIwassimplynotawareofthe parts ofmy manuscript, namely Pe my gratitude to the Putnam editorial
important role this company had ter M Bowers and Gary L Killion. team as well as to Carl G Ahremark
played in aviation history, and I Many other friends around the who produced most of the general
underestimated the complexity of world shared theirfiles with me. My arrangementdrawings.
the Beech aircraft family. As the special thanks go to Andre Breand,
book progressed I discovered its JeanBrugaro,RobertLBurns,Dus ALAINJPELLETIER
richness. This volume is somewhat tin W Carter, Juan Arraez Cerda, Gif,April 1994

Author's Notes
This bookconformswithmostother implied that the original Model A
Putnam titles. Only the histories of Travel Airs became the Model
aircrafthave been covered and these 1000, but this cannot be verified. Beech
are presented in chronological order After Model 9000 was reached, the
Designations
offirst flight year. Where applicable system was changed to place all
the aeroplanes are identifiedbyboth Travel Air biplanes under the 4000
Travel Air and Curtiss-Wright, or designation, with prefix letters used
Beechcraft and US Forces designa to identifYtheparticularpowerplant.
tion. As far as Beech aircraft are The procedure was systematic but
concerned, several types, such as inconsistent. The Model A-4000 For a long period, Beech Model
Queen Airs and King Airs, have used the Axelson engine, but the numbers were allocated in sequen
been spread in different chapters B-4000 had the Wright J-5 engine tial order,variants beinggivenprefix
when evolution from one variant to of the standard Model 4000 and a and suffIxletters.Atalaterdate, this
another are salient. The Models, newoutriggerundercarriage. Model designation system was used in a
variants and sub-variants have been C-4000 had the Curtiss Challenger different way. Chosen Model num
judged too numerous to include engine, but the 0-4000 had shor bers were not necessarily given in
exhaustive technical data for each of tened Speedwings' for airshow sequential order, thereby creating
them. Nevertheless a selection of aerobatics and racing. The E-4000 gaps.
comprehensive data and perform of 1929 had the new WrightJ-6-5 However, one may wonder why
ance have been included for the Whirlwind engine. Sometimes the thereare modeldesignationssuchas
main types and some significant prefixes were doubled, as the DW 35-33, 65-80, 95-55, etc. This was
variants. At the end of the book, 4000 being a Model 4000 with due to a very incorrect policy deci
a
numerous appendixes are included Speedwings and Warner Scarab sion an offIce ofthe CAA made. In
and devoted to selected projects, engine. Other prefix letters had order for a Type Certificate to be
milestones,productiondetails,etc. double meanings, such as'S' used amended to include a new model,
either to identifY seaplane versions the new model was required to have
orinothercasesto identifYaCurtiss a model designation in the same
OXX-6 engine used in place of an numerical series as the models
OX-5. already on the Type Certificate.
Travel Air After the merger with Curtiss Since the Debonair was the Model
Wright in 1929, the designation 33, Beech was told that Type Cer
Designations
system was changed again. Models tificate 3Al5 could not be amended
already in production were to be to include the Model 33 in addition
produced under their existing to the Model 35 Bonanza series
'thousand' designations, but mod already on it. In order to get around
ifications developed after that re that policy, Beech simply called the
The first Travel Air aeroplane was ceived their 'thousand' designations Debonair the Model 35-33. Even
simply that - the Travel Air. As' shortenedtosingle digitvariationsof tually, it was recognised that there
]
improvedand newmodelsappeared, the basic Model 4000 becoming was no legal basis for thatpolicyand
I: theywere designated Models Band Model 4, with appropriate prefixes it was also creating considerable
C, and the original model became and suffIxes. Entirely new models confusion. The Model 033 was,
Model A. In 1927, the model num started with Model 10, but true therefore, type certificated as such
bers were changed to a consecutive TravelAirdesignsendedwithMod ratherthanasthe35D33!
series of 'thousands', starting with el 11. Models 12 to 16, although Manufacturer's serial numbers,
Model 2000. Variants of the basic designed bythe same team and built generally called constructor's num
biplane, and new models, got addi originallyin the same Wichita plant, bers or cln, were allocated within
tional thousand designations must be regarded as Curtiss-Wright different sequences. Beech cln
through 9000, after which the sys designs and introduced an entirely sequences beginwithaprimarypre
tem was changed again. It has been newserialnumberingsystem. fix and then sometimes atype prefix