Aviation News
Vintage Beech Aircraft Celebrated at Aerodrome Days 2005
The first Beech Model 17 made its maiden flight on November 4, 1932. The prototype aircraft was clocked at a top speed of 201 mph, cruised at 170 mph, and touched down at 60 mph. The plane was streamlined and sailed through the air at near record-breaking speeds.
Walter Beech, already a racer from his days at Swallow and Travel Air, piloted the new ship to victory at the All American Air Maneuvers in 1933 winning the Texaco Trophy. It was there that the plane first received the moniker "Staggerwing" for the negative stagger of its wings.
That same year, Beech Aircraft Company officially set up shop in the former Travel Air factory on East Central. Although the company has since been acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Raytheon Company, it is still in this same location today.
From the sleek Model 17, Beech Aircraft introduced the twin-engine Model 18 in January of 1937. This plane was designed as an executive transport and contributed significantly to the long-term success of the Beech Aircraft Corp.
When the world went to war in the 1940s, Beech Aircraft developed the AT 10 and AT-11 bombing trainers, the AT-7 and SNB-2 navigation trainers and the C-45 military transport. Beech also produced wing and nacelle assemblies for other war-time aircraft manufacturers. In 1944, Beech developed the XA-38 "Grizzly", designated the Model 28 Destroyer by the company. This was a heavy firepower ground attack aircraft. Because it was developed late in the war, only two were ever produced.
In the mid and late 1940s, Beech Aircraft stepped forward with yet another new design, the Model 35 Bonanza. This new aircraft carried four people and featured a V-tail design.
The 1950s and 1960s brought a series of innovative designs: The Model 50 Twin Bonanza was designed as a pilot trainer but went on to become popular with businessmen; the Super 18 was a successor to the earlier Model 18; the Model 65 Queen Air was introduced in 1959; the Model 33 Debonair rolled out the same year and provided a straight-tail version of the Model 35 Bonanza; The Model 55 Baron series carried up to five occupants and had a maximum speed of 236 mph.
The fabulously-successful Model 90 King Air, with its Pratt and Whitney turboprop engines, provided pilots with both high performance and comfort. The Model 200 Super King Air has allowed Beech to have 100% of the executive turboprop market. Also, the Model 200 C-12 is the only airplane used by all four branches of the military. One of KAM's volunteers, Harold Walter, was the Project Aerodynamicist for the airplane - specifically responsible for its handling qualities and characteristics.
This year, the Kansas Aviation Museum will be celebrating vintage Beech aircraft like those described above at Aerodrome Days 2005. Slated for June 11-12, 2005 at the Museum, we will welcome the static display of vintage Beech planes, have children's activities, tours of the museum, and special vendors.
Be sure to mark your calendars and be on the look out for more information. We hope to see you at The Kansas Aviation Museum for Aerodrome Days 2005!
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