Thanks to a group of aviation enthusiasts in Wichita, Kansas, in 1916 Clyde Vernon Cessna relocated to the “Peerless Princess of the Prairie” to pursue his dream of manufacturing and selling “aeroplanes.” At the beginning of the 20th Century on the Great Plains of America, wheat was king. It was the Midwest’s bread of life…
Beech Aircraft Corporation’s Model 76 “Duchess” and the Model 77 “Skipper” were welcome additions to the company’s product line, but the economic recession of 1981 clipped their wings During the three-day Beechcraft International Sales Roundup held in November 1975, two proposed aircraft were revealed to more than 800 Masters of Aircraft Salesmanship attending the event.…
During the early 1960s, Beech Aircraft Corporation’s Model 23 “Musketeer” marked the company’s foray into the highly competitive, entry-level segment of the general aviation industry. In the wake of World War II, America’s lightweight airplane market exploded as many pilots who had flown fighter and bomber aircraft came home and started flying schools across the…
In 1959, Beech Aircraft Corporation took aim at the expanding business flying market by launching the Model 33 to compete with the Cessna “Skylane” and Piper “Comanche.” In November 1959, Beech Aircraft Corporation’s president Olive Ann Beech challenged the company’s global sales personnel to meet the ambitious goal of $60 million in sales during the…
By 1940, all-metal airframes had become state-of-the-art, but the Beechcraft Model 26 was the first all-wood Beechcraft – an advanced trainer built specifically to transition pilots to multi-engine airplanes. World War II. It remains the bloodiest, most brutal and savage global conflict in human history. Although the war ended almost 72 years ago, its impact…
After years of intense development, PWC’s small gas turbine faced an uphill battle for the financial and market resources required to achieve certification and acceptance by prospective customers Early in January 1959, Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) management recognized that with the PT6 program it had entered the highly competitive arena of engine manufacture, but…
The company’s small gas turbine proved to be the right engine at the right time for Beech Aircraft Corporation’s next generation of business aircraft By the late 1950s, the military forces of the United States, Great Britain, Russia and other nations had been developing and flying jet-powered fighters and bombers for nearly 10 years. Lessons…
In 1948, senior management at Beech Aircraft Corporation saw the need for a new military trainer to equip postwar air forces. Their solution was the “Mentor” that would become one of the most popular Beechcrafts ever built. When World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of Japan in September 1945, the United States Army…
The Travel Air Company and its speedy Type “R” monoplane would dominate the 1929 National Air Races and realize Walter H. Beech’s dream of beating the Army and Navy to the checkered flag. Air racing had always been among Walter Beech’s favorite activities. He had flown Laird “Swallow” biplanes to victory in the early phase…
Walter H. Beech possessed a highly competitive spirit that drove him to win, and never was that passion expressed more fully than during his early days competing in air races and aerial exhibitions. Suddenly, the starter’s flag dropped and the race began. One after another the pilots shoved throttles all the way forward. In just seconds,…