Page 30 - Nov 2015 Volume 9, Number 11

and 45,000 enlisted men and women. In the wake of that law, Wichita-based BAC, the Stearman Division of Boeing and Cessna Aircraft Company began receiving contracts for large numbers of airplanes. Roosevelt’s appropriation, however, was only the beginning of a massive procurement initiative aimed at preparing America for the war that would soon strike its shores.
In anticipation of a surge in demand for training airplanes, Beech Aircraft executives stretched the company’s financial power to the limit, securing loans from the Federal Government’s Reconstruction Finance Company to expedite construction of production facilities. Ted Wells and his engineering department soon turned their attention to design versions of the Model C18S suitable for training thousands of fledgling pilots, navigators and bombardiers.
In 1939, nearly two years before America’s entry into the war, BAC delivered a military Model 18D to the Philippine Army Air Corps, and the Swedish Royal Air Force took delivery of a Model 18R modified into an aerial ambulance. One year later, the Republic of China bought six Model AT18R featuring internal bomb racks, provisions for fixed and flexible machine guns as well as a bombardier station in the nose section.
In what must have seemed like a prophetic fulfillment to Walter and Olive Ann, late in 1939 and continuing into 1940, BAC received orders from the U.S. Army Air Corps and the U.S. Navy for special versions of the Model 18S. Among these were 14 ships designated by the Air Corps as F-2 and F-2B. Designed specifically for high altitude aerial reconnaissance training, the cabin was configured to accept a variety of camera installations including equipment for night photography. The F-2 series were powered by Pratt & Whitney R-985-14 radial engines
each rated at 450 hp, and regularly flew at altitudes up to 25,000 feet. The Air Corps eventually took delivery of 56 F-2 aircraft.
The Navy ordered five Model 18S converted to accept a special cupola built above the cockpit that housed an observer/operator to control aerial target drones. Designated JRB-1, all five of the monoplanes were delivered in 1940 and were equipped with R-985-AN-4 of -50 radial engines. Another order from the Army Air Corps that year called for 11 Model 18S configured as light duty transports and designated C/UC-45. The Wichita factory built more than 1,400 UC-45 airplanes during the war, with many sent to serve with the Royal Air Force in Great Britain, designated “Expeditor I” and “Expeditor II.”
Other important derivatives based on the wartime Model C18S included:
• C/UC-45F: Built later in the war, the C-45F was intended as a VIP and general transport that could carry up to five passengers and 80 pounds of baggage.
• SNB-1: The Navy needed a small transport capable of training bombardiers and operators of machine gun turrets, which were standard fitment on medium and heavy bombers in naval service. These airplanes were almost identical to the Army Air Corps’ AT-11 with a maximum gross weight of 9,300 pounds. In 1942 only 14 airplanes were built, but by war’s end the Navy had 320 SNB-1s in inventory.
• SNB-2: Production of the SNB-2 for the U.S. Navy began in July 1942. It was designed as a navigation trainer but could serve as a general purpose transport. Powered by R-985-25 radial engines, the SNB-2 had a maximum speed of 225 mph and a maximum gross weight of 8,700 pounds. The Navy took delivery of 606 SNB-2 during the war.
• AT-7: As with the Navy and its SNB-2, the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) needed a small, twin-engine
After the war, a large number of military versions of the Model C18S series were remanufactured to D18S configuration, such as the Navy SNB-5 shown here. Both the Navy and the newly-created United States Air Force flew the airplanes on a wide variety of missions including VIP transport, delivery of spare parts, and pilot training/proficiency.
(EDWARD H. PHILLIPS COLLECTION)
28 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 2015