Page 32 - Nov 2015 Volume 9, Number 11

The Model 18 series was 22 years old in 1959 when deliveries of the new Model Super G18S began. It was followed, in 1962, by the Super H18 that represented the final variant of Ted Wells’ classic twin-engine cabin monoplane. Factory records indicate that about 8,000 examples of the venerable Beechcraft Model 18 had been built since production began in 1937. In 1969, the last Model 18, a Super H18, was delivered to Japan Air Lines where it served as a multi-engine trainer. (WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES)
introduced in the summer of 1945, the D18S had the distinction of being the first postwar commercial, nine-place, multi-engine airplane to receive an Approved Type Certificate. The latest Beechcraft sold well. Production quickly reached two per day as pent-up demand for new aircraft made customers quick to plunk down cash to secure a position on the production line.
The factory produced 296 D18S aircraft in 1946 – the highest number for any Model 18 in a single year. When production ended in 1955, more than 1,000 had been delivered to customers. Powered by R-985 radial engines, maximum speed of the D18S was 230 mph at 5,000 feet. The next-generation Beechcraft cost $61,500 for a standard-equipped airplane.
In 1954, the D18S gave way on the production line to the Model Super E18S that introduced major changes to the airframe. These included cabin height
that was increased six inches; four cabin windows on each side of the fuselage; a larger, air stair-type entry/exit door and a maximum gross weight of 9,300 pounds. Wingspan was increased 48 inches to 49 feet eight inches, resulting in a total wing area of 361 square feet. The E18S proved to be popular with longtime Model 18 operators, and 451 were built before production ended in 1960.
Demand for an improved Model 18 led to development of the Super G18S introduced for the 1960 model year. The most salient change was installation of a new, larger windshield that improved visibility and the dispersion of rain. In addition, a large center cabin window afforded passengers
In 1951, the Wichita factory began delivering a modified version of
the D18S to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designated “Canadian Expeditor” Mk. 3N, Mk. 3NM and Mk. 3 TM, the airplanes were configured as communication and navigation trainers. In 1961, Pratt & Whitney Canada obtained a Mk. 3 NM (shown) on loan from the RCAF to perform flight tests of the new PT6 turboprop engine, tests that eventually led Olive Ann Beech to order installation of the engines on a Beechcraft airframe. (DOUG REMINGTON COLLECTION VIA PAUL MINERT)
30 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 2015