Page 27 - Volume 12 Number 12

Finally, on June 19 George Gay completed flight evaluations of Loffland’s new Beechcraft, now registered NC58Y. Walter Beech had the money he needed to keep his company alive, and Tom Loffland had his shiny, new biplane. It was immediately placed into service flying between oil fields and drilling rigs in Oklahoma and Texas as well as transporting company officials on business trips.
The pilot hired to fly the bullish Beechcraft was 27-year-old Edwin “Eddie” Ross. He had learned to fly in 1926 and served briefly as a test pilot for the Redbird Airplane Company. By 1929 he was working for the Loffland Brothers flying their open-
cockpit Travel Airs. When he arrived at the factory to take delivery of NC58Y, Ross suspected that the red Beechcraft would test his piloting abilities as no other airplane could. Although the airplane represented a massive step up in performance, Ross was confident that he could master the biplane.
Eddie quickly discovered that the ship’s narrow landing gear track made taxiing difficult. The rigid tailwheel aggravated ma- neuvering on the ground, and he thought that a swiveling tailwheel, like those on the old Travel Airs, would be a welcome modification. He also disliked the restricted vis- ibility over the big cowling sur- rounding the Wright R-975 radial engine, and from the first takeoff he increased power slowly and held full right rudder to avoid losing directional control.
Once the Model 17R-2 was air- borne, it flew like no other airplane could. As Eddie gained experience his confidence increased, as did his admiration for the powerful flying machine Ted Wells had cre- ated. Tom Loffland liked it, too, and kept Ross busy during the first three months flying the ship throughout the Midwestern region of the nation.
On Sept. 19, 1933, however, the biplane was severely damaged during takeoff from an oil drilling site in Oklahoma. Ross gave the engine full power, pushed full right rudder to the floorboards and hoped for the best. With the R-975 bellowing, the Beechcraft left a thick cloud of
DECEMBER 2018
dust in its wake as the wings struggled to produce lift in the hot, thin air. Barely off the ground and climbing lethargically, NC58Y struck an oil rig but kept flying. Eddie felt the ship lurch hard to the right. Instinctively, he cut the throttle to idle and managed to land without incident in a field.
A quick inspection of the wounded Beechcraft revealed that the lower-right wing panel was “washed out” but the lower-left panel was only slightly damaged. The crippled biplane was disassembled and transported by truck to the factory for major repairs. The right wing panel required 14 ribs, two steel main spars, two drag
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