Page 28 - Feb 23
P. 28
Walter Beech and Ted Wells believed that an airplane’s strongest asset was its speed, and the bullish A17F had speed in spades. Capable of more than 220 mph, in its day it was a flying machine of the highest caliber. Sold to the Goodall-Worsted company in 1934, the ship was later owned by Howard Hughes but in 1942 met its fate in a hangar fire.
(University Archives and Special Collections, Wichita State University Libraries)
IN HISTORY
Thunder Birds – The Mighty Beechcraft A17 Biplanes
The Model A17F and A17FS were like no other Beechcrafts ever built – powerful, brutish machines whose high performance was nothing short of spectacular for their time.
by Edward H. Phillips
26 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2023
