Page 28 - January 23

The A6000A was fitted with a special interior that included
a divan and a lavatory (visible at rear of cabin) with hot/cold running water, mirror and white enamel tile. The lavatory was an option available for any Type 6000-series cabin mono- planes and proved useful for long cross-country flights. (Edward H. Phillips)
in the aft cabin (it was another upgrade that would prove useful on cross-country trips). Hot/cold running water flowed to the sink by gravity from a tank installed above the lavatory. A small, wall-mounted cabinet and a non-flushing toilet completed the interior of the space, which was attractively tiled in white enamel.3
The upgrades made to Beery’s airplane did not end with the cabin. Rawdon and his engineering team had to make major modifications to the basic Type 6000B airframe to ensure it could handle the big Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine. The forward fuselage section and engine mount area were reinforced with stronger tubing of increased wall thickness, a new engine mount was designed and the landing gear strengthened to cope with the airplane’s higher gross weight.4
Wing area was increased 60 square feet for a total area of 340 compared to 282 square feet for the Type 6000B, and the wings were reinforced with steel tubing to handle the increased area and higher wing loading. The increased area allowed for an additional 80 gallons of fuel bringing total capacity to 130 gallons – a necessity since the thirsty R-985 gulped more than 30 gallons of fuel per hour at a cruise power setting. When the final bill was tallied Wallace Beery owed
26 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JANUARY 2023