Page 28 - Volume 10 Number 7

During the years of war, Beech Aircraft Corporation built thousands
of twin-engine military airplanes based on the pre-war Model C18S.
A majority of these were designated C/UC-45 and were similar to the SNB-series (shown here) that served with the United States Navy.
The Royal Air Force operated the “Twin Beech” under the designations “Expeditor I” and “Expeditor II.” (EDWARD H. PHILLIPS COLLECTION)
to official records, between July 1939 and August 1945, the Army Air Forces and the Navy trained 768,991 pilots, including women aviators, Americans enrolled in British flight schools based in the United States,
instructors and other individuals. Of these, 233,198 successfully completed their primary flight training, and a majority of those pilots earned their wings in a PT-13 or PT-17. Another 202,986 graduated from basic flight training and 193,440 finished advanced training, with 102,907 assigned to fly single-engine fighters and 90,533 were assigned to multi-engine transports and bombers. Unfortunately, about 40 percent of cadets “washed out” of flight training and were assigned to other aircrew positions such as navigator and bombardier.7
From 1927 to 1962, the Stearman Aircraft Company and the Boeing Airplane Company’s Stearman Division built more than 14,500 aircraft. Boeing records indicate that of these, 247 were original Stearman biplanes, 10,346 primary trainers (including equivalent spares), airframe assemblies for 750 Waco CG-4 troop-carrying gliders, 1,769 Boeing B-29 heavy bombers (including equivalent spares), 12 single-engine L-15 liaison aircraft, 1,390 Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers, and 467 Boeing B-52-series Stratofortress bombers.8
Across town the Cessna Aircraft Company was bustling with activity following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Even as the fires still raged along the harbor’s “Battleship Row” at Ford Island, Dwane Wallace and his management team began to receive large orders for AT-17 advanced trainers as well as more orders (550 airplanes) from the RCAF for the improved Crane Ia (production of the commercial T-50 was terminated in June 1942 after 25 airplanes had been delivered). To meet demand, the factory was again expanded. In 1941 production floor space grew by 358 percent and by May 1942, new buildings were cranking out increasing numbers of AT-17 trainers by operating on a 24-hour basis. By the end of the year Cessna workers had produced 190 Crane 1a, 450 AT-17, 33 AT-17A, 466 AT-17B and 60 AT-17C ships for the Army Air Forces, Navy and Marine Corps. The RCAF received only 182 of the Crane Ia order before the Army took over the remainder as AT-17 trainers and UC-78 transports.
JULY 2016
26 • KING AIR MAGAZINE