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The year 1928 marked the genesis of the Travel Air Company’s initial quest to design, develop and manufacture a cabin-class business airplane. The concept was not new – Lloyd Stearman, who in 1926 was Travel Air’s chief engineer, had created the Model CH and Model CW cabin biplanes but only a few were sold. The next step was the Type 5000 – Travel Air’s first enclosed cabin monoplane based largely on a design by none other than aviation pioneer Clyde Cessna. By 1927, however, it had become increasingly clear to company leaders Cessna and Walter Beech that the market was ripe for a major shift from open-cockpit biplanes to enclosed monoplanes.
Beech, in particular, was keenly aware that the days of the venerable biplane were waning rapidly. Open cockpit flying, with its attendant requirements of leather helmets, goggles, bulky flying suits and exposure to the weather, were wearing thin on Travel Air’s customers. Walter, ever the salesman and entrepreneur, increasingly recognized that what buyers preferred was an airplane that would allow them to fly in shirt-sleeve comfort while conducting business at more than 100 mph.
As one of America’s premier airframe manufacturers, Travel Air was committed to staying ahead of the competition. To ensure that happened, Walter ordered a major market survey of pilots and businessmen who responded overwhelmingly by indicating a clear preference for an enclosed cabin airplane. Of equal importance to Walter, they were willing to pay the price to obtain one. As a result, the engineering department was soon at work designing the answer to Beech’s survey.
Designated the Type 6000, the airplane was strictly state-of-the-art in its construction. The fuselage was of welded steel tubing and a wood, semi-cantilever wing sat atop the fuselage. Power was provided by the reliable Wright J5C “Whirlwind” static, air-cooled radial engine similar to that which powered “Lucky Lindy’s” Ryan monoplane “Spirit of St. Louis” from New York to Paris in May 1927.
First flight of the latest Travel Air occurred on April 28, 1928, with chief test pilot Clarence Clark at the controls. Billed by Beech as the “Limousine of the Air,” he and sales manager Owen Harned were soon off on an extensive nationwide tour to demonstrate the ship’s performance and cabin comfort. As predicted, customers lined up for demo flights and wrote their signature in the order books. By the end of summer the factory in Wichita, Kansas, was busy building initial production
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airplanes. Those machines, however, were significantly larger overall than the prototype and could accommodate office equipment such as typewriters, dictation machines and a desk. In addition, a lavatory with hot/cold running water was available as an option as were custom interior appointments.
These modifications resulted in a much heavier airplane that required a major boost in power. To meet that requirement, engineers chose the nine-cylinder, 300-hp Wright J6-9 radial engine that would propel the Type 6000B to a maximum speed of about 125 mph and a cruising speed of 105 mph. To expand the airplane’s capabilities and appeal, Travel Air officials decided to offer an upgraded version of the Type 6000B designated the Type A6000A. Featuring increased wingspan, more fuel capacity and a higher gross weight than its Wright- powered sibling, the front end of the A6000A boasted a massive Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine rated at 420-450 hp.
As for the prototype monoplane that had taken “monoplane fever” to new levels at Travel Air, it eventually became the object of a nasty war of words between Walter Beech and the Department of Commerce, which at that time was responsible for issuing type certification of airplanes. Beech repeatedly insisted that the airplane was safe, airworthy and even swore on his honor that the ship met type certificate standards. Still, the Department steadfastly refused to budge. During the next 20 years, the airplane was sold to multiple buyers who, like Beech years before, tried in vain to convince the Department to license the ship. In the end, the airplane disappeared from official records after 1948. Its final fate remains unknown. Perhaps it was dismantled and sold for scrap, was consumed in a hangar fire or simply died of old age and neglect.
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 23