Page 24 - March 2022
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The Staggerwing Goes to War
Ted Wells never intended his Model 17 to fight a war, but when duty called the Staggerwing served American and Allied forces worldwide with distinction. by Edward H. Phillips
IN HISTORY
From 1942 through 1944, the airfield at the Beech Aircraft Corporation’s factory in Wichita, Kansas, was often packed with airplanes awaiting acceptance by U.S. and Allied forces, primarily military versions of the single-engine Model 17 and twin-engine Model 18. Among these were GB-2 ships for the United States Navy (similar to the Army UC-43). The guard toting a 12-gauge shotgun was a member of the company’s security forces that kept watch over aircraft awaiting delivery. (Special Collections and University Archives, Wichita State University Libraries)
22 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MARCH 2022
