Page 23 - Volume12 Number 5

brakes with 36 8-inch tires. The interior would include a large divan, lavatory, and a porcelain sink with hot/cold running water. Although the passenger and pilot seats were standard wicker construction, Beery specified that the cushions be covered with a specially-ordered, thick, plush mauve-colored velour cloth. The final touch would be a folding table mounted in the cabin for writing and playing cards.
In early December 1928, Beery’s ship was completed and ready for flight tests. Clarence Clark took the big monoplane aloft for a series of checks to ensure it was ready for delivery. It was during one of the early flights that the fabric ripped away from the upper fuselage because of the airplane’s higher cruise speed that approached 130 miles per hour. An engineering “fix” was quickly developed and applied that solved the problem (the “fix” later became standard on all A-6000-A ships built).
On December 14 Walter sent William “Pete” Hill on a short road trip from Wichita northeast to Newton, Kansas, where Beery had
MAY 2018
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 21
The cockpit of Beery’s airplane
was essentially the same as the
Type 6000B with throttle, mixture
and magneto spark advance/retard grouped together in a quadrant on upper center of the instrument panel. Wheels were known as “Dual Dep side-by-side” controls, with rudder pedals below. Mechanical brakes were controlled by a separate lever. Note position of the magnetic compass on left sidewall. (TEXTRON AVIATION)