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of 1944. These were followed by Army flights later that year. It quickly became apparent that when it came to speed, the Beechcraft design team had created a winner. With 4,600 horsepower on tap, the Destroyer was not only aerodynamically clean but on one flight attained a maximum speed of 376.5 mph at a takeoff weight of 32,000 pounds, albeit using war emergency power.
A well-known anecdote to the XA-38’s story stems from a flight aimed at calibrating the airplane’s airspeed indication system. Plans called for flying a commercial, twin-engine Model 18 as a “chase” aircraft to document the tests and to photograph the latest Beechcraft. As airspeeds increased, however, the Model 18 proved woefully inadequate and soon fell behind the XA-38. To solve that problem, the engineers obtained a factory-fresh North American P-51B Mustang fighter and resumed the tests. Much to everyone’s surprise, even the speedy P-51B could not keep pace with the big Beechcraft as speeds approached 375 mph!
Army pilot captain Jack W. Williams was among the service pilots who conducted a series of flights in the XA- 38. From Oct. 13 to Oct. 24, 1944, he flew the first XA-38 at the Beech Aircraft factory. The 75-mm cannon and two machine guns were installed for these flights, which also checked operation of fire extinguishing systems. At a takeoff weight of 32,001 pounds and flaps deflected to 15 degrees, Williams calculated that the airplane should lift off at 105 mph but found that the airplane could be “flown off” at speeds as low as 91 mph. Normal takeoff procedure called for leading power application with the left throttle until an indicated airspeed of 55-75 mph was attained and the two rudders became effective, at which point both throttles could be advanced together.
Williams rated the gunship’s overall controllability as “good for all normal conditions of flight.” Although he noted that the elevator and rudder forces were “heavy at high speeds,” he added that both flight controls were highly effective. “It is very maneuverable for an airplane of its size and handles well in making sideslips, skids, loops, half rolls on top of loops and slow rolls.” Completing aerobatic maneuvers with that kind of ease was no mean feat for an airplane that was a large as a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber and weighed 16 tons! The attack aircraft’s stalling characteristics were relatively straightforward, with generous buffeting of the empennage before the stall break occurred.
Williams wrote in his report that the Destroyer’s landing characteristics were similar to those of the military C-45 Beechcraft, with good visibility thanks to plenty of window area in the cockpit. Typical approach airspeed was 125 mph, with flaps fully deflected to 45 degrees. The XA-38 also proved easy to maneuver on the ground, regardless of whether it was operating on smooth, paved taxiways and ramp areas or on rough airstrips.
The final phase of the gunship’s evaluations by the Army focused on armament, particularly the 75-mm cannon. It was fired for the first time July 1, 1944, at the
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Great Bend Army Air Base gunnery range in Great Bend, Kansas, but the majority of firing tests were conducted by the second airplane built. It first flew September 22, 1945, again with Vern Carstens at the controls. After completing a series of flight tests at Great Bend, it was flown to Eglin Field, Florida. During its time at Eglin the XA-38 was flown by a number of Army pilots who wrung out its weapon systems, particularly the cannon, for another 38 hours.
Flight testing clearly demonstrated that Beech Aircraft engineers had not only succeeded in meeting the military’s specifications for a ground attack airplane, they had created an aircraft that had no peer. To add another feather to their cap, the engineers won praise from the Army when the second airplane accumulated a reputation for high reliability and availability during the tests.
Despite its advanced design, performance and potential as the world’s most powerful ground attack aircraft, a combination of factors relegated the Destroyer to obscurity. First, Germany had been defeated and Japan was about to capitulate in the wake of its nuclear devastation. Second, the Wright radial engines that were essential to the XA-38 program were needed for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Third, the ground attack role had changed during the war and although the need for such a versatile aircraft continued, that task could be accomplished with single-engine airplanes such as the incomparable Douglas Skyraider.
One XA-38 was eventually assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 1948 and was scheduled to be displayed at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, but it never arrived. The fate of both airplanes has yet to be accurately determined. Apparently, at some point after the war both of the Beechcrafts fell victim to the cutting torch. One fact, however, is known: Beech Aircraft Corporation records state that all lofting and engineering information for the company’s XA-38 program was destroyed June 2, 1955.
The Destroyer holds a special place in the history of Walter and Olive Ann Beech’s company. It can be said that the XA-38 represented the pinnacle of Beechcraft engineering during the war, but it also contributed greatly toward the company’s legendary reputation as an innovator and manufacturer of purpose-built aircraft. Its powerful cannon was never fired in anger, but Beechcraft’s ultimate gunship will not be forgotten. KA
Ed Phillips, now retired and living in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kansas His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the “Air Capital of the World” for more than 90 years.
MAY 2024