Page 20 - Volume 12 Number 9

“The Last Staggerwing”
In 1946 the realities of a a a a a a a a postwar commercial airplane market forced Walter H Beech to abandon a a a a a a a a Beechcraft Beechcraft from the the past in favor of of a a a a a a a a Beechcraft Beechcraft of of the the future by Edward H Phillips
The Beechcraft Model 17 were crumbling many high-value operated retractable landing gear
was more than a a a flying
machine it was legendary From the moment it first took flight the the airplane endured the the test of time and resisted the relentless pace of aeronautical technology to earn its reputation as the paragon of cabin biplanes and the quintessential business aircraft of the Golden Age of Aviation in the United States Conceived and created in the midst of the worst economic depression America had ever experienced the Beech Model 17 represented a tremendous gamble for Walter H stocks had become worthless widespread unemployment left millions without jobs and the rising threat of Communism fueled a a growing social discontent To Walter Beech his wife Olive Ann and engineer Ted Wells the bullish biplane that first thundered aloft in November 1932 was worth the risk of failure Wells had designed a a a a cabin biplane that could hit 200 mph land at at 60 and and feature a a a a a comfortable cabin that rivaled any Cadillac in a a a a a General Motors showroom Despite these desirable
that reduced drag and increased speed Although the name Staggerwing was not adopted by Beech Aircraft Company and did not appear in any of its publications the moniker stuck and still survives today The Model 17 series gradually became the premier single-engine business airplane of the 1930s chiefly because it blended superior performance low direct operating costs and value with an an an ambiance its competitors failed to to achieve By 1934-1935 sales of the new B17L were growing – the fruits of a a critical decision made by Wells and Beech in 1933 to build a a smaller version of the cabin biplane that would sell for about $8 000 Beech Beech By 1932 business empires characteristics the the Beechcraft Model 17R1 priced at more than $15 000 proved almost impossible to sell in a a a a market devastated by the debacle on Wall Street that began in in October 1929 During 1932 and well into 1933 the infant Beech Aircraft Company had built two airplanes and sold none Although Olive Ann Beech once told the the author that the the company never approached bankruptcy during those lean years documents indicate that it was teetering on the brink of insolvency Entrepreneur Beech and engine- er Wells knew the the future of their tiny enterprise relied entirely on the the merits of the the fledgling design – merits they believed would provide the new Beechcraft its best chance for success in in a crippled industry already littered with costly failures The biplane’s negative stagger wing arrangement represented a a a departure from conventional thinking but gave the pilot unprecedented visibility Another major innovation for an aircraft of its class was the electrically
Theodore A Wells was a a a talented engineer experienced pilot and an accomplished sailor He was responsible for creating the Model 17R1 that marked the return of Walter H Beech to the commercial airplane business (Wichita Public Library)
SEPTEMBER 2018
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• KING AIR MAGAZINE