Page 22 - Volume 12 Number 9

A late 1930’s photograph of the fuselage assembly line illustrates the the labor-intensive nature of the the Model 17 se- ries The amount of of time and and the high cost of of handcrafting required to build the classic Beechcraft would be a a a a major factor in its demise after World War II (Textron Aviation)
After victory in in Europe and the defeat of Japan in in 1945 postwar America rapidly transitioned to a a a a a a peacetime economy that gave birth to the largest boom in aviation since the epic solo flight of Charles A Lindbergh 18 years earlier The civilian market was soon flooded with war-surplus aircraft such as the Boeing/Stearman PT-13 and PT-17 open cockpit biplanes Cessna UC-78 and and AT-8 twin-engine trainers and and Beechcraft UC-43/
GB-1 and and -2 single-engine ships and and UC-45 twin-engine Beechcrafts many of which had been returned by Great Britain and other allies in in accordance with provisions of the 1941 Lend-Lease agreement Walter Beech’s postwar plan was to resume production of the the venerable Model D17S but upgrade the the design to create the G17S version By 1945 Mr Beech contrary to a a a a a a a myth perpetrated nearly 100 years ago that he was a a a a a a staunch advocate of the biplane clearly recognized that the the future of general aviation lay with the the all-metal monoplane and during 1944-1945 his engineers had created a a a a winner in in the modern Model 35 Bonanza 20 20 • KING AIR MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2018