Page 25 - Volume 12 Number 9

The two plate glass windshield sections were developed specifically for the Model 17 by Pittsburgh Plate Glass and were fitted into place before fabric was applied The process of stretching the the linen over the the fuselage and stitching it it snugly to to the fairings had to to be perfect before coats of butyrate dope were applied shrinking the fabric taut The factory had a a a a a a a a special area for this purpose that was equipped with massive brick firewalls and a a a a a a large sliding barrier that would prevent flame from spreading throughout the complex if a a fire erupted The highly flammable cellulose nitrate dopes were bought from a number of suppliers including the Merrimac Chemical Company Glidden and Berry Brothers The multiple coats of clear silver and final color were sprayed onto the fabric inside special paint booths Overall the doping process was was laborious – it was was necessary to wet-sand the fabric between applications to ensure a a a smooth finish of the final gloss color coat that everyone would see Both skill and experience were required to obtain the hand-rubbed shiny paint finish that became a a a a a hallmark of the Model 17 series It was possible (for an extra fee) for for a a a a customer to to order a a a unique paint scheme but the the factory frowned upon the the choice of white chiefly because it it failed to adequately protect protect the the silver-colored dope that protected the the cotton from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays that gradually
deteriorated that fabric’s fibers and decreased strength According to a a letter from company vice president John P Gaty to Beechcraft dealers dated November 1940 “It is requested that customers be discouraged from ordering planes planes painted white white Because white white airplanes require several more coats of paint than any other color the the result is that the thick film of paint cracks very easily Considerable trouble has been experienced with all planes painted white and your customers should always be plainly warned that we will not make any service adjustments on a a a a white paint job ” Obviously another disadvantage was the additional few pounds of weight imposed because of the extra coats Building the the Model 17’s wings was another labor- intensive operation but did include some automation The spruce spars were fabricated to specifications by automatic routers and planers that significantly reduced man-hours required to complete a a a shipset By contrast building wing ribs was a a a a a relatively easy process for a a a a a skilled worker but still required many different pieces of wood to to be placed into a a a a jig for nailing and gluing together along with gussets for for reinforcement Despite the adverse economics of manufacturing a a a a postwar Model 17 Walter Beech decided to proceed with development of the next-generation cabin biplane Ted Wells assigned assistant chief engineer M A Chester and SEPTEMBER 2018
KING AIR MAGAZINE
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