TheBeechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an Americanbiplane with an atypical negative wingstagger (the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing). It first flew in 1932, and was sold on the civilian market, being used for transport and air racing. During World War II, it was used by allied forces, and after the war continued in civilian production until 1949, with 785 having been produced.
In 1932,Walter H. Beech, formerly head of the aircraft manufacturerTravel Air, leftCurtiss-Wright, which had purchased Travel Air in 1929, to set up a new company,Beech Aircraft Corporation, based inWichita, Kansas. Beech took the airplane designerTed A. Wells from Curtiss-Wright, and the first project of the new company was the Model 17, a fastbiplane with an enclosed cabin designed to meet the needs of business executives. It was based on a design drafted by Wells while at Curtiss-Wright, but rejected by the Curtiss-Wright board.[1][2] TheBeechcraft Model 17, popularly known as the "Staggerwing", was first flown on November 4, 1932. During its heyday, it was used as an executive aircraft, much as theprivate jet is now, and its primary competition were theWaco Custom Cabin andWaco Standard Cabin series of biplanes.
The Model 17's unusual negative staggerwing configuration (the upper wing staggered behind the lower) and unique shape maximized pilot visibility and was intended to reduceinterference drag between the wings (although it was later found to have negligible effect).[3] The fabric-coveredfuselage wasfaired with woodformers andstringers over a welded, steel tube frame.[3] Construction was complex and took many man-hours to complete. The Staggerwing's retractableconventional landing gear, uncommon at that time, combined with careful streamlining, light weight, and a powerfulradial engine, helped it perform well.
In the mid-1930s, Beech undertook a major redesign of the aircraft, to create theModel D17 Staggerwing. The D17 featured a lengthenedfuselage that improved the aircraft's handling characteristics by increasing control leverage, and theailerons were relocated to the upper wings, eliminating interference with theflaps.Braking was improved with a foot-operated brake linked to therudder pedals.
Between April 1936 through May 1940 there were six Model 17 fatal accidents involving midair breakups that were attributed to weather conditions and structural failures, later determined to be caused byflutter of the ailerons and wings. TheCAA Bureau of Safety Regulation initially issued an edict to restrict maximum airspeed andinstrument flight, which was later replaced by a safety bulletin requiring lead balance weights to be added to the ailerons and flaps, and plywood panels to the outboard portion of the wings to increase torsional stiffness of the wing tip section.[4]
Sales began slowly. The first Staggerwings' high price tag (betweenUS$14,000 and $17,000, depending on engine size) scared off potential buyers in an already depressed civil aircraft market. Only 18 Model 17s were sold during 1933, the first year of production, but sales steadily increased. Each Staggerwing was custom-built by hand. The luxurious cabin, trimmed inleather andmohair, held up to five passengers. Eventually, the Staggerwing captured a substantial share of the passenger aircraft market. By the start of World War II, Beechcraft had sold more than 424 Model 17s.
1937 advertisement for the Model 17 Beech Staggerwing
The Staggerwing's speed made it popular with 1930s air racers. An early version of the Model 17 won the 1933Texaco Trophy Race. In 1935, a Britishdiplomat, Capt. H.L. Farquhar, successfully flewaround the world in a Model B17R, traveling 21,332 miles (34,331 kilometers) fromNew York toLondon, by way ofSiberia,Southeast Asia, theMiddle East,North Africa and back acrossEurope.
Louise Thaden andBlanche Noyes won the 1936Bendix trophy in a Model C17R Staggerwing. Thaden also won theHarmon Trophy for her achievement.Jackie Cochran set a women's speed record of 203.9 mph (328 km/h), established an altitude record of over 30,000 feet (9,144 m), and finished third in the 1937 Bendix Trophy Race, all in a special Model D17W Staggerwing. The aircraft made an impressive showing in the 1938 Bendix race, as well.
In 1970, due to a dispute with the T-6 racing class, the Reno National Air Races invited five Staggerwings to perform a demonstration race. Two G models and two D17 models raced. The five pilots were Bryant Morris, Bert Jensen, Don Clark, Noel Gourselle, and Phil Livingston, the only pilot to have prior racing experience in the T-6 class. The race was flawless, withABC Wide World of Sports coverage, but protesting T-6 racers prevented the class from future competition with allegations of safety issues.
Assembly line at the beginning of Staggerwing production; the sole A17F (with fixed landing gear) is being constructed in front of the frames of the first and second production B17Ls.
TheBeech UC-43 Traveler was a slightly modified version of the Staggerwing. In late 1938, theUnited States Army Air Corps purchased three Model D17Ss to evaluate them for use as lightliaison aircraft. These were designatedYC-43 (Y designating a development aircraft or non-standard type,C standing forCargo). After a shortflight test program, the YC-43s went toEurope to serve as liaison aircraft with theair attachés inLondon,Paris, andRome.
Early in World War II, the need for a compact executive-type transport or courier aircraft became apparent, and in 1942, theUnited States Army Air Forces ordered the first of 270 Model 17s for service within theUnited States and overseas as theUC-43 (USAAF designation forUtility,Cargo). These differed only in minor details from the commercial model. To meet urgent wartime needs, the government also purchased orleased (impressed) additional "Staggerwings" from private owners, including 118 more for the Army Air Force plus others for theUnited States Navy. In Navy service, the airplanes were designated asGB-1 andGB-2 (under USN designating convention signifyingGeneral (purpose),Beech,1st or2nd variant of type). TheBritishRoyal Air Force andRoyal Navy acquired 106 "Traveller Mk. I" (the British name uses the UK double "l" spelling) through theLend-Lease arrangement to fill its own critical need forlight personnel transports.
After the war's end, Beech immediately converted its manufacturing capabilities back tocivil aircraft production, making one final version of the Staggerwing, the Model G17S. They built 16 aircraft, which they sold for US$29,000 apiece.Norway sold one D17S toFinland in 1949, which theFinnish Air Force used from 1950 to 1958.[5]
The lightweightV-tailBeechcraft Bonanza, a powerful four-passenger luxury aircraft, soon replaced the venerable Staggerwing in the Beech product line, at about a third of the price. The Bonanza was a smaller aircraft with less horsepower, but carried four people at a similar speed to the Staggerwing. Beechcraft sold the 785th and final Staggerwing in 1948 and delivered it in 1949.
YC-43 Traveler at Flying Legends, Duxford, U.K in 2009
In March 2003,Plane & Pilot magazine named the Staggerwing one of its Top Ten All-Time Favorite aircraft.[6]
In the April 2007 issue ofAOPA Pilot magazine, it was reported that the Staggerwing was voted by nearly 3000 AOPA members as the Most Beautiful Airplane. "Members said it's the perfect balance between 'muscular strength and delicate grace,' and rated it highly for its 'classic lines and symmetry.'"
The November 2012 issue ofAviation History magazine ranked the Staggerwing fifth in their top 12 list of the Worlds Most Beautiful Airplanes. Stating that "Some might think 'the Stag' ungainly, backward wings and all, yet it has become the prime example of vintage beauty" and "...the aftward upper wing led to the big, steeply raked windscreen that is also a key element of what some have called an art deco classic."[7]
Fixed gear prototypes, manufactured from 1932 to 1933.[8]
17R
Prototypes, powered by 420 hp (310 kW)Wright R-975-E2 engine. Made first flight on November 4, 1932. Two built.[9][8]
17J
Proposed single-seat military development of the Model 17 powered by a 715 hp (533 kW)Wright Cyclone engine. The cockpit was moved aft of the upper wing, which was to be in aninverted gull configuration to improve visibility. Not built.[10]
A17
Fixed gear, plans for production abandoned in 1935.[8]
20 built in licence production in Japan by Tachikawa, plus two assembled from imported parts forDai Nihon Koku KK. Manshu, Chuka Koku and agencies such as provincial police headquarters.
YC-43 (S/N 39-139) assigned to the American Embassy in London, England
YC-43
Three Model D17S with a 450hp R-985-17 engine for evaluation by the United States Army Air Corps
UC-43 s/n 43-10859
UC-43 Traveler
Production version with a 450hp R-985-AN-1 engine, 75 ordered for the Army Air Corps and 63 for the United States Navy as theGB-1, 132 were later transferred from the Navy to the Army Air Corps.
UC-43A
Model D17R with 440hp R-975-11 engine, 13 impressed into service.
UC-43B
Model D17S with 450hp R-985-17 engine, 13 impressed into service.
UC-43C
Model F17D with 300hpR-915-1 engine, 37 impressed into service.
UC-43D
Model E17B with 285hp R-830-1 engine, 31 impressed into service.
UC-43E
Model C17R with 440hp R-975-11 engine, five impressed into service.
UC-43F
Model D17A with 350hp R-975-3 engine, one impressed into service.
UC-43G
Model C17B with 285hpR-830-1 engine, 10 impressed into service.
UC-43H
Model B17R with 440hp R-975-11 engine, three impressed into service.
UC-43J
Model C17L with 225hpR-755-1 engine, three impressed into service.
UC-43K
Model D17W, one impressed into service. This aircraft was originally built in 1937 for famedaviatorJacqueline Cochran. Cochran flew the airplane in the 1937 Bendix cross-country race and placed first in the Women's Division and 3rd overall. She also set a Women's National Speed Record of 203.895 miles per hour using the airplane.
A GB-1 Traveler
GB-1
United States Navy transport version of the D17, ten bought in 1939 and ten impressed into USN service.
GB-2
USN version as GB-1 but with a 450hp R-985-50 or R-985-AN-1 engine, 271 built, 132 later transferred to USAAF as UC-43s. Also additional aircraft from a cancelled British contract and impressed aircraft.
JB-1
One Model C17R as an executive transport for the United States Navy.
Traveller I
British designation for the former US Embassy in London's YC-43 and 107 UC-43 and GB-2 aircraft delivered mainly for the Royal Navy.
4835 – D17S on display at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee.[24]
4890 – UC-43 on display at theYanks Air Museum inChino, California. It has the USAAF serial number 43-10842. It was the museum's first aircraft and bears the seal of the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.[29][30]
6701 – D17S airworthy atThe Fighter Collection inDuxford, Cambridgeshire. It was built in 1943 as a US Navy model GB-2. It was shipped to the UK and flown by Royal Navy's 782 Naval Air Squadron as Traveller Mk.IFT475. Postwar, it was returned to the US and flown by the US Air Force before passing into private hands. It came back to the UK in 1990 and has since flown with several owners under the UK registrationG-BRVE.[45][46] (see alsomedia commons Gallery of G-BRVE)
^"GB-2 TRAVELLER".National Naval Aviation Museum. Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. Archived fromthe original on September 12, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"FAA Registry [N9405H]".Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"FAA Registry [N47024]".Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"FAA Registry [N57829]".Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"Planes".Legacy Flight Museum. City of Rexburg. Archived fromthe original on December 30, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"FAA Registry [N217SD]".Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"FAA Registry [N582]".Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^"FAA Registry [N67738]".Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived fromthe original on January 18, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2017.
^Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Beechcraft Traveller." Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. p. 205.ISBN1 85170 493 0.
Bibliography
Berry, Peter (1990).Beechcraft Staggerwing. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, US: TAB Books.ISBN0-8306-8410-7.
Guillemette, Roger."Beech Model 17 Staggerwing". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Archived fromthe original on December 14, 2005. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2006.
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