December 4th 10, 04:49 AM
posted to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation
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Staggerwings, Concluded - Beech 17 54.jpg (1/1)
In article ,
Mitchell Holman wrote:
Orval Fairbairn wrote in
news
In article ,
Mitchell Holman wrote:
Orval Fairbairn wrote in
news_r_fairbairn-
:
In article ,
Mitchell Holman wrote:
begin 644 Beech 17 54.jpg
[Image]
end
YES! Finally a G-Model! This was the last model )postwar) built and
is highly-prized!
Makes you wonder why they do not resume production.
They would be bound to sell pretty well..........
The story is that Beech had a cadre of woodworkers left at the end of
WW-II and decided to put them to work until their more modern stuff
came on line (the Bonanza and its derivatives). The Model 17 was a far
more complex design and far more expensive to build, operate and
maintain.
The steel tube fuselage frame was heat-treated after welding, for
instance. Manufacture required several skills to maintain in-house:
welding, heat treating, woodworking, dope and fabric, in addition to
metal work.
An all metal version would be both stronger and lighter
than the original, and could probably dispense with the
exterior wing struts as well. The stumbling block I would
forsee would be the radial engine. Difficult to maintain
and find trained people to do it. I had a Beaver once and
know the drill..........
Trouble is -- it would have been a whole new engineering effort to do
one in metal -- Beech had a whole new design coming on line.
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