Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing (Beech UC-43 TRAVELLER) & Beechcraft SD 17S floatplaneHello everyone!
The Beechcraft 17 did not achieve the fame of such fighters as the Mustang, or bombers like the Flying Fortress. However, its apparently minor contribution to the overall victory in the war was actually quite significant. The quick reaction of the military leadership to operational events often depended on the working connection between distant military units or the immediate delivery of secret orders, and therefore the Traveller could be considered not only one of the most elegant aircraft of its time, but a very important military machine.
Owards the end of the 1920's American aviation enthusiast Walter Beech created his own aircraft engineering company, the Beech Aircraft Corporation. One of the most successful projects of the newly formed company was the Model 17 aircraft, named the Staggerwing after its unconventional biplane configuration, whereby the upper wing was positioned to the rear of the lower wing. In the middle of the Thirties appeared the D17 modification, which became popular among pilots. Before the USA entered into WWII, the Staggerwing had various occasions to join the fighting in the sky; in Spain, and in the confrontation between China with Japan.
After the United States entered into World War II, at least 118 Beechcraft Model 17 were requisitioned from private owners for army needs. The Beech D17 quickly became useful as a courier aircraft.
Soon the military placed an order with Walter Beech's company for a further 270 of the type. Planes which were taken on by the Army were designated the UC-43, while machines which were delivered to Naval Aviation became the GB-1 and GB-2. There were no differences between the army and naval versions of the aircraft, except for the fact that navy aircraft were obliged to have on board a basic set of rescue equipment in case of emergency landing on water. The majority of the GB-2's joined the Naval Air Transport Service, where they were used until the final days of World War II.
Their principal work during the whole period of war was the fast delivery of military staff and also important mail from the bases in Britain nearest to the continent. Often, navy planes with a characteristic marine blue coloration were based on airfields right next to military machines in their protective olive color, immediately distinguishable from them by their exterior.
Britain's Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm received the Staggerwing under the Lend-Lease agreement. The British, traditionally, gave the plane their own name of Traveller, with the unusual spelling for an American of double 'L' letters.
According to the deal, the British should have received 107 machines of this type, but at least 12 of them never reached the shores of 'Foggy Albion', when their U.S. transport was attacked by a German submarine and sunk.
The other 95 (60 former UC-43 were named the Traveller Mk.I, and 25 GB-2 the Traveller Mk.II) were spread throughout their territories under seven commands overall, and some machines were even sent to the Near East. The tasking of the aircraft, as by the United States, had a similar aim - fast courier service between distant bases, and delivery of important communications. After the end of the war, all Travellers should have been passed back to the U.S. in accordance with the terms of the Lend-Lease agreement, but some of them nevertheless found their way into the hands of new private owners in the UK.
Beechcraft SD17S Staggerwings "Yellow 5" of the 28th Composite Group, USSAF,Alaska,1941
http://beech17.net/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Model_17_StaggerwingSpecifications D17A Manufacturer: Beech Aircraft Corp. - USA
Crew: four
Length: 8.13 m
Wingspan: 9.75 m
Height: 2.43 m
Maximum take-off weight: 1927 kg.
Propulsion: a radial engine Wright R-760-E2 350HP
Top speed: 297.8 km / h Specifications (Beech Model D17S)General characteristics
Role Utility aircraft
Crew: one
Capacity: three passengers
Payload: 125 lb (56.7 kg) of baggage
Length: 26 ft 10 in (8.18 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft (9.75 m)
Height: 8 ft (2.44 m)
Wing area: 296.5 ft² (27.55 m²)
Empty weight: 2,540 lb (1,150 kg)
Loaded weight: 4,250 lb (1,930 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 "Wasp Junior" radial engine, 450 hp (340 kW) at 2,300 rpm
Performance
Maximum speed: 212 mph (184 knots, 341 km/h)
Cruise speed: 202 mph (176 knots, 325 (km/h)
Landing speed: 45 mph (39 knots, 72 km/h))
Range: 582 nm (670 mi, 1,078 km)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Rate of climb: 1,500 ft/min (7.6 m/s)
Wing loading: 14.3 lb/ft² (70.0 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 9.44 lb/hp (5.68 kg/kW)
SPECIFICATIONS:
A17F:
Useful Load 1915 lb Span 34 ft 4 in Length (overall) 24 ft 2 in High Speed 240 mph Cruise Speed 212 mph Landing Speed 65 mph Range 780 sm Power plant Wright R-1820-F11 (650 hp)
Beechcraft Staggerwing Winners
Beech- C17L:
Useful Load 1340 lb Span 34 ft 4 in Length (overall) 24 ft 2 in High Speed 175 mph Cruise Speed 166 mph Landing Speed 45 mph Range 560 sm Power plant Jacobs (225 hp)
Beech-17R:
Useful Load 1800 lb Span 34 ft 4 in Length (overall) 24 ft 2 in High Speed 201 mph Cruise Speed 180 mph Landing Speed 60 mph Range 960 sm Power plant Wright R-760 (420 hp)
The Beech Staggerwing won a major race as a production plane, with women pilots!, amazingly, it was as fast as most fighters of it's day !!
Operators
Numbers operated from
Australia - Royal Australian Air Force (operated three from 1941 to 1947)
Brazil - NAB – Navegação Aérea Brasileira (airline)
Brazilian Air Force (operated 54 from 1942 to 1960)
Brazilian Navy (operated four from 1940 to 1941)
China - Chinese Nationalist Air Force (operated 21 from 1937 to 1945)
Cuba - Cuban Army Aviation Corps (operated two in 1945 and 1958)
Ethiopia - Ethiopian Government (operated two from 1935 to 1936)
Finland - Finnish Air Force (operated one from 1940 to 1945)
Honduras - Honduran Air Force (operated two from 1936 to 1958)
Netherlands- Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (one from 1942 to 1945)
New Zealand- Royal New Zealand Air Force, No. 42 Squadron RNZAF
Peru - Peruvian Air Force five from 1946 to 1958
Spain - Spanish Republican Air Force (operated nine in 1936)
United Kingdom - Royal Air Force, Royal Navy
USA - US Army Air Corps, US Army Air Force, United States Navy, Civil Air Patrol
Uruguay - Uruguayan Air Force (operated one from 1944 to 1962)
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http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6926087http://igor113.livejournal.com/142045.htmlRegards,
Piotrek
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Topic: Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing (Beech UC-43 TRAVELLER) & Beechcraft SD 17S floa (Read 10526 times)
