Page 28 - Volume 15 Number 7
P. 28

Meet My Move-Up BeechcraftSuper 18A Time TrAVelerWords and Photos by LeRoy CookSome airplanes just have a timeless presence about them. Rare indeed are such aircraft that are capable of delivering everyday utility for those entrusted with their care. We are, after all, merely custodians of vintage aircraft, able to enjoy them for a while before passing them on to our replacements. Most of the time, a collectible airplane just sits in the hangar. But not always.Steven J. Craig is fortunate enough to have a stable of choices in his hangar/toy box. In addition to a Taperwing Waco for aerobatics fun and a P-51 Mustang for airshow attendance, his serious transportation machine is a 1965 Beech Super 18. Equipped with factory-installed tricycleconditioner works like a charm, and it can be maintained ‘on condition,’ for the most part. Those R-985’s don’t cost $200,000 per side to overhaul, and, like someone told me, ‘the only thing better than a Pratt and Whitney radial is two of ‘em.’”Quite simply, nothingelse will do the old airplane’s job at the price.Steve Craig’s H18 Beech is serial number BA-726. At one time, it was the corporate airplane for the Dillons food store chain in Hutchinson, Kan., then it went through various owners in Colorado, California and Illinois. Prior to Craig’s acquisition in 2009, it was owned by Clarencelanding gear, Craig’s H18 was one of the last “Twin Beeches” of a 32-year lineage. Production of the Beech Model 18 stretched from 1937 to 1969, bridging the eras of wood-and-fabric biplanes and pressurized turboprops. And, as Steve Craig’s traveling airplane proves, it still delivers in style.Steve Craig, as you may surmise, is somewhat eclectic in his tastes, and he’s as knowledgeable as they come about the capabilities of varied equipment, in aviation and otherwise. For instance, a fully restored Dodge Power Wagon truck stands ready to perform utility hauling for his hangar collection. A 1936 Ahrens Fox pumper fire truck can roll when needed, a 1958 Porsche Speedster is parked under a wing and various vintage motorcycles are in his inventory, including Steve McQueen’s 1931 Brough Superior. He recently sold his F4F-3 Grumman Wildcat fighter, restored from its World War II dunking in Lake Michigan while it was being used for carrier qualifications. He has been in two King Air partnerships and still owns an E50 Twin Bonanza, but he prefers to fly his Super 18 when a big trip is planned.Why the Twin Beech? Craig explained its practicality: “It cruises at an honest 210 mph (180 knots) on 45 gallons per hour at 10,000 feet, it hauls six or more people and their luggage with ease, the original freon air26 • TWIN & TURBINEMalloy of Waukegan, Ill., and flown by company pilot Dick Wixom from its base in Janesville, Wis. Just prior to its sale, it had been fitted with two freshly overhauled R-985-AN-14B enginesfrom Aero Engines in Los Angeles, Calif.Craig had muchof the older remote-mounted avionicsstripped out for newGarmin gear and he hashad the interior redonein vintage-style leather andwool appointments, all of whichresulted in a 180-pound gain inuseful load. The green-and-gold trimpaint was switched to a more-pleasingdark blue stripe and the N-number was switched from N516CE to N777XJ.At this point, Steve Craig has a nearly ideal cabin-class twin for business and personal traveling, one guaranteed to turn heads on any ramp. There’s still over a ton of useful load remaining after topping up the 318 gallons of fuel and 17 gallons of oil, and by depending on 53 gallons consumed in the first hour, and 45 for each hourJULY 2011


































































































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