Page 35 - Volume 15 Number 3

ing Model 17Form, Function, and the Story of the Most Beautiful Airplane Ever Builtby Benjamin J. GoodheartWhen Walter and Olive Ann Beech started their own airplane company in 1932, they knew they would be facing an uphill battle. The economy was floundering in the wake of the Great Depression, and the design and production of an all-new aircraft was a tremendous gamble. Their gamble paid off, and the first aircraft produced by the fledgling Beech Aircraft Company was nothing short of epochal. It combined technological advances with a stunning silhouette to create one of the best-loved aircraft ever to grace the skies.Early Years and WWIDespite apparently never progressing much in school, Walter Beech showed early on that he had a knack for all things mechanical. Working as a journeyman for the local municipality piqued his interest, andas he gained an appreciation for the inner workings of automobiles and aircraft, he sought out a position as an apprentice auto technician in Minneapolis. It was in Minnesota that Beech and his friend bought a damaged Curtiss biplane and taught themselves to fly.When the United States. entered World War I in 1917, Walter joined the Army. Though it is commonly reported that Beech served as a pilot and instructor in the Signal Corps, he was actually stationed at Rich Field near Waco, Texas as an engine mechanic for the Army’s Curtiss and de Havilland training aircraft. Beech remained in the Army after the war concluded, and he was finally awarded a slot as a pilot. However, Congress was not convinced that continued funding for the air service was necessary given that the war had ended. With his prospects of flying for the Army dashed, Beech“I walked into an open hangar the other day, alongside all the modern, shiny, all-metal jobs there was a Staggerwing. She is a rare sight – less than 250 of her sisters exist today – the possibility of seeing one at any given airport is fairly remote. When you see one, you know you are in the presence of one of the Great Ones.”– R.T. SmithMARCH 2011­TWIN & TURBINE • ­33w