Page 8 - Volume 18 Number 3

offering easy access to the engines and accessories. This was the era of exhaust-augmentation systems; eschewing mufflers, the exhaust stacks dumped into large-diameter outlet tubes, which drew additional cooling air through the nacelles as power was increased and exhaust flow went up. This obviated the need for cowl flaps, and the altitude-compensating pressure carburetors assured plenty of then-cheap avgas to keep the heads cool. A side benefit was the sweet sound of high-revving pistons swapping holes; in the 1950s, people living aroundairports understood that aircraft noise was just part of the neighborhood.Originally, Beech Aircraft supplied its own brand of propellers; the first Twin Bonanza used an electric feathering motor, actuated by pulling the prop lever through a detent. Over time, Hartzell’s three-blade hydraulic propellers won out. The beefy landing gear, designed for routine grass-field landings, was electrically- actuated, with a manual ratchet handle for emergency6 • TWIN & TURBINEMARCH 2014