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Let ‘Em Eat Steak:
Beechcraft’s T-Bone
by Matthew McDaniel
Once upon a time, there was no Beechcraft Royalty Series. The King Air, Queen Air, Duke, and Duchess didn’t yet exist. The Beech Model 17 Staggerwing design dated to the early 1930’s; however, even its timeless art-deco lines and luxury after WWII could no longer offset its complex and labor-intensive wood, tube, and fabric construction. Instead, Beechcraft pursued newer technologies, flying their Model 35 Bonanza within months of the war’s conclusion. By 1947, it was in production and enjoying brisk sales. While building and operating was far more economical, the V-35 lacked the Staggerwing’s plush cabin space and speed. But, the pre-war, tail-dragging, thirsty-twin-radial Beech 18 was a leap most buyers couldn’t afford. Thus, with BE-17 production ended, Beechcraft’s product line had a very sizable gap between the ahead-of-its-time V-Tail Bonanza and the much larger (and older) BE-18. So, late in 1949, the Model 50 Twin Bonanza first flew.
March 2024 / TWIN & TURBINE • 17