Everything about Staggerwing totally explained
The
Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an
American biplane with an atypical negative
stagger (the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing).
Development
At the height of the
Great Depression, aircraft executive
Walter H. Beech and airplane designer T. A. "Ted" Wells joined forces to collaborate on a project many considered foolhardy — a large, powerful, and fast biplane built specifically for the business executive. The Beech Model 17, popularly known as the "Staggerwing" was first flown on
November 4,
1932, setting the standard for private passenger airplanes for many years to come. It was considered, during its time, to be the premier executive aircraft flying, much as the Gulfstream executive jets are considered in contemporary times.
The Model 17's unusual
wing configuration—the upper wing inversely staggered behind the lower—and unique shape resulted in a design that maximized the pilot's visibility while minimizing the aircraft's tendency to
stall. The fabric-covered
fuselage was
faired with wood
formers and
stringers placed over a welded, steel tube frame. The construction of the plane was complex and took many manhours to complete. The Staggerwing's retractable
conventional landing gear, uncommon at that time, combined with
streamlining, light weight, and its use of powerful
radial engines helped it perform significantly better than other biplane designs.
In the mid-1930s, Beech embarked upon a major redesign of the aircraft, to be known officially as the
Model D17 Staggerwing. The D17 featured a lengthened
fuselage that improved the aircraft's
landing characteristics by increasing the leverage generated by the
elevator.
Ailerons were relocated on the upper
wings, eliminating any interference with the air flow over the
flaps.
Braking was improved by the introduction of a foot-operated brake that was synchronized with the
rudder pedals. All of these modifications enhanced the Staggerwing's performance, which would soon be put to the test under wartime conditions.
Operational history
Sales started slowly at first; the first Staggerwings' high price tag (between
US$14,000 and
US$17,000, depending on the size of the engine) scared off potential buyers in an already depressed market for civil aircraft. Only 18 Model 17s were sold during
1933, the first year of production, but sales steadily increased. Each Staggerwing was custom-built by hand. The luxurious cabin, trimmed in
leather and
mohair, could hold up to five passengers. Eventually, the Staggerwing captured a substantial share of the passenger aircraft market. By the start of World War II, more than 424 Model 17s had been sold.
Air racing
The Staggerwing's speed also made it the darling of the air racers of the
1930s. An early version of Model 17 won the
1933 Texaco Trophy Race. In
1935, a British
diplomat, Capt. H.L. Farquhar, successfully flew
around the world in a Model B17R, traveling 21,332
miles (34,331
kilometers) from
New York to
London, by way of
Siberia,
Southeast Asia, the
Middle East,
North Africa and back across
Europe.
Louise Thaden and
Blanche Noyes won the
1936 Bendix trophy in a Model C17R Staggerwing. Thaden also won the
Harmon Trophy for her achievement.
Jackie Cochran set a women's speed record of 203.9 mph, established an altitude record of over 30,000 feet (9,144 meters), and finished third in the
1937 Bendix Trophy Race, all while flying a special Model D17W Staggerwing. The aircraft made an impressive showing in the
1938 Bendix race as well.
World War II
As World War II loomed on the horizon, a number of Model B17L were pressed into service by the forces of the
Second Spanish Republic as
bombers during the
Spanish Civil War.
China ordered a number of Staggerwings to use as
ambulance planes in its fight against
Imperial Japan.
Finland had one B17L as a liaison aircraft between 1940-1945. On
October 2,
1941, Beech shipped a special
camouflaged D17S to
Prince Bernhard of Lippe, who was in exile in
London after the
Germany invasion of
The Netherlands. He used it for refugee work in and around London.
The
Beech UC-43 Traveler was a slightly modified version of the Staggerwing. In late
1938, three Model D17S were purchased for evaluation by the
United States Army Air Corps for possible use as a light
liaison aircraft. These were designated
YC-43. After a short
flight test program, the YC-43s were sent to
Europe to serve as liaison aircraft with the
air attachés in
London,
Paris and
Rome.
Early in
World War II, the need for a compact executive-type transport or courier aircraft became apparent and in
1942 the
United States Army Air Forces ordered the first of 270 Model 17s for service within the
United States and overseas as the
UC-43. These differed only in minor details from the commercial model. To meet urgent wartime needs, the government also purchased or
leased (impressed) additional "Staggerwings" from private owners including 118 more for the Army Air Force plus others for the
United States Navy. In Navy service the planes were designated as
GB-1 and
GB-2. The
British Royal Air Force and
Royal Navy also received 106 "Traveller Mk. I" (the British name uses the anglicized double "l" spelling) through the
Lend-Lease arrangement to fill its own critical need for
light personnel transports.
The production UC-43 differed in minor details from the service test YC-43. Two distinguishing external features of the UC-43 are the circular
ADF antenna mounted between the main landing gear and
landing lights near the lower wingtips. They were all powered by the 450
horsepower (336
kilowatt)
Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine.
Post-war
After the war's end, Beech immediately converted its manufacturing capabilities back to the production of
civil aircraft with one final version of the Staggerwing, the Model G17S. 16 aircraft were built and sold at a price of
US$29,000 apiece. One D17S was sold to
Finland from
Norway in 1949 and it was used for
Finnish Air Force between 1950-1958. The lightweight
V-tail Beechcraft Bonanza, a high-powered four-passenger luxury aircraft, soon replaced the venerable Staggerwing in the Beech product line, at about one-third the price. The Bonanza was a much smaller aircraft with much less horsepower, but carried four people with almost exactly the same speed as the Staggerwing. The final Staggerwing was sold in
1948; it left the factory in
1949, the last of 785 aircraft.
Popular culture
In March of 2003,
Plane & Pilot magazine named the Staggerwing one of its Top Ten All-Time Favorite aircraft.
In the April, 2007 issue of
AOPA Pilot magazine it was reported that the Staggerwing was voted by nearly 3000 AOPA members as the Most Beautiful Airplane. "Members said it's the perfect balance between 'muscular strength and delicate grace,' and they rated it high for its 'classic lines and symmetry.'"
A Staggerwing is featured in the video for the
Pink Floyd song
Learning to Fly.
Variants and design stages
Production by Model>
Model
Designation |
Number
Produced |
| 17R |
2 |
| A17F |
1 |
| A17FS |
1 |
| B17B |
2 |
| B17E |
4 |
| B17L |
46 |
| B17R |
15 |
| C17B |
39 |
| C17E |
2 |
| C17L |
6 |
| C17R |
17 |
| D17A |
8 |
| D17R |
27 |
| D17S |
67 civilian
412 military |
| D17W |
2 |
| E17B |
54 |
| E17L |
1 |
| F17D |
60 |
| G17S |
20 |
| Total |
785 |
17 » Fixed gear prototype made first flight on November 4, 1932.
By 1934, Beechcraft had designed and built four models. They were the 17R (420 hp Wright engine); the A17F (690 hp Wright engine); the A17FS (710 hp Wright engine); and the B17L (225 hp Jacobs engine). All were fixed gear models with the exception of the B17L, which had a pneumatically retractable undercarriage. Of the three models, the B17L proved best suited to meet the market demands, and became the first production model.
B17 » First production model, manufactured from March 1934 to March 1936.
;C17 » Manufactured from March 1936 to March 1937.
D17 » Manufactured from March 1937 to 1945 (All were military models after 1941).
;E17 » Manufactured from March 1937 to 1941.
F17 » Manufactured from April 1938 to 1941.
;G17 » Manufactured from 1946 to 1948.
Military designations
YC-43 » Three Model D17S with a 450hp R-985-17 engine for evaluation by the United States Army Air Corps
;UC-43 Traveler » Production version with a 450hp R-985-AN-1 engine, 75 ordered for the USAAC and 63 for the United States Navy as the GB-1, 132 were later transferred from the USN to the USAAC.
UC-43A » Model D17R with 440hp R-975-11 engine, 13 impressed into service.
;UC-43B » Model D17S with 450hp R-985-17 engine, 13 impressed into service.
UC-43C » Model F17D with 300hp R-915-1 engine, 37 impressed into service.
;UC-43D » Model E17B with 285hp R-830-1 engine, 31 impressed into service.
UC-43E » Model C17R with 440hp R-975-11 engine, five impressed into service.
;UC-43F » Model D17A with 350hp R-975-3 engine, one impressed into service.
UC-43G » Model C17B with 285hp R-830-1 engine, 10 impressed into service.
;UC-43H » Model B17R with 440hp R-975-11 engine, three impressed into service.
UC-43J » Model C17L with 225hp R-755-1 engine, three impressed into service.
;UC-43K » Model D17W, one impressed into service. This aircraft was originally built in 1937 for famed aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran. Cochran flew the plane in the 1937 Bendix cross-country race and placed first in the Women's Division and 3rd overall. She also set a Women's National Speed Record of 203.895 miles per hour using the plane.
GB-1 » United States Navy transport version of the D17, ten bought in 1939 and ten impressed into USN service.
;GB-2 » USN version as GB-1 but with a 450hp R-985-50 or R-985-AN-1 engine, 271 built, 132 later transferred to USAAF as UC-43s. Also additional aircraft from a cancelled British contract and impressed aircraft.
JB-1 » One Model C17R as an executive transport for the United States Navy.
;Traveller I » British designation for the former US Embassy in London's YC-43 and 107 UC-43 and GB-2 aircraft delivered mainly for the Royal Navy.
Engine selection
Operators
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