InFilms & Design Presents - Twin Beech 18 Featuring Steve Wood
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 кві 2019
- A short Documentary on the topic of the history of the Beechcraft Model 18 or the "Twin Beech". Twin Beech 18 owner Steve Wood of Grand Junction, Colorado, gives us a look at his 1948 Twin Beech and gives us a brief history on one of the most loved airplanes ever produced.
Proudly produced by InFilms & Design www.infilmsdesign.com/
What a legend of aviation history ❤
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-one of my favorite movies-because of this aircraft.
A work of art!
In the 1970s, the primary commercial use of the Beech 18 was flying mail at night, which I did. They were the plane of choice when, in 1963, the US Post Office began to let contracts to fly mail in small airplanes between select city pairs, operating under FAR Part 135. I was a member of the unheralded Second Generation Airmail Pilots. Flying the mail at night reached a peak in the 1970s, which was when I flew the mail in the E18S. For a young pilot, it was a great way to get experience and make the step up to the major airlines. I eventually spent 29 years flying for United, thanks in part to my Beech 18 experience.
What a life experience! Great.
I have come to thoroughly enjoy Microsoft Flight Simulator, and I think the plane that gives me the biggest kick “flying” is The Beech 18. It is THE most beautiful machine and it just seems to be what perfect looks like. And THIS one is off the charts. Wow!!!!
That clip of the two Beech 18s and the DC-3 flying in formation brings back memories! I flew both types for a commuter airline and sometime each type in one duty day.
Thank you for this very nicely written and well-produced video.
From the mid '60 to early 70's I grew-up under the traffic pattern of MMU where model 18 Beech freighters were a frequent sound and sight. That was during the dawn of the madcap "just-in-time" inventory management in American manufacturing. By the late 70's, far fewer 18s were seen operating commercially. Factors included other a/c types entering their freighter years (examples: Piper PA-31, Embraer). Adding to that change, a costly A.D. note was issued concerning the integrity the wing center section spar.
While this video scores a solid 99/100, one small glitch robbed 1%! Appearing at the 0:46 mark, an image of a lovely Lockheed appears. Understandable and surely forgivable. The narration as well as the chat by Mr. Wood were both excellent.
GREAT VIDEO...BEAUTIFUL BIRD...! ❤ IT
My father flew the Navy version of the Beech 18, and I flew it 30 years later.
I spent the summer of 1967 flying co-pilot in De Havilland Herons in the Caribbean but always envied the guys who flew the Beech 18s to the islands… great airplane, great pilots, fun times.
Great to see she’s being well taken care of Steve. (Looks just like I last remember it when you bought her from my dad). Many fond memories traveling to Mexico etc…..sure miss it!
She’s beautiful!
I flew on one from honolulu to molokai along with stacks of the daily newspaper..it was memorable
This video was outstanding. Very cool to see one up close in the video.
At :33 seconds is a clip of a DC-3 and two Beech 18s flying in formation. I flew both of them in the 1970s for a commuter airline in Missouri where I was the chief pilot. I flew the Beech E18S in scheduled passenger flights as well as air mail at night. Those of us intrepid aviators who flew mail at night in the Beech 18 were what I call the second generation airmail pilots, after Charles Lindberg and Wiley Post did it in the 1920s. That was a tough way to gain experience for a job with the major airlines. I was one of the last pilots to fly the DC-3 and Beech 18 in scheduled passenger service. I also flew rock groups on tour in the DC-3 1976-1979 all of which led to a career with United Airlines. Flying the Beech 18 in all kinds of weather was the absolute best way to hone one's airmanship skills. That airplane simply demanded its pilot bring unerring skills to the cockpit, or pay the price! We had to install external spar straps installed after 1,000 flying flight time which were ugly and slowed our plans own. Ours all had the Hamilton extended nose kit installed which really enhanced safety by keeping the CG in the center.
By far, my favorite plane
The ones I flew were configured for 9 passengers and 2 pilots when we flew it for commuter airline operations.
Nice video!!
Wow.
The first shot looks to be a G model or maybe an H. I flew the E18S for 3,000 hours back in the 1970s. Flew scheduled passenger flights and flew the mail at night, which was a pretty tough way to make a living. Still love this airplane!! And nothing sounds like two R-985s at takeoff power.
That's very cool! So lucky to have flown this aircraft! Thanks for watching!
Hoy año 2022 .
Mis más sinceras Felicitaciónes por
Los trabajos de restauración de estos legendarios aviones.
I have many hours flying mail in a Beech 18 from Binghamton New York to JFK .
" Beech crafit ulizado pela FAB , na décadas de 1950 e 60, cheguei a voar em um desses lá no PAMA de São Paulo no bairro de Santana " Força aérea brasileira asas que protejem " 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
A Lodestar at :47.
I noticed that too.
The clip of
Tail wheel not retracted when gear up. I doubt that is legal.
Very interesting observation.
Some 18s had been modified to keep the tail wheel in the down position due to rigging problems, or they had installed a tall gear with larger tire in an earlier model that couldn’t retract into the well.
It takes a talented mechanic to adjust the retraction process of the tail wheel to match the mains retraction. It is not illegal to fly with the tail wheel down. It just adds a bit of drag. I have 1500 hours in B-18’s, D, E and H models and one flight in a nose gear mod (hated it.). The old D’Souza had a #1 engine exhaust port you could see from the left seat. You could adjust the mixture as you gained altitude by the color of the exhaust flame.