I flew the Beech 18 for 18 months at the age of 20 for a year and half in 1967-1968. A wonderful airplane hauling the first night mail contract since the 1930s . Our call sign was airmail one. My route was from Minneapolis to international falls Minnesota. I would arrive at. 10:00 pm . In the winter we would drain 8 gallons of oil from each engine in the winter and carry that next to the stove in the hanger. In the morning we pour the oil back in so we could have a good start. Now after 40 years in commercial aviation these were my fondest years.
I accumulated about 1500 hours in various models of the 18 back in the late 70’s. Of all the aircraft I have flown, it was the most engaging and satisfying. I think they were the last multi-engine “pilots airplane” built. Nothing automatic, mostly manual, mechanical controls and a stable, capable machine. While sitting in the right seat as co-pilot once, I watched as the left seat pilot showed me a 450 foot ground roll take-off in an empty plane. (I thought we were going to hit a low fence at the airport boundary as the gear came up!). My father flew them to get his flight pay when he was a senior officer in the Marine Corps in the 50’s and 60’s. It has been a long time since I walked away from my last flight in one, but they are a fond memory.
I flew cargo on the Beech 18 from New Orleans to points along the Gulf coast back around '85. She was a sweetheart. I only ground looped her once ... or so. Thanks for the memories, S
cousiin Brucie, When I was in AFROTC in college I flew with 2 captains from De Moines Iowa to Wichita Falls Tx then I flew the 18 all night back to Offut AFB. Those 450 just hum. You know what pilots say put your faith in GOD and pratt and whitney. Good video luv it.
That was fantastic. I was born the previous year, making this one 67? I grew up a short mile from Vancouver Airport and used to watch all of the old timers left over from WWII flying in and out serving the west coast commercial fishing communities and interior logging towns. Grumman Goose, Wigeons and Mallards. DC 3, 4, 6s too. Beech 18s were my favourites for lots of reasons that were all shown in this video today. Oooee!!! At 16, I was fuelling at the airport. All of those aircraft and floatplanes too. C-170, 172, 180, 185s. Not many 206s. Of course my all-time fave on floats the Beaver. Life is funny. When I was that age all I could think about was being a pilot one day. I got my PPL, but the oil crisis put a stop to a lot of careers. Anyway, there was an old 18 on the ramp that waited for two years to get a main-spar replaced. Many times and on many days when things were quiet on the weekends I would sneak aboard and up into the left seat and not unlike a kid sitting in his Dad's car, imagined that she and I were on some important trip up the coast to some remote location. Many were put on floats and proved very useful in that configuration. At the time I had a vague feeling I was watching the end of an era as many of the Mallards were bought up and shifted to Florida and the Caribbeans. There were some Catalinas (Cansos up here)and even a couple of Republic Seebees doing taxi work in the Gulf Islands. Work still being done but by Beavers and Caravans today. Anyway, it all came rushing back to me when I saw and heard that beautiful 18. I didn't get my commercial like I planned, but today I got to sit in Mark's lap and the quality of video today, including the audio is so much like one is right there. Thanks for bringing a dream come true even if it is a virtual experience. BTW. That character in the back sounded an awful lot like Juan? Coincidence I'm sure. Couldn't quite make out his face. Huh.......
@@skywagonuniversity5023 I had a feeling it was him‼️🤪 LOL I’m sure we all got a hoot flying around in that beautiful piece of aviation history⁉️Military as well as civilian.
My Dad flew Twin Beech very much like this out in Hawaii doing tours in the 70s when I was a a kid. I got to ride along frequently. Cool plane cool memories.
these planes ard the ones that fly them are the last of a great Era. these planes back in the 70 and 80s have lives straight out of a novel. has any one seen the Miami vice Beech 18 N441MH is it still around?
@@skywagonuniversity5023 night mail and freight for a fella that got kicked out of trucking. He was a likable guy with a temper and usually in hot water with the FSDO. Nightly flights & RTBs to a farmer’s field strip with reflectors serving as runway lights and car battery powered strobes at both ends of the rwy. One set was usually burned out..FSDO POI wouldn’t ride in there. Ah the “good old days” 😯😯😯
In the 70's we used to go down to Weir Cook airport (Indy now) watch the night mail planes load up for their overnight runs. As I recall they were called "scud runners" for the low altitude they flew.
Taildraggin' radials. Doesn't get any better for REAL pilots. I have a few hours in an H model (nosedigger Beech 18). Beech 18's fly like they're on rails. Beech knew how to build airplanes. My personal ride is a Cessna 195. Nice radial engine music. Great airplane for keeping stick and rudder skills sharp. Thanks for a nice video.
Great airplanes! I was fortunate to fly a 1958 E18S for one year delivering cargo. Sadly, that airplane sits in disrepair inside a hanger Mason City, Iowa.
I just discovered your channel and watched at least 6 videos already. This is my favorite so far. Your little airport is about the coolest one anywhere. And the Beech 18 is so loaded with Mojo 😎
Thanks, Mark. That was cool! When I was a young boy, there was an outift at Tucson International doing turboprop conversions on the Beech 18s. That really ignited the imagination of this kid!
My first swimming lesson was in one of these. Seriously. My dad flew one of these in Houma Louisiana in the early- mid 60's. A yellow one. I was about four or five years old. Well my Dad "Jack Frost" was a real jokester. On many weekends he would take me, my sisters and mom flying. For some reason I was out of my seat and standing in the little isle. Well my Dad decides to put the plane into a steep dive causing me to float up to the ceiling. I remember being stretched out on the ceiling throwing my arms and kicking my legs. I looked forward to see my Dad looking back at me from the cockpit laughing. My mom reached up to pull me down and she bumbed her head on the ceiling and got mad. They said it looked just like I was swimming. He use to scare the hell out of me in Seaplanes also. He died when I was twelve, racing motorcycles. He was a wild one.
Funny story. Reminds me of when I was in a freighter Alaska DC3 hitching a ride south from AK as a teenager and was at 12000 feet and needed the restroom. The pilots said to crawl down the drafty windy noisy fuselage over all the cargo and pee out of the crack in the badly fitting rear doors. So I did, and when I was down there doing this and very "vulnerable to amusement" they must have hit some very "localized" turbulence. You can imagine the rest. ;-)
Thanks for the memories Mark. I flew both a conventional gear and a Volpar modified "nose dragger" D18S back in the latr 1980s and early 1990s. Bothe wrre delightful handling airplanes with light, welll balanced controls with wonderful harmony, truly a joy to fly! They also exhibited good stability, any attitude you put the airplane in, espevially in roll, it would maintain fprever, changing only when you commanded it. Whenever I flew the "mose dragger," it reminded me of a B-25 wile sitting in the cockpit on the ground. The nose wheel was fre castering, like a '47 Bonanza, so you steered with differential thrust on the ground and avoided braking as much as possible. Also, when the gear was retracted the spinning nose wheel tire would rub on thr well structure and there was a strong smell of burning rubber in the cockpit for a minute or two - always surprised anyone new to the plane. Yes, we flight planned for an average fuel burn of 45 gph, and that was just about right on for overall fuel burn on a normal flight, but could go higher if just doing short hops or pattern work with more time taking off or climbing Great memories for a now older guy now looking at hanging up thr headset.
While in A & E school , 1976 , two of our teachers had to get the Beech x-rayed. They invited me and two other students to go from Ogden to Van Nuys , about 700 miles. Wow, our two teachers were ex-B29 Air force flight crew and pilots during W.W. ll ! The Beech 18 , an amazing aircraft , I think it was made in 1949 , all the instruments were old and original.
We enjoyed making this video. It has the distinction of having a second edit of the same footage to create a period piece. ua-cam.com/video/okc6Ay28J7c/v-deo.html
I flew Beech 18s for a living for 5 years and 3000 hours. Flew scheduled passenger flights and flew the mail at night. I LOVED this airplane! I was a flight instructor and company check airman and ground instructor.
Very beautiful old airplane!!! Thank you for bringing us along and all the info and details that you point out along the way! Nice of the owners to take you up for the tour! They get some thanks too!
Flew these and PT6 conversions at Great Western in '77/'78. Learned a lot about flying from those experiences. Brings back fond memories. Thanks for the great ride and video!
I worked as a lineman while building flight time back in the 80's. We had sever B-18's that we fueled on a regular basis. Just a beautiful piece of Aviation history. It was a running joke for pilots to say "Put in a little fuel and fill her up with oil !"
Just listened to the AOPA podcast involving this type of Twin Beech. There were so many technical comments on the show that I just had to see it myself. What an iconic airplane with so much history
This brings back memories. On a ride along before class, fall of '73 we were in a 172 (I think) between LaCrosse and Winona flying back to Winona in that wonderful pre-dawn light when turbine converted Beech 18 came out of the west streaking to the east - fast! Naturally the only noise was the drone of our aircraft so it was like watching a silent movie. Very impressive.
I miss the 18s. My dad owned two 18s when I was young and flew airmail. He had a lot of planes and his 2 go to planes were the 18s and his V tail Bonanza. I actually love these two planes and I loved his 185 sky wagon, polished with red stripes. This was back in the 70s and the 80s. Great video.
One of my favorite aircraft...back in the mid 1980's we used a twin beech as a jump plane at both Suffolk, VA and West Point, VA for skydiving...it was an awesome aircraft. They both held 12 jumpers and the pilot. One jumper had to sit in the copilot's seat and the other 11 sat in two rows facing backwards sitting on the floor between the next person's legs.
BTW, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is showing it's a Mad, Mad, Mad world very soon, where they fly a Beech 18 through the Bill Board! They REALLY did that! you can read the story about the stunt on the internet!
Marvelous and very enjoyable presentation. 1954 is the year I was born. I have always loved the twin Beech and DC3s. A ride in a Beech 18 is on my bucket list.
One of my absolute dream airplanes. Today I'm flying a Robin DR400 und a DV20 Katana but I hope the future will bring me a Beech 18 some day 🙂 Nice Video, good job!
Damn it Juan, if I had known there was gonna be an oral, I would have studied. ;-) I have had the good fortune to not only ride in this airplane with Jimmy, but fly with him in the go fast money makers. He is truly one of the finest professionals I have had the pleasure to work with in my career.
I got about 10 minutes stick time on one from the right seat about 20 years ago. Very smooth and solid as I recall...no more difficult to handle than the 172 I was used to flying.......
Very nice. Elegancy at its best. That engine is the small block (chevy) of radial engines. Looks superbly maintained. The retro video at the end was a nice touch.
Epic! Beautiful airplane. I've got a couple hundred hours in a Beech 18 flying cargo in Hawaii (N933T). Ours was probably the last B-18 to fly the U.S. mail. We'd fly empty from HNL to KOA, fill 'er up with mail and return to HNL at sundown -- great memories which I'll always treasure. Ours wasn't nearly as pretty though - she'd been 'ridden hard and put away wet' for many years. Donated to the local A&P school, sadly.....
As a child Mom took me to see "It's a Mad Mad Mad World". I became a Beech fan that day. To my surprise during Vietnam the Army sent me to fixed wing instead of Helicopters . Better yet the Beech King Air (67G20) school in Virginia ...how lucky was that ?
I too just discovered your channel. That Beech 18 is one beautiful looking bird. I worked on one when I was in A&P school and it was labor of love. My father flew the AT-11 military version of the Beech 18 during WWII when he was stationed at MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida and he loved flying that plane. Think he also flew a high ranking general around in the transport version as well when he was in the Army Air Force.
This looks just like the Beech 18 that was at the MHR 2019 Capital Airshow, as I recall this is the same plane. Such a wonderful airplane! Staggerwing, Beech 18, 195 all sitting in the dream hangar next to giant barrels of oil. Of course, they would all have to be bought from Mark’s Skywagons. Great tour around the beech and the owners feedback on the rewarding experience of flying it correctly!
The Beech 18 is a beautiful aircraft. I love how you explained everything as you were doing it. You used the KISS method to explain everything as it should be in sequencing the actions necessary to operate the 18.
I’m a FedEx pilot and if you ever decide or need to part ways with that beautiful plane, I’d be extremely interested in owning it. I’ve dreamt of a owning a polished aluminum twin Beech and have considered restoring and refurbishing one. Yours is truly beautiful.
I flew a Beech 18 for FedEx. Well sort of. Back in the early 90’s I flew for a small company called Miami Air Charter out of Tamiami Miami Executive. We were contracted by FedEx to fly to both Freeport and Nassau daily, until we lost the contract to Mountain Air Cargo and their “fancy” Caravans. I think FedEx was just tired of us leaving oil puddles on their ramps 😂. And yes, I’d love to own a Beech 18 too. When asked, I’d I say that the 18 is a great plane that can haul a huge load and flew fantastic BUT, it was like landings a shopping cart. BTW, I fly for Untied now on the 767.
When I was in high school, a friend that worked at Northrop had a ex-RCAF D-18S, and I got quite a few (un-logged) hours in it, including trips to Catalina Island: we used to bring people out of their hangars as we did side slips into Flabob Airport, to see if we'd make it! 🤣😅😂 What a sweetie-pie of an airplane to fly, but do be careful on the ground if it has the taller tail strut, as it'll bite you if you're not paying attention.
I flew the Beech 18 for 18 months at the age of 20 for a year and half in 1967-1968. A wonderful airplane hauling the first night mail contract since the 1930s . Our call sign was airmail one. My route was from Minneapolis to international falls Minnesota. I would arrive at. 10:00 pm . In the winter we would drain 8 gallons of oil from each engine in the winter and carry that next to the stove in the hanger. In the morning we pour the oil back in so we could have a good start. Now after 40 years in commercial aviation these were my fondest years.
Great memories.
What a beautiful airplane! Getting in this aircraft must be like stepping into a time machine that goes straight to the golden age of aviation.
That is exactly what it was like
I accumulated about 1500 hours in various models of the 18 back in the late 70’s. Of all the aircraft I have flown, it was the most engaging and satisfying. I think they were the last multi-engine “pilots airplane” built. Nothing automatic, mostly manual, mechanical controls and a stable, capable machine. While sitting in the right seat as co-pilot once, I watched as the left seat pilot showed me a 450 foot ground roll take-off in an empty plane. (I thought we were going to hit a low fence at the airport boundary as the gear came up!). My father flew them to get his flight pay when he was a senior officer in the Marine Corps in the 50’s and 60’s. It has been a long time since I walked away from my last flight in one, but they are a fond memory.
A real classic and very rewarding to fly well.
awesome stuff
My father brought home a horse in the 18, back in the 60’s.
The horse was inside it?
Pics?
@@skywagonuniversity5023 Y. I convinced him to write an autobiography for all his stories. 35,000 hrs PIC.
Horses were not as tall back in the 60s
hores shit😂😂😂😂😂, i did more than a few jumps out of a b18, yolo and pope valley❤
I flew cargo on the Beech 18 from New Orleans to points along the Gulf coast back around '85. She was a sweetheart. I only ground looped her once ... or so.
Thanks for the memories,
S
Such a beautiful aircraft,love that sound a good P&W radial makes.. WOW!What a plane .
cousiin Brucie, When I was in AFROTC in college I flew with 2 captains from De Moines Iowa to Wichita Falls Tx then I flew the 18 all night back to Offut AFB. Those 450 just hum. You know what pilots say put your faith in GOD and pratt and whitney. Good video luv it.
I've got a couple thousand hours flying FAR 135 night air freight in the Twin Beech.... My favorite airplane.
That was fantastic. I was born the previous year, making this one 67? I grew up a short mile from Vancouver Airport and used to watch all of the old timers left over from WWII flying in and out serving the west coast commercial fishing communities and interior logging towns. Grumman Goose, Wigeons and Mallards. DC 3, 4, 6s too. Beech 18s were my favourites for lots of reasons that were all shown in this video today. Oooee!!! At 16, I was fuelling at the airport. All of those aircraft and floatplanes too. C-170, 172, 180, 185s. Not many 206s. Of course my all-time fave on floats the Beaver. Life is funny. When I was that age all I could think about was being a pilot one day. I got my PPL, but the oil crisis put a stop to a lot of careers. Anyway, there was an old 18 on the ramp that waited for two years to get a main-spar replaced. Many times and on many days when things were quiet on the weekends I would sneak aboard and up into the left seat and not unlike a kid sitting in his Dad's car, imagined that she and I were on some important trip up the coast to some remote location. Many were put on floats and proved very useful in that configuration. At the time I had a vague feeling I was watching the end of an era as many of the Mallards were bought up and shifted to Florida and the Caribbeans. There were some Catalinas (Cansos up here)and even a couple of Republic Seebees doing taxi work in the Gulf Islands. Work still being done but by Beavers and Caravans today. Anyway, it all came rushing back to me when I saw and heard that beautiful 18. I didn't get my commercial like I planned, but today I got to sit in Mark's lap and the quality of video today, including the audio is so much like one is right there. Thanks for bringing a dream come true even if it is a virtual experience. BTW. That character in the back sounded an awful lot like Juan? Coincidence I'm sure. Couldn't quite make out his face. Huh.......
Hi BCbou53! What a great story! We are very happy you enjoyed the video. We enjoyed the memories! And, yes ... that is Juan in the back seat.
@@skywagonuniversity5023 I had a feeling it was him‼️🤪 LOL I’m sure we all got a hoot flying around in that beautiful piece of aviation history⁉️Military as well as civilian.
What a treat to "ride" along in this beauty!
It was a great ride. Fun to share via UA-cam.
This is as close to a dream come to life as it gets for me!!!
That has to be one of the coolest planes I have ever seen!
It was great to ride in it too.
My Dad flew Twin Beech very much like this out in Hawaii doing tours in the 70s when I was a a kid. I got to ride along frequently. Cool plane cool memories.
Beautiful Beech 18 Mark
Thanks. It's a classic.
these planes ard the ones that fly them are the last of a great Era. these planes back in the 70 and 80s have lives straight out of a novel. has any one seen the Miami vice Beech 18 N441MH is it still around?
Man I love my uncle, best pilot and man in the world.
the 1930's was truly a sweet time for Aviation. Aircrafts never looked Sexier!
Yes it was.
One fine bird. I’m 43 and love the big bad era. People now days haven’t a clue what real music is everything else is just noise!
Jimmy, Mark & JB thanks for the ride along in one beautiful Beech 18😛😛😛. Haven’t flown one since 1975. Loved the plane but not the job.
What was the job?
@@skywagonuniversity5023 night mail and freight for a fella that got kicked out of trucking. He was a likable guy with a temper and usually in hot water with the FSDO. Nightly flights & RTBs to a farmer’s field strip with reflectors serving as runway lights and car battery powered strobes at both ends of the rwy. One set was usually burned out..FSDO POI wouldn’t ride in there. Ah the “good old days” 😯😯😯
@@dougolson304 That sounds like fun, and you made it through it. ;-)
@@skywagonuniversity5023 true, I moved on found a great company and had a rewarding career that I wouldn’t trade for anything. 🙂
Looks like a really stable, comfortable, nice hand flying airplane! Really enjoyed watching. One of my favorite aircraft
There is a lot going on but it is a stylish retro mini corporate airliner.
Very exciting. The Beech 18. Like no other.
She's a classic for sure 9000 made, 300 left.
Boy the new style windshield really gives great visibility!!
Yes it does!
Jimmy’s a hell of a triple 7 pilot as well, and has a nice little cub. Great video guys!
Thank you, Jggnt! We appreciate the kind words.
Awesome video. The Beech 18 is such a beautiful plane
It's a classic and it was great that we had one local with a generous owner to let us ride in it and film it.
In the 70's we used to go down to Weir Cook airport (Indy now) watch the night mail planes load up for their overnight runs. As I recall they were called "scud runners" for the low altitude they flew.
Imagine flying these at night every night.
Beautiful aircraft! Love those vintage Beech radials! Such a sweet sound! Thanks for sharing!
Aeronautical music for sure.
Taildraggin' radials. Doesn't get any better for REAL pilots. I have a few hours in an H model (nosedigger Beech 18). Beech 18's fly like they're on rails. Beech knew how to build airplanes. My personal ride is a Cessna 195. Nice radial engine music. Great airplane for keeping stick and rudder skills sharp. Thanks for a nice video.
Hi Ben! Come to Placerville and we'll make a video of your plane!
@@skywagonuniversity5023 I'll try to make it happen
This is what I’m looking for for in a piston twin and Mark you have really made your channel number one
Thanks. We are only getting started and it is a steep learning curve with not a lot of experience on UA-cam.
Great airplanes! I was fortunate to fly a 1958 E18S for one year delivering cargo. Sadly, that airplane sits in disrepair inside a hanger Mason City, Iowa.
Sadly like a lot of them. The spar AD killed a lot of them.
I just discovered your channel and watched at least 6 videos already. This is my favorite so far. Your little airport is about the coolest one anywhere. And the Beech 18 is so loaded with Mojo 😎
We're glad you found us! That Beech 18 was truly a beauty!
Simply Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for that, many memories as lots of hours in a C45 and a C117D What you learned and taught in back in the day lol...
Thank you.
Absolute stunner.
That was awesome, what an iconic aircraft. Thank you for presenting this video (I am a little late if you noticed!)
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was fun thanks guys!
Welcome
A piece of Americana. What a treat. Thanks
Thanks, Mark. That was cool!
When I was a young boy, there was an outift at Tucson International doing turboprop conversions on the Beech 18s. That really ignited the imagination of this kid!
Thanks. Yes, turboprops and on DC3's too.
My first swimming lesson was in one of these. Seriously. My dad flew one of these in Houma Louisiana in the early- mid 60's. A yellow one. I was about four or five years old. Well my Dad "Jack Frost" was a real jokester. On many weekends he would take me, my sisters and mom flying. For some reason I was out of my seat and standing in the little isle. Well my Dad decides to put the plane into a steep dive causing me to float up to the ceiling. I remember being stretched out on the ceiling throwing my arms and kicking my legs. I looked forward to see my Dad looking back at me from the cockpit laughing. My mom reached up to pull me down and she bumbed her head on the ceiling and got mad. They said it looked just like I was swimming. He use to scare the hell out of me in Seaplanes also. He died when I was twelve, racing motorcycles. He was a wild one.
Funny story. Reminds me of when I was in a freighter Alaska DC3 hitching a ride south from AK as a teenager and was at 12000 feet and needed the restroom. The pilots said to crawl down the drafty windy noisy fuselage over all the cargo and pee out of the crack in the badly fitting rear doors. So I did, and when I was down there doing this and very "vulnerable to amusement" they must have hit some very "localized" turbulence. You can imagine the rest. ;-)
@@skywagonuniversity5023 That is funny, oh to live those days again.
Thanks for the memories Mark. I flew both a conventional gear and a Volpar modified "nose dragger" D18S back in the latr 1980s and early 1990s. Bothe wrre delightful handling airplanes with light, welll balanced controls with wonderful harmony, truly a joy to fly! They also exhibited good stability, any attitude you put the airplane in, espevially in roll, it would maintain fprever, changing only when you commanded it. Whenever I flew the "mose dragger," it reminded me of a B-25 wile sitting in the cockpit on the ground. The nose wheel was fre castering, like a '47 Bonanza, so you steered with differential thrust on the ground and avoided braking as much as possible. Also, when the gear was retracted the spinning nose wheel tire would rub on thr well structure and there was a strong smell of burning rubber in the cockpit for a minute or two - always surprised anyone new to the plane. Yes, we flight planned for an average fuel burn of 45 gph, and that was just about right on for overall fuel burn on a normal flight, but could go higher if just doing short hops or pattern work with more time taking off or climbing
Great memories for a now older guy now looking at hanging up thr headset.
Thank you for this.
omg what a beautiful plane...
While in A & E school , 1976 , two of our teachers had to get the Beech x-rayed. They invited me and two other students to go from Ogden to Van Nuys , about 700 miles. Wow, our two teachers were ex-B29 Air force flight crew and pilots during W.W. ll ! The Beech 18 , an amazing aircraft , I think it was made in 1949 , all the instruments were old and original.
Excellent. Those were the days. Imagine that happening now!!!
Very cool history on that beech 18. I live about an hour from Winston-Salem in North Carolina
We enjoyed making this video. It has the distinction of having a second edit of the same footage to create a period piece. ua-cam.com/video/okc6Ay28J7c/v-deo.html
Super cool video! Flew to Auburn on March 6th for lunch and got to see this beauty!! Jim was kind enough to let us inside, super cool bird!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I flew Beech 18s for a living for 5 years and 3000 hours. Flew scheduled passenger flights and flew the mail at night. I LOVED this airplane! I was a flight instructor and company check airman and ground instructor.
Great way to start my day Thanks
Welcome
Great video.Informative,easy to follow,enjoyed every minute.Oh and yes what a beauty of an aircraft!
Wow! Wonderful!
Thank you! Cheers!
Thank you.
Love this little pearler,such a neat little unit!
Gorgeous airplane, excellent narration, very good video!
Deep nostalgia 🥺. Great video 👍
Very beautiful old airplane!!! Thank you for bringing us along and all the info and details that you point out along the way!
Nice of the owners to take you up for the tour! They get some thanks too!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Flew these and PT6 conversions at Great Western in '77/'78. Learned a lot about flying from those experiences. Brings back fond memories. Thanks for the great ride and video!
Love the chrome look so reminescent of WWII B17G. I call this a "naked" plane.
It was a treat to video this one!
I worked as a lineman while building flight time back in the 80's. We had sever B-18's that we fueled on a regular basis. Just a beautiful piece of Aviation history. It was a running joke for pilots to say "Put in a little fuel and fill her up with oil !"
I put 39 quarts in one night, I don't know how much oil it has but it couldn't have had much left.
Love the sound of twin 450 Pratt and Whitney radials.
Wow! Super cool video. Wonderfull aircraft. Thanks for taking us along on this lovely trip. Great video work and editing.
A beautiful piece of history. Busted my knuckles on those Pratt & Whitney radials, even got to jump out one.
Just listened to the AOPA podcast involving this type of Twin Beech. There were so many technical comments on the show that I just had to see it myself. What an iconic airplane with so much history
This brings back memories. On a ride along before class, fall of '73 we were in a 172 (I think) between LaCrosse and Winona flying back to Winona in that wonderful pre-dawn light when turbine converted Beech 18 came out of the west streaking to the east - fast! Naturally the only noise was the drone of our aircraft so it was like watching a silent movie. Very impressive.
Sure brings back some memories. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
I miss the 18s. My dad owned two 18s when I was young and flew airmail. He had a lot of planes and his 2 go to planes were the 18s and his V tail Bonanza. I actually love these two planes and I loved his 185 sky wagon, polished with red stripes. This was back in the 70s and the 80s. Great video.
70's and 80's were the last of the good years of production of Cessna at least.
Thank you, really appreciate your work.
My pleasure!
That was awesome to watch
There is just something timeless about the Beech 18.
A beauty from a differnt era. Subscribed, this was amazing.
Thank you we hope to get better and better.
What a ride!
It really was.
Right up there with the DC-3 and the J-3 Cub. It's indeed a very special aircraft!!
One of my favorite aircraft...back in the mid 1980's we used a twin beech as a jump plane at both Suffolk, VA and West Point, VA for skydiving...it was an awesome aircraft. They both held 12 jumpers and the pilot. One jumper had to sit in the copilot's seat and the other 11 sat in two rows facing backwards sitting on the floor between the next person's legs.
Yeh, get the "copilot" out and dressed as we turn on jump run... good times.
Super cool plane! Thanks for sharing
Thanks.
BTW, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is showing it's a Mad, Mad, Mad world very soon, where they fly a Beech 18 through the Bill Board! They REALLY did that! you can read the story about the stunt on the internet!
In all my years of flying, I've never said to myself, "You should fly this plane through that billboard!" Nope. Not even once.
I AM IN LOVE! What a stunning looking aircraft!
Couldn't agree more!
Man this is awesome. Beech 18 Dc-3 are my favorites. Great to hear the line from Its a mad mad mad mad world. that movie made me love this plane.
It is a great old plane. And a funny movie.
That is one beautiful aircraft! :o)
Such a beautiful aircraft,love that sound a good P&W radial makes.
Nothing like it.
My uncle had a tricycle gear model and used mainly for skydiving, so many memories. Amazing plane.
I kinda wish that these types of aircraft were still made.
Love that big windshield.
Marvelous and very enjoyable presentation. 1954 is the year I was born. I have always loved the twin Beech and DC3s. A ride in a Beech 18 is on my bucket list.
La más antigua versión entrenamiento de bombardeo A T- 11
de la segunda guerra .
Beautiful Aircraft, great Video with special guests in the middle!
Glad you enjoyed it
One of my absolute dream airplanes. Today I'm flying a Robin DR400 und a DV20 Katana but I hope the future will bring me a Beech 18 some day 🙂 Nice Video, good job!
Damn it Juan, if I had known there was gonna be an oral, I would have studied. ;-) I have had the good fortune to not only ride in this airplane with Jimmy, but fly with him in the go fast money makers. He is truly one of the finest professionals I have had the pleasure to work with in my career.
Sweet.
I wish more of these existed;
only 200 of the original 9000 still fly.
I remember seeing commercial passenger use
of the 18 in vintage movies.
Imagine it as a passenger plane. 140 Kts and 100 gallon per hour.
I got about 10 minutes stick time on one from the right seat about 20 years ago. Very smooth and solid as I recall...no more difficult to handle than the 172 I was used to flying.......
Very nice. Elegancy at its best. That engine is the small block (chevy) of radial engines. Looks superbly maintained. The retro video at the end was a nice touch.
Thank you, Mo! I was kinda proud of that and made a short video of the same plane in the same vein. Glad you liked it. - Don the Camera Guy.
Epic! Beautiful airplane.
I've got a couple hundred hours in a Beech 18 flying cargo in Hawaii (N933T). Ours was probably the last B-18 to fly the U.S. mail. We'd fly empty from HNL to KOA, fill 'er up with mail and return to HNL at sundown -- great memories which I'll always treasure. Ours wasn't nearly as pretty though - she'd been 'ridden hard and put away wet' for many years. Donated to the local A&P school, sadly.....
As a child Mom took me to see "It's a Mad Mad Mad World". I became a Beech fan that day. To my surprise during Vietnam the Army sent me to fixed wing instead of Helicopters . Better yet the Beech King Air (67G20) school in Virginia ...how lucky was that ?
Thanks again Skywagon University for another great and interesting video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
back when airplanes where airplanes, very elegant
Those were the days. Keep 'em flying.
Boomer
Are airplanes not airplanes anymore?
I too just discovered your channel. That Beech 18 is one beautiful looking bird. I worked on one when I was in A&P school and it was labor of love. My father flew the AT-11 military version of the Beech 18 during WWII when he was stationed at MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida and he loved flying that plane. Think he also flew a high ranking general around in the transport version as well when he was in the Army Air Force.
Thanks for sharing that, Jim.
another great video
Glad you enjoyed it
I owned a lil' twin tail for two years...the lowley Ercoupe! Your 18 is fantastic!
Thanks.
What a beautiful aircraft, hopefully I get to fly one someday
It was fun.
This looks just like the Beech 18 that was at the MHR 2019 Capital Airshow, as I recall this is the same plane. Such a wonderful airplane! Staggerwing, Beech 18, 195 all sitting in the dream hangar next to giant barrels of oil. Of course, they would all have to be bought from Mark’s Skywagons.
Great tour around the beech and the owners feedback on the rewarding experience of flying it correctly!
Yes, that is the Same Beech 18 that was at Mather.
The Beech 18 is a beautiful aircraft. I love how you explained everything as you were doing it. You used the KISS method to explain everything as it should be in sequencing the actions necessary to operate the 18.
Great old planes. Keep them flying.
Beech 18's were manufactured for 30 years: from 1939 to 1969
One of my favorite airplanes is the Staggerwing. They looked exotic and had lots of room,.
Planes built by designers and not computers.
I’m a FedEx pilot and if you ever decide or need to part ways with that beautiful plane, I’d be extremely interested in owning it. I’ve dreamt of a owning a polished aluminum twin Beech and have considered restoring and refurbishing one. Yours is truly beautiful.
I'll ask the owner for you.
I flew a Beech 18 for FedEx. Well sort of. Back in the early 90’s I flew for a small company called Miami Air Charter out of Tamiami Miami Executive. We were contracted by FedEx to fly to both Freeport and Nassau daily, until we lost the contract to Mountain Air Cargo and their “fancy” Caravans. I think FedEx was just tired of us leaving oil puddles on their ramps 😂. And yes, I’d love to own a Beech 18 too. When asked, I’d I say that the 18 is a great plane that can haul a huge load and flew fantastic BUT, it was like landings a shopping cart. BTW, I fly for Untied now on the 767.
Theres nothing like the sound of a radial engine.
Except may be two of them?
@@skywagonuniversity5023 Touché my friend.
Kudos to the drone operator..wish it was me
That is all Don the Cameraman
When I was in high school, a friend that worked at Northrop had a ex-RCAF D-18S, and I got quite a few (un-logged) hours in it, including trips to Catalina Island: we used to bring people out of their hangars as we did side slips into Flabob Airport, to see if we'd make it! 🤣😅😂
What a sweetie-pie of an airplane to fly, but do be careful on the ground if it has the taller tail strut, as it'll bite you if you're not paying attention.
I used to fly out of Flabob.
@@skywagonuniversity5023 My friend used to know somebody there, but I can't remember who - this was in the early '80's...
Love those 18s ... never flew one ... YET !
Good attitude.
Nothing beats the sounds of the round (Radial) engines.
Not even the sound of two radial engines?
WOW!
What a plane ❤