Beech 18 conversion

[T J Johansen]

Just found this photo on the net, and wonder, what the h**l kind of conversion is this? I can't remember ever seeing something like this!



T J

[Eric Friedebach]

Volpar did tri-gear conversions, and there are some with PT6’s and TPE331's.

I think the light plays a trick here though; the photo makes the fuselage look more “rounded” at the top than in reality.

[Robbie Stuart]

I believe that is a Dumod Corp conversion. They were an outfit out of Florida many moons ago.
Robbie

Last edited by Robbie Stuart on Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

[ww2John]

There are several Beech D-18-S conversions flying today, including N35W, a 1954 Pacific Airmotive Conversion, from a Volpar "kit" that regularly attends Oshkosh. It set me back a bit the first time I saw it.

IIRC in addition to the tricycle gear, there were several speed modifications, including "modified" P&W R985 engines, for improved performance as they modernized the venerable Beech 18 for post-war executive transportation.

[setter]

Hi we have one of those in Brisbane flying charter flights over the city at night I always run out of the house when it flies over The wife and cat just shake their heads!!
Regards
John P

[Tom Crawford]

I hear you John. I'm the same way and my wife thinks I'm nuts too, the sound of round motors will do it everytime. Tom

[Michel Lemieux]

Errr

A beach 18 with PT-6 ???

Code:

and there are some with PT6’s and TPE331's.

Bet you the flight envellope must a changed a little to say the least ?

[Chad Veich]

Errr

A beach 18 with PT-6 ???

Bet you the flight envellope must a changed a little to say the least ?

Not to mention they took a perfectly good airplane and did this to it!
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0710560/L/

[skymstr02]

Nope, I worked on one with PT6A-20's, rated at 520 HP each made a nice airplane. Had enough extra power to air condition the cabin.

[Ollie]

The PT-6A test bed was a C-45 that had the turbine fitted in the nose. The airplane is now at the École Nationale d'Aéronautique (ENA) in Saint-Hubert airport, south of Montréal.

[bdk]

A beach 18 with PT-6?

Prototype King Air?

[Eric Friedebach]

A beach 18 with PT-6?

Prototype King Air?

I think that was a Queen Air.

Speaking of the first King Air, I heard it was being restored for an anniversary round-the-world flight with some celebs at the controls.

[Steve T]

Ah, funky-looking revised Beech 18s...

Beech themselves built some nosewheel 18s near the end of the type's impressively lengthy production run. But there seems to have been no shortage of aftermarket upgrade schemes. One I remember seeing looked like a pretty normal (nosewheel-equipped) Beech, except for a gigantic steeply-swept single fin replacing the familiar twin endplates. But the ones I remember most clearly, because they were based locally, were two PT6 turbine jobs belonging to Interflite Aviation at Mt.Hope in the early 80s. These were slick-looking machines: unlike some of the Volpar turbines and others, they were taildraggers, retaining the twin fins and maybe (memory's a touch fuzzy) even the original low roofline; the long tapered nacelles and three-blade props gave the frontal aspect almost a Mosquito-like quality. And apparently they were, for a Beech 18, terrifically quick in the air. Somewhere I have a pic of the two parked outside Interflite's hangar (which later belonged to CWH and was the hangar which burned in early 1993). Can't seem to find it though...

S.

[setter]

I just picked up a new mag here and it appears that another Beech 18 "Tryke" is comming downunder - it is said one is being rebuilt in the UK and is comming to Brisbane ?

Regards
John P

[slinky]

This version looks like the Rausch Engineering Inc. conversion based in San Francisco. Called the Star 250 it was a conversion of the basic Beech D18-S with tricycle gear, and the cabin headroom increased by re-roofing the fuselage. Nice shot!!!!