....dual controls and a self-starter and
was equipped with brakes, flaps, and all the latest flight
instrumentation. The aircraft could be purchased with one of a
number of different engines that varied in power from 245 to 450
horsepower. The aircraft illustrated in figure 4.16 and described
in table
II was equipped with the Lycoming
nine-cylinder radial engine of 245 horsepower. With this engine,
the aircraft had a gross weight of 3650 pounds and a cruising
speed of 140 miles per hour at 8000 feet. The performance of the
Reliant is not particularly outstanding when compared with
comparable general aviation aircraft today. However, the cabin of
the Reliant was roomier and allowed elbow and leg room to a degree
not usually available in modern single-engine general aviation
aircraft. The entire structure of the aircraft was metal, with the
exception of the skin which was the familiar doped fabric. During
World War II, a version of the Reliant was built as a trainer for
the Canadian government. Many of these aircraft reverted to
civilian status following the end of World War II. Production of
the beautiful Reliant did not resume following the close of the
war, and, today, examples of this aircraft are highly prized by
collectors of antique aircraft.
Many biplanes manufactured during the late
twenties and thirties were still in use in 1939, and several types
were in production. Of [100] these, two
were high-performance, high-priced cabin aircraft. The most
distinctive, and the one that represented the highest level of
technology ever achieved In a biplane design, was the Beechcraft
D-17. The prototype of the D-17 was first flown in 1932, and the
type was continually refined and developed for many years.
Production of the D-17 ended in 1948 after 784 models had been
produced. The aircraft is illustrated in figure 4.17 and is seen
to be a highly streamlined biplane equipped with retractable
landing gear, full NACA cowling around its radial engine, and only
a single I-type of interplane strut between the two wings on
either side of the fuselage. A minimum of wire bracing was
employed between the wings. A distinctive feature of the aircraft
is the negative stagger; that is, the upper wing was mounted
behind the lower wing. This particular arrangement was not unique
with the Beech but had been employed on such aircraft as the
DeHavilland 5 and Sopwith Dolphin in World War I. (See
chapter
2.) However, the arrangement has
been rarely used and is responsible for the term "Stagger Wing
Beech" by which the D-17 is almost universally identified today.
The term is not definitive, however, since most biplanes have the
wings staggered, with the upper wing usually being forward of the
lower wing; this arrangement is referred to as positive stagger.
One may speculate on the reasons why the negative stagger wing
arrangement was used in the design of the Beech. If the landing
gear is to be...
Figure 4.17 - Beech D-17S
four-place-cabin biplane; 1939.
[Peter C. Boisseau]