Beech 18

zswobbie1

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I've gone back to Milton & team's great Beech 18 and it's various different variations, such as on ski's, floats, AT-11 Kansan & Volpar trike versions.
Looking up on Wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Model_18 I was pleasantly surprised that there were a lot more models, such as the Dumod Liner, which was similar to the Volpar, with a forward fuselage stretched by 6 feet.

There was the Rausch Star 250Built as C-45F 44-47231, this aircraft was re-manufactured at Wichita by Beech in 1952, to become TC-45G 51-11544. From 1959 Rausch Engineering Inc. of South San Francisco, California, converted N8186H to tricycle undercarriage, using forward retracting main gear from a P-51 and rearward-retracting nose-leg from a T-28, adding a 3 ft (0.91 m) nose extension, 4 ft (1.22 m) rear fuselage extension, re-roofed fuselage for increased headroom and enlarged cabin windows.

In one case, the aircraft was modified to a triple tail, trigear, humpbacked configuration and appeared similar to a miniature Lockheed Constellation. Another distinctive conversion was carried out by Pacific Airmotive as the PacAero Tradewind. This featured a lengthened nose to accommodate the tricycle nosewheel, and the Model 18's twin tailfins were replaced by a single fin.

There were also quite a few that were converted with Garrett, Turbomeca as well as various Pratt & Whitney PT6's.

All in all, a great aircraft that has been brought to life for FS2004.
 
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A plane I've always liked and one of my all time favorite FS models. It's one of the few FS planes that I've ever flown and one of the Very few that I've flown more than once.
 
French company SFERMA at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport also converted Beech 18 with Turboméca Bastan engines end fifties. The factory and some Beechs (still unconverted) are shown in CalClassic's "LFBD61 Bordeaux-Merignac" scenery.

Bernard
 
and then there was the trimotor C-45.
Not intended for service, but loaned to P&W Canada to test the first PT-6.
I found one unconfirmed report they flew it to FL300!

Not all conversions were ugly - the British Columbia Avaition Museum holds a Westwind IV - basically a PacAero Tradewind with PT-6 power https://bcam.net/westwind-iv/

RCAFC45.jpg
 
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