Beechcraft Model 18 Checklist

self-he was a mainte- nance officer and crew chief on Sikorsky heli- copters in the military. Much of his effort was sup- plemented by local corpo- rate pilot and A&P Jeff· Benger, who provided the' expert eye and know-how to finish the job right. With the project done, Warren has flown his air- "This airplane is creature-commfort commfortable,"proudly boasts its owner. plane almost 300 hours, including trips as far away as Bangor, Maine, and Buffalo, New York. After 20 years as a hospital administrator and owner of a company that manufactured hospital surgical products, Warren now builds self-storage units along the Colorado Front Range. \ AOPA PILOT· 82. JULY 1999 Beech GI8 Price when new: $63,000 Price as tested: $400,000 There are no oil leaks on this Beech; the owner doesn't allow that kind of thing. Specifications (2) 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985AN-14B Recommended TEO 1,450 hr Propellers Hartzell, 3 blade, constant speed, full feathering HC-330-2E, 95 in dia. 35 ft 2 in 10 ft 5 in 49 ft 8 in 324.4 sq ft 29.9Ib/sq ft 1O.781b/hp 7 10 ft 5 in 4 ft4 in 5 ft 6 in 5,910 lb 6,625 lb 9,7001b 3,7901b 3,0751b 1,8821b 1,1671b 9,7001b 9,4001b 318 gal (312 gal usable) 1,9081b (I,872lb usable) 28qt 250lb Limiting and Recommended Airspeeds VMC (min control w/critical engine inoperative) 71 KIAS 81 KIAS 100 KlAS 101 KIAS 133 KIAS 104 KIAS 139 KIAS 139 KIAS 178 KIAS 222 KIAS 87 KIAS 81 KlAS 73 KIAS Vx (best angle of climb) Vy (best rate of climb) VYSE (best engine-out rate of climb) VA (design maneuvering) VFE (max flap extended) VLE (max gear extended) VLO (max gear operating) VNO (max structural cruising) VNE (never exceed) VR (rotation) VS1 (stall, clean) VSO (stall, in landing configuration) For more information, contact Ron Hyde, president of the Beech 18 Society, a division of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation, Inc., Post Office Box 550, Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388; 830/583- 9897; fax 830/583-9749; e-mail rhyde@fnichols.com All specifications are based on manufacturer's cal- • culations. All performance figures are based on standard day, standard atmosphere, sea level. gross weight conditions unless otherwise noted. Max demonstrated crosswind component 20 kt Rate of climb, sea level 1,410 fpm Single-engine ROC, sea level 255 fpm Maximum level speed, sea level 194 kt Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, ea engine) @ 66.7% power, best economy 166 kt/5.5 hr 9,000 ft (143 pph/23.8gph/eng) @53.3'7'0power, best economy 161 ktl7.5 hr 10,000 ft (113 pphll8.9 gph/eng) Service ceiling 21,000 ft Single-engine service ceiling 7,750 Landing distance over 50-ft obstacle 1,850 ft of other hands on the controls for landing-but having landed sever- al other twin Beeches, I can say that there's nothing cantankerous about the airplane's ground habits. As with most tail draggers, the tailwheel must be on the deck before the rudder loses effectiveness-espe- cially in a crosswind, but that's just taking care of business in a twin Beech. It's got a great, fat wing that allows easy slow flight and gentle stalls; final approach speeds of 90 miles per hour (78 knots) are quite comfortable. When asked what he likes most about his twin-tailed Beech, Warren admits, "That little donut under the tail" (He means the tail wheel) . He then talks at length about his love of radial engines, and the era of the airplane. Are you a hopeless romantic? I ask. "Yes," he admits with- out hesitation. 0 1,980 ft Oil capacity, ea engine Baggage capacity Performance Takeoff distance over 50- ft obstacle Powerplants Length Height Wingspan Wing area Wing loading Power loading Seats Cabin length Cabin width Cabin height Empty weight Empty weight, as tested Maximum gross weight Useful load Useful load, as tested Payload w/full fuel Payload w / full fuel, as tested Maximum takeoff weight Maximum landing weight Fuel capacity, std His goal is to fly his Beech to Europe and Alaska, although he admits either would be "one helluva trip" even in the luxury of his leather-trimmed cabin. Since his airplane has no deice boots and is not equipped for flight into known icing conditions, he is very cautious about weather forecasts. Warren estimates his cruise speed at 150 knots and figures that he burns 19 to 20 gph per engine at 50-percent power. With 318 gallons of fuel, the Beech has great range-Warren fig- ures about six hours, or just under 1,000 nautical miles, with good reserves. Warren is compulsive about this Beech; he insists that your feet are clean (or shoes removed) before walk- ing up the airstair door. He often walks around the airplane with a cleaning rag in hand as it sits on the ramp or in the hangar, removing errant fingerprints and kamikaze bugs. It takes that kind of effort to pro- duce and keep an airplane like this one-a critical eye, and devotion to making it perfect. Flying a twin Beech is a pleasure. The airplane's ailerons delight and surprise you with their nimbleness, causing you to forget you are flying a 10,000-pound airplane designed as a corporate barge. The Model 18 is solid and stately, without being too stodgy. The large cockpit windows make it easy to see out of the Beech, even while taxiing nose-high on the ground. You sit in line with the pol- ished 95-inch Hartzell props, which makes visibility to the sides quite good. But the price for this view is noise; active noise-canceling head- sets are a must for this old girl if you want to have any hearing in your old age. With oil cooler shutters, carburetor air controls, and cowl flaps all bristling from the center console, the airplane needs to be monitored and managed procedurally; this is not an airplane in which to "kick the tires, light the fires, and show me the go handles." The nature of the big Pratts requires addi- tional attention, and a checklist goes a long way. Although the airplane has a bit of a reputation for ground looping, it's undeserved if you just give it the attention that any taildragger deserves-and get the tailwheel locked before takeoff and landing. I never did get to land the airplane- Warren isn't comfortable with the idea AOPA PILOT· 84. JULY 1999