1937 Beechcraft D-17S Staggerwing 4-View
August 1968 American Aircraft Modeler

August 1968 American Aircraft Modeler Table of Contents These pages from vintage modeling magazines like Flying Aces, Air Trails, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Young Men, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, R/C Modeler, captured the era. All copyrights acknowledged.

This 4-view for the 1937 Beechcraft D-17S Staggerwing were scanned from my purchased copy of the August 1968 American Aircraft Modeler magazine. 3-view for this fine model was drawn by Mr. Björn Karlström. All copyrights (if any) are hereby acknowledged.

"The Model 17's unusual wing configuration—the upper wing inversely staggered behind the lower—and unique shape resulted in a design that maximized the pilot's visibility while minimizing the aircraft's tendency to stall. The fabric-covered fuselage was faired (joined so that the external surfaces blended smoothly) with wood formers (a frame attached to the truss of the fuselage in order to provide the required aerodynamic shape) and stringers (longitudinal members of the frame of the fuselage, usually continuous across a number of bulkheads or other points of support; also known as “longerons”). The Staggerwing's use of retractable landing gear, uncommon at that time, combined with streamlining and reducing the weight of the materials, produced an aircraft that could achieve a top speed of 201 miles per hour (323 kilometers per hour) (but with a landing speed of a stall-proof 45 miles per hour [72 kilometers per hour]), and able to climb at 1,600 feet per minute (488 meters per minute) to a maximum altitude of 21,500 feet (6,553 meters). " - U.S. Centennial of Flight

See also Beechcraft Staggerwing 3-view.

<click image for larger version>

Notice:

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Posted June 28, 2010