Beech 1900 seen Friday, June 2nd, 2023, around 220 pm at the small airport in Wawa, Ontario, Canada (population 3,000). Propair runs two Beech 1900's routinely between Wawa and Sudbury + Wawa and Toronto Pearson. This one reflects "livery" of Alamos Gold Inc, as the gold and other precious mineral mining on the NE shore of Lake Superior is presently going bonkers. This one is C-GORC, I think the other Propair Beech 1900 is C-GORN. Such a cool and capable aircraft! https://www.regosearch.com/aircraft/ca/GORC https://www.regosearch.com/aircraft/ca/GORN Image Unavailable, Please Login
Each to their own, but on the basis of ‘if it looks right, it should fly right’ the Beech 1900 with all its afterthought strakes and appendages on the rear fuselage and stabiliser should be an absolute hound of an aircraft. It’s certainly no Spitfire!
I don't like the 1900 just for that reason. It looks like a poor design that needed all those appendages just to get it to fly right.
Aesthetically I fully agree. Yet a total of 695 were built, and operated by at least 15 air carriers and 11 military services. Must have had some attractions, probably per seat/mile cost (regardless of comfort).
The King Air 350 just couldn’t get any bigger without all the flippers and fins. The 19 seater at the start of my career was the Mighty Jetstream 3200. The “Junkstream”. Not sure what was worse: being on the inside with no autopilot or yaw damper or outside listening to those Garretts! cheers Dave
For those who think automotive companies are on the leading edge of tech, an aviation photo from 1948 to prove otherwise Just look at those anti skid disc brakes. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Same with engines Rolls Royce Merlin had 4 valves per cylinder, pressure carb, dual overhead cams, and a 2 stage supercharger in early 40's. 1, Same with engines Rolls Royce Merlin had 4 valves per cylinder, pressure carb, dual overhead cams, and a 2 stage supercharger in early 40's. 1,490 horsepower on 1,650 cubic inches. Not sure of the exact dates of the above features but I believe the engine was originally designed in the 20's.
The 1912 Peugeot L76 had a 4 valve, DOHC engine with desmodromic valve train in 1912. Later equipped with a dry sump. The similar late 30s, early 40s Daimler DB601 (inverted V12) also had 4 valves per cylinder, had direct injection unaffected by attitude, but was SOHC with rocker arms.
The French were racing cars with 4 valve motors and dual over head cams since before the teen's. The Rolls Kestral which the Merlin was derived from had 2 valves per cylinder and no Merlin ever made had dual over head cams. You may have needed a pressure carb but only because unlike the Germans you did not have a very good fuel injection system at your disposal.
Peugeot's DOHC engine revolutionized racing in its day. Previously cars needed enormous engines of about 20 liters to get any significant horsepower; Peugeot was able to match that with less than half the displacement. After winning the Grand Prix, the cars came to America after the war in Europe started and won the Indy 500.
Disc brakes were invented for airplanes because they were lighter. Car companies in the 40s were hardly on the leading edge of technology. They never had a defense department budget and actually had to exercise some cost accountability. Something the government has never heard of. One thing you will see a lot in aerospace that you dont see a great deal of in cars....FAILURES. That airplane is a stunning example.
In 1954 Mercedes thought they had invented Desmodromique valves. Their patent attorney discovered they had been racing against cars so equipped since the Peugeots hence the existing name with French spelling.
notice the purple 'dot' on the runway Image Unavailable, Please Login https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10228235680668762&set=gm.1670965123418259&idorvanity=257407331440719 .
I wonder if thats NASA Ames at Moffet Field? I know later than that they were doing rotor wing research.
It was a helicopter that turned into a fixed wing jet. The transition to fixed wing and stowing the blades must have been interesting to say the least
Just point it for and aft and lock it. With those big pods under each wing drag was obviously not a big priority.
