Monthly Archives: December 2009

The Birth of the Beech Baron

The first true twin Bonanza was the Travelair. It was a very nice flying aircraft, but it didn’t quite qualify as a twin Bonanza. By:       Norm Goyer The aircraft that Beech designed and introduced in 1949 as the “Twin Bonanza” … Continue reading

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Hey Norm, I Would Like to Know———-

By:       Norm Goyer Norm, Last week you described two large single-engine aircraft stating that they were the only two that fit the description. Did you forget the large multi passenger Stinsons, Fairchilds and Travelairs of that same time period? Where … Continue reading

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The 1940s Decade of Weird Wings

The Burnelli was actually a lifting-body design. Note close-spaced engines. By:                   Norm Goyer Between the flying wings of Horten in Germany and Northrop in America, the years between 1939 and 1949 produced some very interesting variations in the wings used … Continue reading

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Belanca Aircruiser vs. Cessna Caravan, 80 Years Apart

By:     Norm Goyer This is the military C-27 version of the Aircruiser. I was looking for an unusual large, single-engine, high-wing,  aircraft to build as a giant RC wheel/floats/skis model. My research came up with only two which seemed to be … Continue reading

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Fun and Games of Cold Weather Starting

By:       Norm Goyer Flying during the winter months has been a problem for pilots since the Wright Brothers first flew in 1903. I relocated to Southern California 35 years ago from Upstate New York for a very good reason. I … Continue reading

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Single Engine Flying into Known Icing conditions

By:       Norm Goyer A reader, recalling that I was from New England, recently wrote and asked what I thought about knowingly flying into icing conditions with a single engine aircraft. I do have some very firm rules regarding any airplane … Continue reading

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