I love airplanes—as long as I am on the ground. Here are photos of a Beech 18 at the Vintage Flying Museum at Meacham Field. (More of the museum here and here.)
Radial airplane engines appear exotic and mysterious to someone reared on in-line car engines. My first car, a 1951 Pontiac Silver Streak, had a flathead straight eight. Cost me $50. I was even able to drive it off the lot. But soon the troubles began. The only way I could keep that car running was by once a week driving it through the carwash at Lourdes.
The Beech 18 has twin engines; seating ranges from six to eleven. It looks a lot like a small Lockheed Electra, which is the plane that Amelia Earhart flew into the lore of the lost.
Beech began making the Beech 18 model as a utility/trainer plane during World War II. It was built from 1937 to 1970. This one was built in 1946.
Sixty-six years later it is still skyworthy.
