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| With the Model 17 well established, Beech began in 1935 the development of a six/eight-seat commercial transport identified as the Beech Model 18. This was a very different aeroplane from the Model 17, being a low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with a semi-monocoque fuselage of light alloy, a cantilever tail unit incorporating twin end-plate fins and rudders, and electrically retractable tailwheel landing gear. Float or ski landing gear was to become optional. Standard accommodation provided for two crew and six passengers, and the initial powerplant installation comprised two 239kW Wright R-760-E2 radial engines mounted in wing leading-edge nacelles.
The initial Model 18A was flown for the first time on 15 January 1937. Even the most interested eyewitness of the event might have been little thrilled by the appearance of yet another twin-engined light commercial and, perhaps, would have expected it to gain only very limited marketing success. He could not have been more wrong, for the type was not only to remain in production for a record 32 years, but has since proved a popular choice for conversion by a number of American companies, with modifications intended to provide improved performance or greater capacity.
However, this glimpse at the future overlooks the early period when perhaps only Walter Beech was convinced that the Model 18 represented a worthwhile project. An improved Model 18B with lower-powered engines also sold in only penny-packet numbers, and the first sign that the company was on the right track came with the Model 18D of 1939. This had 246kW Jacobs L-6 engines, providing improved performance and much the same economy of operation as the Model 18B. Only about 30 of these were sold in 1940, but the wartime demand for these aircraft was to total more than 4,000.
The first US Army Air Corps order, placed during 1940, was for the supply of 11 aircraft under the designation C-45, for use as staff transports, these being generally similar to the civil Model B18S. Subsequent procurement covered 20 C-45As for use in a utility transport role, with interior and equipment changes being made in the 223 C-45Bs that followed. Some of these aircraft were supplied to the UK under Lend-Lease, being designated Expediter I in RAF service. The USAAF designations C-45C, C-45D and C-45E were applied respectively to two impressed B18S civil aircraft, two AT-7s completed for transport duties, and six AT-7Bs similarly modified. Major and final production version for the USAAF was the seven-seat C-45F, with a slightly longer nose and of which no fewer than 1,137 were built. Lend-Lease deliveries from the procurement served with the Royal Navy and RAF as Expediter Us, and with the Royal Canadian Air Force as Expediter Ills. All of the foregoing C-45 designations were changed to a new UC-45 category in January 1943.
In 1941, the Beech AT-7 Navigator was introduced to provide navigation training; this was equipped with three positions for trainee navigators, plus a dorsal astrodome. A total of 577 was built, being followed by six AT-7 As with float landing gear and a large ventral fin. Nine AT-7Bs, basically winterized AT-7s were built to USAAF order: five ¦ were supplied to the UK, one being used by Prince Bernard of the Netherlands during his wartime exile. Final version of the Navigator was the AT-7C with a different powerplant, production totalling 549.
Another version of the Model 18 appeared in the AT (advanced trainer) category during 1941. This was the AT-11 Kansan (originally named Kansas), procured by the USAAF as a bombing and gunnery trainer. It incorporated a small bomb bay, had small circular portholes in place of the standard rectangular cabin windows, a redesigned nose to provide a bomb aiming position, and two 7.62mm machine-guns, one in the nose, the other in a dorsal turret. Production to USAAF orders totalled 1,582; of these 36 were converted for navigation training as AT-11As. Twenty-four AT-11s ordered by the Netherlands for service in the Netherlands East Indies were, instead, taken on charge by the USAAF: they were delivered subsequently to the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School at Jackson, Mississippi, in early 1942.
Last of the US Army Air Force's wartime versions of the Beech Model 18 were photographic reconnaissance F-2s, 14 civil Model B18S being purchased and converted with cabin-mounted mapping cameras and oxygen equipment. They were supplemented later by 13 F-2As with four cameras, converted from C-45As, and by 42 F-2Bs, which were conversions from UC-45Fs: these had additional camera ports in both sides of the fuselage. In June 1948, under a general revision of the USAF designation system, all of the surviving F-2 photo/reconnaissance aircraft were redesignated RC-45A. Similarly, AT-7, AT-7C and AT-11 s dropped their A prefix: at the same time a small number of drone-directors converted from UC-45Fs and given the designation CQ-3 became instead, DC-45Fs.
The US Navy and US Marine Corps also used the Model 18 extensively, to the extent of more than 1,500 examples. Initial procurement related to a version similar to the US Army's F-2, this being designated JRB-1, and followed by a JRB-2 transport, and JRB-3s and JRB-4s equivalent to the C-45B and UC-45F respectively. The designations SNB-1, SIMB-2 and SNB-3 were applied respectively to aircraft that were equivalent to the USAAF's AT-11, AT-7, and AT-7C. US Navy ambulance and photographic versions were the SNB-2H and SNB-2P respectively; the SNB-3Q was an electronic counter-measures trainer.
During 1951-2, in-service USAF UC-45E, T-7 and T-11 aircraft were re-manufactured to zero-time condition and modernised, emerging with the new designations C-45G and C-45H. The former had an autopilot and R-985-AN-3 engines, the latter no autopilot and R-985-AN-14B engines. At the same time, US Navy SNB-2s, SNB-2Cs, and SNB-2Ps were remanufactured under the designations SIMB-5 and SNB-5P. Later, with introduction of the tri-service unified designation scheme in 1962, in-service SNB aircraft were redesignated TC-45J and RC-45J respectively in the training and photographic roles.
With a return to peace, Beech resumed manufacture of the civil Model 18, and in 1953 introduced a new larger and improved version of the D18S. Known as the Super 18 (E18S), the prototype was flown for the first time on 10 December 1953. Structural improvements included external refinements to reduce drag, Geisse safety landing gear for cross-wind operations, the provision of. a separate flight deck, and improved soundproofing. Progressive improvements continued throughout the production of 754 Super 18s, the last examples of the final Model H18 version being built during 1969.
In September 1963 Beech introduced optional retractable tricycle landing gear which had been developed by Volpar Inc. of Los Angeles, California. This company also offered conversions of standard Beech 18s to Volpar Turbo 18 standard, with tricycle landing gear and TPE331 turboprop engines, and also the lengthened turboprop-powered 15-pas-senger Volpar Turboliner. Conversions offered by other manufacturers have included the nine-passenger Dumod I and 15-passenger Dumod Liner, offered by Dumod Corporation; and Pacific Airmotive Corporation's 10-passenger PAC Tradewind and turboprop-powered PAC Turbo Tradewind. Still available from Hamilton Aviation in late 1981 were the Hamilton Westwind II STD and Westwind III turboprop-powered conversion of 17-and eight-passenger capacity respectively.
 | A three-view drawing (992 x 682) |
| MODEL | Beech Super H18 |
| ENGINE | 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B radial piston engine, 336kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 4491 kg | 9901 lb |
| Empty weight | 2651 kg | 5844 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 15.15 m | 50 ft 8 in |
| Length | 10.73 m | 35 ft 2 in |
| Height | 2.84 m | 9 ft 4 in |
| Wing area | 33.51 m2 | 360.70 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 354 km/h | 220 mph |
| Cruise speed | 298 km/h | 185 mph |
| Ceiling | 6525 m | 21400 ft |
| Range | 3060 km | 1901 miles |
| Hal Cope, e-mail, 17.07.2010 21:03 I was operating a C-45 N21Z in my fleet at Safari Air Services Nairobi Kenya Wilson Aerodrom. General Doolittle came to Kenya for a ABC Sportsman TV series. I flew Jimmy to the camnp in the wasteland of the Northern Fronteir District. I had the honor and pleasure to spend several days with the General in the African bush. When it became time to leave from a makeshift dirt strip near camp I asked Jimmy if he want to fly us back to Wildon. Hell yes was the answer. I got in the right seat and said to Jimmy..."I should be the last person on this earth to tell you of all people how to fly a airplane but this wis waht I want you do do. See that bump in the runway? When you get to that bump I want you to drop ten degress of flap and jerk the gear out from under us as that is the only way we we are going to get out of here without crashing and burning." Away we went. I am probably one of the few people in the world to tell Jimnmy how to fly an airplane. Eaxh year after that until Jimmy's death I got a Xmas card from him asking when we were going back to the bush. reply | | Ken Robertson, e-mail, 26.08.2010 02:47 The closer you look at 18's the more differences you see. The trailing edge of the nacelles for example. Some short some long. Some with factory JATO. The various "spar strap" kits. Cowling modifications(mostly associated with gross weight increases). Low windshield(D-18 type) on the E-18S. High windshield on Converted E-18S, G-18S, H-18S and the Volpar C-45H's converted to quote H-18S standard tri gear. The conventional landing gear. High tail wheel or low tail wheel. Lots of variations on the tail wheel and tire assembly. The main gear legs can be built up tube, Bent tube or the "H" type half fork. Wheel brakes too many to try to break out. Rudder trim tabs. one or two? If it is the single, it needs the extension. QEC's, short stack or long stack. Cowl flaps one piece, three piece, fixed or top side electric. Most you find will have the P&W R-985-14B but by no means all. Propellers, half a dozen come to mind.
Does anyone remember 88, 93, 105, 119, dead foot dead engine!(Aeroproducts 10,100 Supers)
I,ll need to get back to this later. reply | | Charlie Evans, e-mail, 29.03.2010 18:12 It brings back memories of Sky King and the "Songbird." reply | | Doug Rodrigues, e-mail, 13.03.2010 10:23 Told my wife that if I ever hit the lottery, that I'd buy myself a Beech 18. Something about that airplane that has always attracted me. reply | |
| | Keith Smith, e-mail, 27.02.2010 22:31 One of the great planes of all time, in my view, of course those who love to fly almost always say that!
Probably my most memorable flying experience, ever, was in the C-45H at Wright Field, probably about 1955. You are not apt to easily forget a double engine failure on takeoff!
I had logged about 100 hours in the C-45, but needed 10 landings with an Instructor Pilot (IP)to get checked out. I scheduled myself for a checkout and drew the Base Flying Safety Officer as an IP. The morning was barely VFR and my IP said,"We'll shoot touch and go landings to get your requirements. You keep your head out of the cockpit at all times and I'll take care of all the things in the cockpit." So off we went! The IP didn't like my takeoff technique complaining that I held the plane on the runway too long. The runway was bumpy and he wanted me to get it off ASAP for comfort's sake, so I complied. I made about 8 touch and goes and he cleaned up the cockpit every time. Once he had the flaps up, trim set, he would yell at me to take off.
For the rest of this to make sense, you have to understand the "H" model: it has five fuel tanks; two in each wing and one in the nose. It has only one fuel gauge with a five position selector switch. Both engines ran from the same tank all the time, but they each had shut off valves. As usual, we had taken off using fuel from the 25-gallon nose tank first. This allowed the CG to move back which was better, since we had no passengers on board.
On this fateful takeoff, the IP told me to go ahead and I gave it full throttle and at minimum airspeed, to satisfy my IP, I pulled the plane from the bumpy runway. I was gear up and probably at about 100 feet and nearly halfway down the runway when the left engine quit. I immediately knew that we had run out of fuel in the nose tank and yelled to the IP to change the tank. Instead of doing that, he began to rotate the fuel gauge switch through the five positions to see how much fuel we had in the tanks. I yelled that all tanks were full except the one we were on and that he should switch the tanks. Since the gear was up, I wondered, should I put down the gear and attempt a landing on what was left of a 5,000-foot runway? Or should I play the "come" line and keep it flying with the gear up. I knew I had very little time and very little runway. The end of the runway ahead ended with a patch of grass and a cyclone fence protecting a parking lot full of cars. I was now passing the tower and the right engine quit and I was committed to a wheels up landing straight ahead. Finally, the left engine caught and I could feel the yaw as it came alive. Then, a few seconds later, the right engine came to life and we climbed out without another word to each other. By this time, we were about 30 or so feet off the runway. I finished my 10 landings and the IP signed me off for my check ride. I don't recall ever having a conversation about the near miss we had that day.
What I learned that day was not so much about flying the C-45, but more about flying in general; when you are Pilot in Command, don't relay on someone else acting in your best interest. We used the old "GUMP" check in those days; Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture and Props. Obviously, you are supposed check the Gas on the landing and not on the takeoff of a touch and go! Another lesson; know your plane's systems and the status of fuel in the tanks so that you can make correct selection without the need to find out the status in critical situations.
The C-45 was fun to fly and the Air Force didn't require a copilot, so one wasn't tied down with a crew all the time. I made lots of cross country flights from Dayton to the West Coast in the C-45. It's short legs posed some problems when the weather was bad. The "H" was nice as it had feathering props, which earlier versions didn't have. reply | | Bob Franklin, e-mail, 10.02.2010 00:04 I flew Beech 18s during the late 60s and 70s for a total af about 16oo hours. After being intimidated by it for a while, I learned to love it. My favorite was the E-18. It was my first extended experience in twins, and when flying one I felt that if I wasn't doing something, I was forgetting something. Great airplanes! reply | | Max T. Hansen, e-mail, 01.02.2010 06:18 Worked on C-45H's at Donaldson AFB when I ended up with Headquarters Squadron Base Flight to replace their instrument man who went to pitch for the base ball teasm . Little airplane with vacuum for several instruments that always seemed to need setting . Came from a jet fighter squadron to a prop outfit . Scared the "H" out of me standing behind the running engine with my arm up in the acessory section adjusting vacuum regulators at 1800 RPM. Had a run up & taxie licence for them to swing compasses , thought I was a hot dog ! Fun & Games back then in the late 50's. reply | | Jock Williams Yogi 13, e-mail, 05.08.2009 15:00 In the RCAF it was known affectionalely as the "Bugsmasher" and it trained several generations of multi-engine drivers while we who were lucky enough to be single-engine jocks flew the T33 before moving on to the high speed metal.
Nonetheless -the Smasher was a challenge to fly well -and particularly to land.
Eventually I scrounged several hundred hours in this classic -which was useful in learning to handle the C47 /DC3 -and loads of fun to boot. I made several low level flights from Portage la Prairie to Toronto (Downsview) and return -and really got to see and appreciate the country which previously I had only seen from 30,000 feet or more!
Highly different perspective -and the roar of the engines was satisfying. You could imagine yourself flying a Lancaster -which I eventually did with the Canadian Warplane Heritage!
Great aerodyne!
Jock Williams Yogi 13 reply | | Jan Baumgardner MD, e-mail, 19.06.2009 08:17 Live still flying C-45 USAF D-18 at Boulder, Colo airport extravaganza concert and airshow 06-13-2009. Also featured a staggerwing, A b-25 Mitchell model G- flyby and landing then a runup of the engines right in front of the hanger- all lights out for the blue flame effect, during the 1940s musical part of the show with Dance swing band live playing- then My barbershop group the BoulderTimberliners singing.Accompanying projected movie on wall of hanger wall with Robt Mitchum, Van Johnson, many other stars
BUT amazing feature was Boulder's own retired Col Bill Bowen
and old patient of mine- who is Last Surviving actual pilot of the Doolittle Raid. Hurrah for him! 92 yrs old and feeling his age but god bless him still interested in people and his country!
Amazed to see the D-18a first flew 3 days after I was boprn.. and I'm still working, singing barbershop; and whatall reply | | Jay Ray, e-mail, 03.06.2009 13:20 While a college student living in Ft. Lauderdale in the early 60's I worked for Bill Conrad several years on Twin Beech conversions. We installed new angle of incidence stab kits, new one-piece windshields and wing tips with antennas, new carb kits and exhaust stacks and engine cooling baffles, improved cowling installation, stall strips, etc. A great time to be alive around airplanes. Conrad was an old friend of my dad with PAA. reply | | Joe Moore, e-mail, 07.01.2009 02:16 I flew the C-18 , D-18 and The Conrad 9800 conversion [N9800}
One piece windshield , Hartzell props, Airstair door. My favorite was the E-18 [N54K]
Joe Moore reply | | Jack Thompson, e-mail, 02.05.2008 20:40 One of the GREATEST air-craft I've ever had tthe pleasure to fly under any conditions............Jack Thompson reply |
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