I was watching an old movie on TV last night- Amelia Earhart: the Last Flight. At least it is old for most of you- for someone my age 1994 doesn’t seem very old. Anyway, since I am building a Twin Beech, I have a pretty good idea of what one looks like. As she was flying her supposed Electra 10, I kept thinking, “boy, that sure looks like a Beech D18.” I became more and more convinced- finally grabbed the laptop I keep by my TV and did a google image search on the Electra 10. That is not an Electra!
I know the two are often confused, but the windshield is the big giveaway. The Beech has a flat three-piece windshield, the Electra a vee-shaped two piece. Would it have been so hard to find a real, flyable Electra in 1994? Not that many D-18s in flyable shape either.
Interesting question. According to Wiki FWIW (seems like a well written article) Lockheed built 149, not very many. We know one’s missing, right? But there seem to be around 10 still out there, some in flying condition.
I guess it’s better than A Beech King Air or something.
They used what they had available and as long as it was a twin engine, they felt it was close enough. You have to take into consideration that the general public and especially the younger generation can’t tell the difference. We are fortunate enough to be from the generation that saw these when they were still halfway plentiful. How I long for the sound of radial engines.
That beech had a sparp prop noice when it took off no more than 30 yds from the hanger i worked in, still recall it fondly.
I never thought of taking pix of it as I didn’t think it would be “famous”.
When it was based where I worked it still had the long cargo nose and the normal short Beech nose was put o n just for the movie. The guy I worked for was the pilot for the beech when they filmed the movie cenes here in SA.
The Electra couldn’t land at some of the tight remote strips to they used the Beech and a pilot who was use to confined area ops.
I remember going allon for a flip oneday when the crew did a checkride , that was fun…stalls ,steep turns ect
Here are a few pix of it on google pix search.
It was a standing joke at Mercy Air that when it wass applied for a regestration the CAA would come up wit ZS-OIL…refering to the radieal’s love of oil…lucky it was ZS-OIJ
Forgot to add, for some of the cenes where the 18 was to be filmed on the ground they had foam “stab extentions” that was taped to the outsides of the vertical fins to look like the electra’s extended stab
I will have to find them again. I have no photos of either that I own the copyright to, so can only post links. I’ll see what I can do. I grabbed a number for reference photos for my own use, but I did not record the URLs where they came from. In meantime google each plane.
Just after the war they sold hundreds of the Beech surplus. It was hard to find any airport that didn’t have one or two. But I never saw a real Electra. So I guess that is the problem. "course, today, most of them you see at small airports are derelicts because of the main spar problem- costs more to make them airworthy than they would be worth.
Don, I’m not sure how old you are. I’m 65 and as a child, spent many hours around airports. I remember when locally there were Beechcraft Staggerwings, Cessna 195s, Ercoupes, T-6s, Bt-13s, B-17s, TBMs, PT-22s, PT-17s, Beech18s, even the last F-15 Reporter was here. The golf course next to the air terminal had a P-39 mounted on a pylon. There are too many old civil aircraft to mention. The late 50s and early to mid 60s were an aircraft enthusiast’s dream.
I’m not sure how old Don is but I’m 80 and among others I owned an Ercoupe (1946 N87030 and it was still flying last time I looked). The company I worked for at the time (60’s) owned a subsidiary which had a Beech 18 and I have many flights in it. Sadly, one cold morning in Norwich, NY (-30F) the pilots who had drained the oil the previous night, replaced the oil and wouldn’t let anyone board until they flew it for a few minutes to warm it up. On final, they lost an engine (cause not determined) and it crashed. Both pilots survived (one an old instructor of mine) and the Beech 18 was scrap. The happy ending - it was replaced by a Learjet - and I never got a ride in the Lear. But I always enjoyed the Beech 18 - but an Electra - No it wasn’t. Film makers use "ARTISTIC’ license. Anyway, just an old man rambling!!!
I still see the occasional -18, usually at freight ramps or FBO’s. Of those still hauling freight, I’ve yet to see one without the external strap spar installed, maybe by now the FAA has made it required to maintain airworthiness.
Once long ago, while we were taxiing to the active at Sea Tac I saw one on takeoff roll, while the tail was still on the ground I saw bits of what looked like exhaust tubing leaving the cowl area. We were on ground frequency but tower was set on #2 VHF. I switched and advised him to reject the takeoff, which he did.
That jammed us up in a big way, the runway had to be closed for cleaning up the stray bits. Tower had cleared him on the long runway, we were too heavy to change to the shorter one, so there we sat burning up a BUNCH of JP-4 and behind schedule several minutes. I used to think well of the Beech 18’s until then. (Joke.)
I would guess the substituting of the 18 in flicks about the L-10, might be due to several 18’s still out there and available. The L-10’s are in very short supply, I imagine considered of greater value and the owners don’t wish to take the risk. Just another old guy rambling.
I’ve got twelve years on you- I started modeling in the BP days (before plastic). Owned an Ercoupe. I would love to see more kits of those golden age aircraft, but am thankful for the ones we do have, like this twin Beech. And of course there is the re-issue of the Reliant, though that is such a beautiful aircraft we sure could use a modern kit with modern technology.
