Working Together – Building Our Future

1938 Beech Aircraft Corporation’s sales exceed one million dollars.

Hard work and determination paid off when Beechcraft sales exceeded a million dollars for the first time. It was during this year that Beech Aircraft began expanding its facilities, increasing employment, and stepping up production to meet the demands of the National Defense program.

1940 Model 18 Twin Beech wins Macfadden Trophy.

H.C. Rankin and Mr. Beech in the Twin Beech completed the 1,084-mile non-stop run from St. Louis, Mo. to Miami, in 4 hours, 37 minutes, and an average speed of 234 mph. The victory promoted Beechcraft sales commercially and enhanced the company’s prestige as a prime contractor for military aircraft.

1941 Beech starts assembly of wartime aircraft.

As the world was thrown into turmoil, Beechcrafters went to work. Military versions of the model 18 were equipped as bomber and gunnery trainers. Military versions were designated as AT-7 and AT-11 by the U.S. Army and SNB by the U.S. Navy. The Model 17 was used as a personnel and utility transport. The unique Beech-designed twin-engine AT-10 was built predominately out of plywood due to aluminum shortages.

1942 Beech earns first “E-Award.”

Beechcrafters and their company became one of the elite five percent of war contracting firms in the country to win five straight Army-Navy “E” awards for production efficiency.

1943 Production shifts from AT-10 to A-26
Invader wings.

In 1943, the rising demands on the Douglas Aircraft Company caused them to look to the Beech team to produce more than 1,600 complete sets of wings for the A-26 Invader attack bomber. Production shifted from building the all-wood AT-10 to complex all-metal Invader wings. This called for practically a 100 percent reconversion, not only of facilities and machinery, but also employee skills.

1944 Beech XA-38 “Grizzly” attack bomber flies.

The first Beechcraft ever designed for tactical military service, the XA-38 Grizzly was designed as an attack bomber. On May 7, 1944, the Grizzly surpassed even the fastest military pursuit planes, but lack of suitable engines in time prevented the Grizzly from seeing service for WW II.

1945 Victory in war ends production of military aircraft.

During WW II, more than 14,000 Beechrafters produced 7,400 airplanes for the U.S. and Allied armed forces. With Japan’s surrender, the aviation industry faced a grim assignment: the transition from military to civilian production.

1945 First flight in 1945 of new Model 35 Beechcraft V-Tail Bonanza.

An important event in aviation history occured in 1945 with the first flight of the new Model 35 Beechcraft Bonanza. This four-place, all-metal monoplane was powered by a 165hp Continental engine, fully retractable landing gear and a unique two-element V-tail. The Beechcraft Bonanza was to become one of the best known of all business aircraft, and certainly the most popular of all high-performance single-engine planes.

1946 Beech builds aluminum Dymaxion House.

After WW II, Beech Aircraft, with the help of architect Buckminister Fuller, built an all-metal house as a housing option for returning GIs. This unique house was suspended on a center post, which permitted it to be rotated to absorb solar energy.

1947 First Bonanza certified and delivered.

The Model 35 V-Tail Bonanza was certified on March 25, 1947, and the first commercial deliveries began. More than 500 orders were placed for purchase before any detailed information was released on the airplane’s performance. For about $7,000, customers could fly in car-like comfort at 180 mph.