ProfromDover wrote:
I was going to school in Daytona and working for Harry Doan at the time. Sanford was doing H-19s/S-55s and Doan was doing H-34s/S-58s. There was some business relationship for a while and then I think Doan split the sheets. Man, Doan was a story all by himself... Glory days!
I gotta get a Twin Beech!
Great job Taigh!
Wonderfully entertaining thread and congrats to Taigh & his crew for coming up with such a novel and popular idea for OSH.
I actually came across this thread while checking out Taigh's Web site at
www.twinbeech.com. I've always had a fascination with the Beech 18 series and I'd love to restore one someday, too (after finishing a Goose first. Both are classic R-985 powered taildraggers, but afterall a Goose does a Twin Beech one better by adding amphibious capabilities to the fun!)
There used to be a derelict Beech 18 airframe not far from my home. It was in a municipal garage or warehouse facility in Burlington, NC, but it disappeared about 10 years ago. I don't know what happened to it. It had N6418C still visible on the faded paint - that N-number was registered to Harry Doan also.
(I don't have a photo hosting account yet, so if anyone is interested in copies of photos, send me a PM.)
Speaking of Harry Doan, hey Bill aka TPFM, how long did you work for him? I assume that given your career path you were at ERAU in Daytona for that college research paper on the Beech 18 spars. I started there in the AV-Tech program in 1985 and I spent as much time as I could hanging out at Harry's hangar in New Smyrna Beach. I even got a chance to chat with him one day. He went off on a rant about the corruption in the lot bidding process to obtain surplus aircraft out of Davis-Monthan and what a big deal it was for him to obtain his C-123.
My only other experience to date with the wonderful Beech 18 series was with N26PL, the Perrone Leathers' tri-gear. Anyone remember the photo of it on the cover of Trade-a-Plane? Photo credit went to Charles Stites, an aviation writer who lives here in Chapel Hill. He promised me "camera ship pilot" credit but somehow they left that out of the photo caption. N26PL is painted in a psuedo-Army olive green and white scheme and the TAP photo shows it over Jordan Lake south of Raleigh, NC bathed in glorious evening sunlight. First we had spent most of the day trying to fix a landing gear problem before it could fly again. That was a fun day.
All the best to Taigh, Bill, and all the rest of you Wixers and Beech 18 fans!
-Dave M.
Chapel Hill, NC