Warbird Information Exchange

That has got to be the prettiest darn Beech 18 I've ever seen! What a beauty!

Peace,

David

Your sheetmetal work is first rate.Its refreshing to see nice work.

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Hang The Expense

I just finished reading The Immortal Twin Beech by Larry Ball.
It's work a look for 18 history and trivia.

Great looking plane. Rweminds me of Tony Holman's that was on the cover of Flying in the mid-70s. He was going to put it in the Indianapolis Speedway Museum (he owned the Speedway) but it wouldn't fit. I understand it was eventually sold. Hope it didn't become a mail plane or ramp queen.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

WOW!!!!

Can't remember for sure, but I think I might have done that photo. (I'm pretty sure it was actually early '70s. By the mid '70s, I'd been sentenced to Car & Driver.) Polished silver airplane against a lot of green, I do remember. it was either me or Russ Munson. I do know that Tom Block and I went out to Indy to spend time with Tony Hulman, fly the airplane and do the article.

You are referring to the old N500. Dusty Dowd purchased it from the Holman family. While he was in the process of doing a detailed restoration Don Lee showed up and offered him so much money that he sold it to him. The N500 was changed to N5QQ. I think it has changed hands a couple more times since then.

I have owned my Twin Beech since 1986.

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Boy...she is a pretty one. What's the history on your bird? It's neat that you've kept the "NC" registration number, too.

B29driver, were you up flying that gleaming beauty yesterday? I saw a non-warbird Twin Beech pass by just north of my house. It was cruising easterly-bound and about to cross the old Lake Dallas arm of Lake Lewisville.

Either way, she's stunning!

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Simply beautiful.

Built 1943 as an Army Air Corps AT-7. Not delivered to AAC. Instead it was run back through the factory and reconfigured to a Navy SNB2 and delivered to Navy in 1944.
In 1953 it went back to Beech factory on Gov't contract and was rebuilt to SNB5 spec's.
Later re-designated UC-45J.
Navy O&R in 1960 at NAS Pensacola.
Retired to Davis Montham in 1967.
Acquired by U.S. Forestry Service 1968 and flow 200 hours, then engines cannibalized and it sat until 1983 when sold at auction and ferried to Texas.
Airplane parked again until 1986 when I acquired it.
Complete restoration over nine month period and has been the "Family Bomber" ever since.

Not me.

Eye-watering...!

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