Flight Training - March/April 2024 - 8

UNUSUAL ATTITUDE BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
at narrow runways. The airplane handles
beautifully, and its wide stance allows it to
track straight ahead on the ground once
the main wheels touch down. But the
pilot's only view of the runway during the
landing flare is out the left-front quarter
of the windshield, and that feels a bit like
touching down with a patch over your
right eye.
Finally, there are pesky and pitiless
operational costs and efficiency measures.
The Staggerwing cruises at about 145
knots while consuming about 25 gallons of
avgas an hour (and about a quart of engine
oil). It was among the fastest airplanes
in its category during its heyday, but
times have changed and many four-seat,
single-engine airplanes that followed are
quicker, more fuel efficient, or both.
Why don't designers simply bottle the
Editor at Large DAVE HIRSCHMAN says flying the
Staggerwing brings aviation history alive more
vividly than he ever could have imagined.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
AN INSPIRED DESIGN
Some airplanes possess a certain kind of magic that's as real as it is
undefinable.
A Beech Staggerwing, for example, is an art deco masterpiece that captures the
imaginations of pilots and nonpilots alike. It just speaks to the human soul in a way that
other aircraft don't.
I recently had the opportunity to fly one of these rare vintage works of art, and
seeing the airplane captivate, inspire, and instill wonder was the best part of it. Whether
they flew the airplane, went for rides, ran their hands over the fabric-covered wood in
the hangar, or watched it fly overhead, visitors were transfixed by the airplane's boldness
and beauty. And the more they knew about aviation history, the more they seemed
to appreciate the iconic airplane. That raises the question: If the Staggerwing's appeal is
so universal, why can't designers replicate some of its sublime qualities in other designs?
A clear-eyed look at the Staggerwing-and particularly its economics-give some
strong hints about why it wasn't copied, or even imitated, in later designs.
First, materials. The Staggerwing is mostly wood, and its intricate center section,
delicate formers, precisely fashioned ribs, and reinforced plywood wing tips require
exceptional skill and craftsmanship to build and then cover with fabric. Each airplane
required many thousands of hours of painstaking labor to produce. Underneath its
lustrous skin, the Staggerwing's retractable landing gear system is complex and failure
prone. Looking at the long series of bicycle chains, sprockets, and electrical relays and
connections, it's somewhat miraculous it works at all. Then there's the fuel system,
which contains two fuel selectors and five fuel tanks.
From a pilot's perspective, visibility is extremely limited. Taxiing requires exaggerated
S-turns to clear the path ahead, and takeoffs and landings can be tricky, especially
8
FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2024
Staggerwing mystique and pour it into
their new designs? Sadly, the conclusion is
that other factors are more important than
aesthetics, and they trump beauty and
visceral appeal every time.
Beech's own Bonanza put a nail in the
Staggerwing's coffin in the late 1940s when
both were produced side by side. Both were
single-engine, four-seat airplanes that flew
at similar speeds, but the retail price for
a Bonanza was about one-fourth that of a
Staggerwing. And Bonanza operating costs
were lower, too. Cessna faced a similar
dynamic as its classy, radial-engine Cessna
195 Businessliner was made obsolete by
newer, more efficient, less costly models.
Does this mean we're doomed to evermore-drab
and utilitarian designs in the
future? Of course not. Just as it's long been
said that " An airplane that looks good, flies
good, " there's still a place for symmetry
and aesthetics. And new materials and
manufacturing processes can make such
qualities more commercially viable.
The European Elixir aircraft is using a
new form of carbon-fiber construction to
radically reduce the parts count in its twoseat
aircraft. Kit manufacturer ScaleWings
is producing smaller, two-seat P-51 Mustang
replicas with astonishing fidelity. And
European " ultralights " made of carbon
fiber are fast, efficient, and attractive.
Personally, I'm less enamored with a
mini-Mustang than, say, a carbon-fiber
Polen Special. If you're going to reproduce
a unique airplane, why not aim for one of
the fastest, most efficient, and stunningly
gorgeous of all time?
The magic of inspired design lives on. FT
CHRIS ROSE

Flight Training - March/April 2024

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