The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing,

tailwheel Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...

manufactured by the

Beech Aircraft Corporation Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

. Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969 (over 32 years, a world record at the time), over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it was also used as a

military aircraft A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...

."Beechcraft D18S Twin Beech."
''

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

'' of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Retrieved: December 17, 2014."Fact Sheet: Beech C-45H Expeditor."
''

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

'', Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. Retrieved: August 5, 2017."Twin Beech: The 1930s airplane that set Beech Aircraft Corporation on a course towards 50 years of success"
''

Flying Magazine ''Flying'', sometimes styled ''FLYING'', is an aviation magazine published since 1927 and called Ziff Davis#Popular Aviation, ''Popular Aviation'' prior to 1942, as well as ''Aeronautics'' for a brief period. It is read by pilots, aircraft owners ...

'', February 1982, pp. 26-30, Retrieved: August 5, 2017 During and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, over 4,500 Beech 18s were used in military service—as light transport, light bomber (for China), aircrew trainer (for bombing, navigation, and gunnery),

photo-reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of imag ...

, and "mother ship" for target drones—including

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF) C-45 Expeditor, AT-7 Navigator, and AT-11 Kansan; and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(USN) UC-45J Navigator, SNB-1 Kansan, and others. In

, over 90% of USAAF bombardiers and navigators trained in these aircraft."Fact Sheet: Beech AT-11 Kansan."
''

'', Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. Retrieved: August 5, 2017. In the early postwar era, the Beech 18 was the pre-eminent "business aircraft" and "feeder airliner". Besides carrying passengers, its civilian uses have included

aerial spraying Aerial application, or what is informally referred to as crop dusting, involves spraying crops with crop protection products from an agricultural aircraft. Planting certain types of seed are also included in aerial application. The specific sp ...

, sterile insect release,

fish stocking Fish stocking is the practice of raising fish in a hatchery and releasing them into a river, lake or ocean to supplement existing populations or to create a population where previously none exists. Stocking may be done for the benefit of commercia ...

dry-ice Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is commonly used for temporary refrigeration as CO2 does not have a liquid state at normal atmospheric pressure and sublimates directly from the solid state to the gas state. It is used primarily a ...

cloud seeding Cloud seeding is a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the microphysical p ...

aerial firefighting Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art * Aerial sil ...

, air-mail delivery, ambulance service, numerous movie productions,

skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

, freight, weapon- and drug-

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

, engine testbed,

skywriting Skywriting is the process of using one or more small aircraft, able to expel special smoke during flight, to fly in certain patterns that create writing readable from the ground. These messages can be advertisements, general messages of celebrat ...

banner towing Aerial advertising is a form of advertising that incorporates the use of flogos, manned aircraft, or drones to create, transport, or display, advertising media. The media can be ''static'', such as a banner, logo, lighted sign or sponsorship bran ...

, and stunt aircraft. Many are privately owned, around the world, with 240 in the U.S. still on the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

Aircraft Registry in August 2017.Bauschspies, James S. and William E. Simpson
"Research and Technology Program Perspectives for General Aviation and Commuter Aircraft"
NASA Contract NASW-3554 for NASA, Sept. 1982, N83-17454#. Retrieved: Dec. 18, 2014. (In particular, see: Table 2.4 "COMMUTER CARGO FLEET IN 1981 - TOP TEN AIRCRAFT MODELS - NUMBER IN FLEET," which notes Beech 18 units are more than the next two aircraft ''combined'' (Convair 500/680 and Douglas DC-3), and more than the next three general aviation aircraft combined."Beech 18" FAA Aircraft Registry.
''

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

''. Retrieved: August 5, 2017.

Design and development

Beechcraft AT-11 out over the West Texas prairies (00910460 103)

By the late 1930s, Beechcraft management speculated that a demand would exist for a new design dubbed the Model 18, which would have a military application, and increased the main production facilities. The design was mainly conventional for the time, including twin

radial engines The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is cal ...

, all-metal

semimonocoque The term semi-monocoque or semimonocoque refers to a stressed shell structure that is similar to a true monocoque, but which derives at least some of its strength from conventional reinforcement. Semi-monocoque construction is used for, among ot ...

construction with fabric-covered control surfaces, and tailwheel

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

. Less conventional was the

twin-tail A twin tail is a specific type of vertical stabilizer arrangement found on the empennage of some aircraft. Two vertical stabilizers—often smaller on their own than a single conventional tail would be—are mounted at the outside of the aircra ...

fin configuration. The Model 18 can be mistaken for the larger

Lockheed Electra Lockheed Electra refers to two distinct aircraft designs: * Lockheed Model 10 Electra, a ten-passenger piston engine aircraft of the 1930s, which had two immediate variants: ** Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior, a six-passenger scaled-down version o ...

series of airliners, which closely resemble it. Early production aircraft were powered either by two 330-hp (250-kW) Jacobs L-6s or 350-hp (260-kW) Wright R-760Es. The 450-hp (336-kW)

Pratt & Whitney R-985 The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produced , ...

became the definitive engine from the prewar C18S onwards. The Beech 18

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

first flew on January 15, 1937. The aircraft has used a variety of engines and has had a number of airframe modifications to increase gross weight and speed. At least one aircraft was modified to a 600-hp (447-kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 powerplant configuration. With the added weight of about 200 lb (91 kg) per engine, the concept of a Model 18 fitted with R-1340 engines was deemed unsatisfactory due to the weakest structural area of the aircraft being the engine mounts. Nearly every airframe component has been modified. In 1955, deliveries of the Model E18S commenced; the E18S featured a

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

that was extended higher for more headroom in the passenger cabin. All later Beech 18s (sometimes called Super 18s) featured this taller

, and some earlier models (including one AT-11) have been modified to this larger fuselage. The Model H18, introduced in 1963, featured optional

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ge ...

. Unusually, the undercarriage was developed for earlier-model aircraft under an STC by Volpar, and installed in H18s at the factory during manufacture. A total of 109 H18s was built with tricycle undercarriage, and another 240 earlier-model aircraft were modified with this."Model 18 Specifications."
''Beechcraft Heritage Museum''. Retrieved: August 24, 2008. Construction of the Beechcraft Model 18 ended in 1970 with a final Model H18 going to

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

. Through the years, 32 variations of the basic design had flown, over 200 improvement modification kits were developed, and almost 8,000 aircraft were built. In one case, the aircraft was modified to a triple tail, trigear, humpbacked configuration and appeared similar to a miniature

Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...

. Another distinctive conversion was carried out by Pacific Airmotive as the PacAero Tradewind. This featured a lengthened nose to accommodate the tricycle nosewheel, and the Model 18's twin tailfins were replaced by a single fin."Beechcraft 3NMT Expeditor."
''Canadian Museum of Flight.'' Retrieved: August 13, 2012.

Operational history

Production got an early boost when Nationalist China paid the company US$750,000 for six M18R light bombers,"Beechcraft page."
''Aerofiles.'' Retrieved: August 12, 2008. but by the time of the U.S. entry into

, only 39 Model 18s had been sold, of which 29 were for civilian customers. Work began in earnest on a variant specifically for training

(USAAF) military pilots, bombardiers, and navigators. The effort resulted in the Army AT-7. Further development led to the AT-11 navigation trainer, C-45 military transport, and F-2 (the "F" standing for "Fotorecon", short for "photographic reconnaissance"). The

first adopted the Beech 18 as the JRB-1, equivalent to the F-2, followed by the JRB-2 transport; the JRB was initially named the Voyager, but this name did not enter common use, and JRBs were generally called Expeditors like their USAAF counterparts. The first JRB-1 obtained by the Navy,

bureau number In the United States, all military aircraft display a serial number to identify individual aircraft. These numbers are located on the aircraft tail, so they are sometimes referred to unofficially as "tail numbers". On the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spi ...

(BuNo) ''09771'', was converted from the last civil Model 18 built before production was earmarked solely for the military for the duration of the war. The Navy subsequently obtained more Model 18s as the JRB-3 (C-45B), JRB-4 (UC-45F), SNB-1 Kansan (AT-11), SNB-2 (AT-7), and SNB-2C (AT-7C). Existing naval Twin Beeches were subsequently modified into the SNB-2H air ambulance, SNB-2P reconnaissance trainer, and SNB-3Q

electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

trainer. The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

acquired seven JRB-4 and JRB-5 aircraft from the Navy between 1943 and 1947; they were primarily used as utility transports, with one aircraft later converted for aerial mapping, and another used for proficiency flying. After the war, the USAAF became the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF), and the USAF

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

had Model 18 variants (AT-11 Kansans, C-45 Expeditors, F-2 Expeditors, and UC-45 Expeditors) from 1946 until 1951. In 1950, the Navy still had around 1,200 JRB and SNB aircraft in inventory. From 1951 to 1955, the USAF had many of its aircraft remanufactured with new fuselages, wing center sections, and undercarriages to take advantage of the improvements to the civil models since the end of World War II. Eventually, 900 aircraft were remanufactured to be similar to the then-current Model D18S and given new designations, constructor's numbers, and Air Force serial numbers."C-45H."
''Beechcraft Heritage Museum''. Retrieved: August 24, 2008. The USN had many of its surviving aircraft remanufactured as well, resulting in the JRB-6, the SNB-5, and SNB-5P. The Coast Guard retired its JRBs in 1956 and sold most of them as surplus in 1959, but one was retained by the

United States Coast Guard Reserve The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for R ...

until at least 1972. With the adoption of the

1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system The Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified system introduced in 1962 by the United States Department of Defense for designating all U.S. military aircraft. Previously, the U.S. armed services used separate nomenclature systems. ...

, the Navy's SNB-5 and SNB-5P became the TC-45J and RC-45J respectively, later becoming the UC-45J as their primary mission shifted from aircrew training to utility transport work. The C-45 flew in USAF service until 1963, the USN retired its last UC-45J in 1972, while the U.S. Army flew its C-45s until 1976. In later years, the military called these aircraft "bug smashers" in reference to their extensive use supplying mandatory flight hours for desk-bound aviators in the Pentagon.O'Rourke, G.G, CAPT USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads." ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'', July 1968. Beech 18s were used extensively by Air America during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

; initially more-or-less standard ex-military C-45 examples were used, but then the airline had 12 aircraft modified by Conrad Conversions in 1963 and 1964 to increase performance and load-carrying capacity. The modified aircraft were known as Conrad Ten-Twos, as the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) was increased to . The increase was achieved by several airframe modifications, including increased horizontal stabilizer angle-of-incidence, redesigned undercarriage doors, and aerodynamically improved wingtips. Air America then had Volpar convert 14 aircraft to

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

power, fitted with

Garrett AiResearch TPE-331 The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was originally designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from . Design and developm ...

engines; modified aircraft were called Volpar Turbo Beeches, and also had a further increase in MTOW to ."Air America: Beech/Volpar Turbo Beech 18".
''University of Texas at Dallas'', 2006. Retrieved: August 5, 2017.

Spar problems

The

wing spar In a fixed-wing aircraft, the spar is often the main structural member of the wing, running spanwise at right angles (or thereabouts depending on wing sweep) to the fuselage. The spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings while on t ...

of the Model 18 was fabricated by welding an assembly of tubular steel. The configuration of the tubes in combination with drilled holes from aftermarket STC modifications on some of these aircraft have allowed the spar to become susceptible to corrosion and cracking while in service. This prompted the FAA to issue an

Airworthiness Directive An Airworthiness Directive (commonly abbreviated as AD) is a notification to owners and operators of certified aircraft that a known safety deficiency with a particular model of aircraft, engine, avionics or other system exists and must be correct ...

in 1975, mandating the fitting of a spar strap to some Model 18s. This led, in turn, to the retirement of a large number of STC-modified Model 18s when owners determined the aircraft were worth less than the cost of the modifications. The corrosion on unmodified spars was not a problem; it occurred due to the additional exposed surface area created through the STC hole-drilling process. Further requirements have been mandated by the FAA and other national airworthiness authorities, including regular removal of the spar strap to allow the strap to be checked for cracks and corrosion and the spar to be

X-rayed An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 ...

. In Australia, the airworthiness authority has placed a life limit on the airframe, beyond which aircraft are not allowed to fly.

Variants

Manufacturer models

Unless otherwise noted, the engines fitted are

radials. ;Model 18A :First production model with seating for two pilots and seven or eight passengers, fitted with

Wright R-760 The Wright R-760 Whirlwind was a series of seven-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of 756 in³ (12.4 L) and power ratings of 225-350 ...

E-2 engines of , MTOW: Four built.Pelletier 1995, p. 68 *Model S18A :Version of Model 18A capable of being fitted with skis or

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

55-7170 floats; MTOW: ;Model A18A :Version fitted with Wright R-760E-2 engines, MTOW: *Model SA18A :Seaplane version of Model A18A, MTOW: ;Model 18B :Version powered with

Jacobs L-5 The Jacobs R-830 or L-5 is a seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft manufactured in the United States, production started in 1935.Gunston 1989, p.85. Design and development The R-830 was effectively an enlargement of the R-755 ...

engines. Four built.McKillop, Jack
"Beech JRB Expedition (sic), Beech SNB Kansan and Navigator".
''microworks.ne.'' Retrieved: August 28, 2008. *Model S18B :Version of Model 18B capable of being fitted with skis or floats. ;Model 18D :Variant with seating for two pilots and nine passengers, fitted with

Jacobs L-6 The Jacobs R-915 or Jacobs L-6 is a seven-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft manufactured in the United States, production started in 1936. Design and development The R-915 was effectively an enlargement of the R-755 with strengt ...

engines of , MTOW: . Twelve aircraft built. *Model S18D :Version of Model 18D capable of being fitted with skis or , MTOW: "S18D."
''Beechcraft Heritage Museum.'' Retrieved: August 12, 2008. ;Model A18D :Variant of 18D with MTOW increased by to . *Model SA18D :Seaplane version of Model A18D, but same MTOW as S18D. ;Model 18R :Model with

Pratt and Whitney R-985 The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produced ...

, , seven built, one to Sweden as an

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

, six to Nationalist China as M18R light bombers ;Model 18S :Nine-passenger pre-World War II civil variant, powered by served as basis for USAAF C-45C ;Model B18S :Nine-passenger pre-World War II civil variant, served as basis for USAAF F-2 ;Model C18S :Variant of B18S with seating for eight passengers, and equipment and minor structural changes"Beech C18S Type Certificate."
''Federal Aviation Administration''. Retrieved: August 12, 2008. ;Model D18S :First post-World War II variant introduced in 1945, with seating for eight passengers and MTOW of , 1,035 built"Aircraft Serial Number Lists 1945–2008."
''Hawker Beechcraft''. Retrieved: August 8, 2008. ;Model D18C :Variant with

Continental R9-A The Wright R-975 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of about and power ratings of . They were the largest memb ...

engines of and MTOW of , introduced in 1947, 31 built.FAA Beech D18/E18/G18/H18 Series Type Certificate.
Retrieved 8 August 2008."Beech 18".
''Airliners.net''. Retrieved: August 8, 2008. ;Model E18S :Variant with redesigned wing and MTOW of ; 403 built ;Model E18S-9700 :Variant of E18S with MTOW of ; 57 built ;Model G18S Beech Model 18 (reg N45CF) arrives Fairford 7Jul2016 arp

Beech Model 18 (reg N45CF) arrives Fairford 7Jul2016 arp

:Superseded E18S, MTOW of ; 155 built ;Model G18S-9150 :Lightweight version of G18, MTOW of ; one built ;Model H18 :Last production version, fitted with optional tricycle undercarriage developed by Volpar and MTOW of ; 149 built, of which 109 were manufactured with tricycle undercarriage

Military versions

USAAC/USAAF designations

;C-45 :Six-seat staff transport based on C18S; 11 builtDonald 1995, p. 7.Swanborough and Bowers 1963, p. 36. ;C-45A :Eight-seat utility transport based on C18S; 20 built ;RC-45A :Redesignation of all surviving F-2, F-2A, and F-2B aircraft by the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

in 1948 ;C-45B :Based on C18S, but with modified internal layout; 223 ordered, redesignated UC-45B in 1943 ;C-45C :Two Model 18S aircraft impressed into the USAAF, redesignated UC-45C in January 1943"USA Warplanes C-45 page."
''uswarplanes.net''. Retrieved 24 August 2008.Baugher, Joe

''USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers–1908 to Present''. Retrieved: June 11, 2011. ;C-45D :Designation given to two AT-7 aircraft converted as passenger transports during manufacture, redesignated UC-45D in January 1943Baugher, Joe

''USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers–1908 to Present''. Retrieved: June 11, 2011. ;C-45E :Designation given to two AT-7 and four AT-7B aircraft converted as passenger transports during manufacture, redesignated UC-45E in January 1943 ;C-45F :Standardized seven-seat version based on C18S, with longer nose than preceding models; 1,137 ordered, redesignated UC-45F ;C-45G :AT-7s and AT-11s remanufactured in the early 1950s for the USAF to similar standard as civil D18S with

autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...

and R-985-AN-3 engines; 372 aircraft rebuilt ;TC-45G :Multiengine crew trainer variant of C-45G; AT-7s and AT-11s remanufactured in the early 1950s for the USAF to similar standard as civil D18S, 96 aircraft rebuiltBaugher, Joe
"USAF 1951 Serial Number List."
''USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers–1908 to Present''. Retrieved 11 June 2011. ;C-45H :AT-7s and AT-11s remanufactured in the early 1950s for the USAF to similar standard as civil D18S, with no autopilot and R-985-AN-14B engines; 432 aircraft rebuiltBaugher, Joe

''USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers–1908 to Present''. Retrieved: August 24, 2008. ;TC-45H ;RC-45J :In 1962, all surviving U.S. Navy SNB-5Ps were redesignated RC-45J ;TC-45J :In 1962 all surviving U.S. Navy SNB-5s were redesignated TC-45J ;UC-45J :Subsequent redesignation of RC-45J and TC-45J ;AT-7 Navigator :Navigation trainer based on C18S, with an

astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

and positions for three students, powered by 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-25 engines; 577 built ;AT-7A :Floatplane version of AT-7; six built ;AT-7B :Winterised AT-7; nine built ;AT-7C :Based on C18S with R-985-AN3 engines; 549 built ;AT-11 Kansan :Bombing and gunnery trainer for USAAF derived from AT-7, fuselage had small, circular cabin windows, bombardier position in nose, and bomb bay; gunnery trainers were also fitted with two or three .30-caliber machine guns, early models (the first 150 built) had a single .30-cal AN-M2 in a Beechcraft-manufactured top turret, later models used a Crocker Wheeler twin .30-cal top turret, a bottom tunnel gun was used for tail gunner training, 1,582 built for USAAF orders, with 24 ordered by Netherlands repossessed by USAAF and used by the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School at

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

.Donald 1995, pp. 7–8.Swanborough and Bowers 1963, p. 37. ;AT-11A :Conversion of AT-11 as navigation trainer; 36 converted ;CQ-3 :Conversion of UC-45F, modified to act as

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

control aircraft, redesignated as DC-45F in June 1948 Beechcraft F-2s in Alaska June 1941

;F-2 :Photo-reconnaissance version based on B18 ;F-2A :Improved version ;F-2B

US Navy designations

Beechcraft SNB-1 Kansan front quarter view

;JRB-1 :Photographic aircraft, based on the C18S, fitted with fairing over cockpit for improved visibility, 11 obtained,Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 41. at least one conversion from impressed civil B18S ;JRB-2 :Light transport, based on the C18S; 15 obtained, at least one conversion from JRB-1, some transferred from USAAF C-45A stocks ;JRB-3 :Photographic version, similar to C-45B; 23 obtained, some transferred from USAAF C-45B stocks ;JRB-4 :Utility transport version, equivalent to UC-45F; 328 obtained from USAAF ;JRB-6 :Remanufactured JRB ;SNB-1 :Similar to AT-11; 110 built ;SNB-2 :Navigation trainer similar to AT-7, 299 built ;SNB-2C :Navigation trainer similar to AT-7C, 375 built ;SNB-2H :Ambulance conversion ;SNB-2P :Photo-reconnaissance trainer conversion ;SNB-3Q :Electronic countermeasures trainer conversion ;SNB-5 :Remanufactured SNB or JRB ;SNB-5P :Remanufactured SNB-2P

RAF/RCAF Lend-lease designations

;Expeditor I: C-45Bs supplied to the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

under

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

;Expeditor II: C-45Fs supplied to the RAF and

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

under Lend-Lease ;Expeditor III: C-45Fs supplied to the

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

under Lend-Lease

Post-war RCAF designations

C-45Ds delivered between 1951 and 1952 ;Expeditor 3N: navigation trainer - 88 built

;Expeditor 3NM: navigational trainer that could be converted to a transport - 59 built ;Expeditor 3NMT: 3NM converted to a transport aircraft - 67 built ;Expeditor 3NMT(Special): navigation trainer/personnel transport - 19 built ;Expeditor 3TM: transport with fittings so it could be converted to a navigation trainer - 44 built"FAA Type Certificate A-765 (Beech D18/E18/G18/H18 Series)." ''Federal Aviation Administration'', p. 48. ;Expeditor 3TM(Special): modified RCAF Expeditors used overseas in conjunction with Project WPB6 - three built

Canadian Armed Forces

;CT-128 Expeditor: 1968 redesignation of existing RCAF aircraft upon

unification of the Canadian Armed Forces The unification of the Canadian Armed Forces took place on 1 February 1968, when the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force were merged to form the Canadian Armed Forces. History A white paper was tabled in the Parliam ...

Conversions

;Conrad 9800 :Modification increasing the gross weight to 9,800 pounds with a single piece windshield ;Dumod I : Executive conversion with Volpar tricycle landing gear, new wing tips, enlarged fight deck and refurbished 6–7 seat cabin with larger windows. Originally named Infinité I. 37 converted by 1966.Taylor 1967, p. 250. ;Dumod Liner :Stretched airliner conversion. Similar to Dumod I but with forward fuselage stretched by , allowing up to 15 passengers to be carried. Originally named Infinité II. ;Hamilton HA-1 :conversion of a TC-45J aircraft ;Hamilton Little Liner :Modification of D18S with aerodynamic improvements and new, retractable tailwheel, capable of carrying 11 seatsTaylor 1965, p. 280. ;Hamilton Westwind :Turboprop conversions with various engines N432U

;Hamilton Westwind II STD: Stretched conversion powered by two 840-hp

PT6A The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously up ...

s, and with accommodation for up to 17 passengersTaylor 1976, p. 300. ;Hamilton Westwind III:two 579-hp PT6A-20s or 630-hp PT6A-27s or 630-hp

Lycoming LTS101 The Lycoming (now Honeywell) LTS101 is a turboshaft engine family ranging from 650 to 850 shaft horsepower, used in a number of popular helicopters, and, as the LTP101 turboprop, light aircraft. Both models carry the US military designation T702 ...

s. ;Hamilton Westwind IV:two 570-hp

Lycoming LTP101 Lycoming may refer to the following, most of which are at least partly in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States: Geography * Lycoming, New York, a hamlet * Lycoming County, Pennsylvania * Lycoming Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania * Ly ...

s or 680-hp PT6A-28s or 750-hp PT6A-34s or 1020-hp PT6A-45s ;PacAero Tradewind :Conversion of Beech D18S/C-45 to five- to 11-seat executive transport with single fin by

Pacific Airmotive Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is an American aircraft company and a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. Gulfstream designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and services business jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,000 ...

;Rausch Star 250 :Built as C-45F 44-47231, this aircraft was re-manufactured at Wichita by Beech in 1952, to become TC-45G 51-11544. From 1959 Rausch Engineering Inc. of South San Francisco, California, converted N8186H to tricycle undercarriage, using forward retracting main gear from a P-51 and rearward-retracting nose-leg from a T-28, adding a nose extension, rear fuselage extension, re-roofed fuselage for increased headroom and enlarged cabin windows. The modifications did not obtain FAA certification despite 58 hours of flight testing, with the aircraft eventually being broken up at Antioch, CA, in 1978. ;SFERMA-Beechcraft PD.18S :Modification of Beech 18S powered by two Turboméca Bastan

sTaylor 1982, p. 67. ;Volpar (Beechcraft) Model 18 :Conversion of Model 18 with nosewheel undercarriageTaylor 1965, p. 316.Taylor 1982, p. 483. ;Volpar (Beechcraft) Super 18: ;Volpar (Beechcraft) Turbo 18:Beech Model 18s fitted with the Volpar MkIV tricycle undercarriage and powered by two 705-hp Garrett TPE331-1-101B turboprop engines, flat-rated to , driving Hartzell HC-B3TN-5 three-bladed, reversible-pitch, constant-speed feathering propellers ;Volpar (Beechcraft) Super Turbo 18 :2x

Garrett TPE331 The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was originally designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from . Design and developm ...

;Volpar (Beechcraft) C-45G :C-45G aircraft modified with tricycle undercarriage ;Volpar (Beechcraft) Turboliner : 15-passenger version of the Turbo 18 with extended fuselage, powered by 2 705-hp Garrett TPE331-1-101BsTaylor 1982, p. 484. ;Volpar (Beechcraft) Turboliner II :Turboliners modified to meet SFAR 23

Operators

Civil

, the Beechcraft Model 18 remains popular with air charter companies and small feeder airlines worldwide.

Military

; *

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falklan ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 3a. *

Argentine Naval Aviation ) Gulf War , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = President , commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief , commander2 ...

; *

Bolivian Air Force The Bolivian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Boliviana or 'FAB') is the air force of Bolivia and branch of the Bolivian Armed Forces. History By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft (Curtiss Hawk fighters, Curtiss T-32 Co ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 4a. ; *

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

; *

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

394 examples from 1941 to 1972Griffin 1969, pp. 5–6. *

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

10 examples from 1952 to 1960 ** VX-10 Squadron ** VU-32 Squadron *

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

; *

Chilean Air Force "With full speed to the stars" , colours = Indigo White , colours_label = , march = Alte Kameraden , mascot = , anniversaries = 21 March ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 6a. *

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the Wars ...

; *

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

Pelletier 1995, pp. 81–82. ; *

Public Force of Costa Rica The Public Force of Costa Rica ( es, Fuerza Pública de Costa Rica) is the Costa Rican national law enforcement force, which performs policing and border patrol functions. History On 1 December 1948, President José Figueres Ferrer of Costa ...

Pelletier 1995, p. 82. ;Pelletier 1995, p. 83. ; *

Cuban Air Force The Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force ( es, Defensa Anti-Aérea y Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria) commonly abbreviated to DAAFAR in both Spanish and English, is the air force of Cuba. History Background The Cuban Army Air Force was ...

- received two AT-7s, two AT-11s, a F-2B and a UC-45F in 1947 ; *

Dominican Air Force The Air Force of the Dominican Republic ( es, Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Navy. History At the end of the United States ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 7a. ; *

Ecuadorian Air Force The Ecuadorian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE) is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador and responsible for the protection of the Ecuadorian airspace. Mission To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional o ...

; *

Air Force of El Salvador The Salvadoran Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, abbreviated FAS) is the air force component of the Armed Forces of El Salvador, and is an independent branch from the army and navy. Early history The Salvadoran Army Air Force ('' es, ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 17a. ; *

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

French Naval Aviation French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: ''Aéronavale'' (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or ''Aviation navale'', or more simply ''l'Aéro'') is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is ' ...

; *

Guatemalan Air Force The Guatemalan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca or ''FAG'') is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history. The FAG is a subordinate to the Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to th ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 11a. ; *

Haiti Air Corps The Haiti Air Corps (french: Corps d'Aviation d'Haiti (Corps d’Aviation de 1’Armee d’Haiti)) was the air force of Haiti from 1942 to 1994. The air corps was disbanded along with the rest of the armed forces after Operation Uphold Democracy, t ...

; *

Honduran Air Force The Honduras Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Hondureña, sometimes abbreviated to FAH in English) is the air force of Honduras. As such it is the air power arm of the Honduras Armed Forces. History The first Honduras military flying took place ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 12a. ; *

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...

; ; *

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

operated 125 aircraft from 1949 until the 1970s ; *

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

; *

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; es, Fuerza Aérea Mexicana) is the primary aerial warfare service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of t ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 14a. *

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy is one of the two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...

; *

Royal Netherlands Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

Dutch Naval Aviation Service The Netherlands Naval Aviation Service ( nl, Marineluchtvaartdienst, shortened to MLD) is the naval aviation branch of the Royal Netherlands Navy. History World War I Although the MLD was formed in 1914, with the building of a seaplane base ...

; *

Nicaraguan Air Force The Nicaraguan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Nicaragüense) is the air defense branch of the armed forces of Nicaragua. It continues the former Sandinista air units. Before 1979 the Nicaraguan National Guard had some air units (). Air force In 1 ...

; *

Niger Air Force The Niger Armed Forces (french: Forces armées nigériennes) (FAN) includes military armed force service branches (Niger Army and Niger Air Force), paramilitary services branches ( National Gendarmerie of Niger and National Guard of Niger) an ...

; ; *

Paraguayan Air Force The Armed forces of Paraguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the Paraguayan army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. The constitution of Paraguay establishes the president of Paraguay as the commander- ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 16a. ; *

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

; *

Philippine Army Air Corps The Philippine Army Air Corps ( fil, Pulutong Himpapawid ng Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas; es, Cuerpo Aéreo del Ejercito Filipino) was created in 1935 as the air component of the Philippine Army. It was the predecessor of the Philippine Air F ...

; * Forca Aerea PortuguesaPelletier 1995, p. 84. *

Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...

; *

Somali Air Force "Lean Together" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_l ...

– Withdrawn in 1991 ; *

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

; *

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...

; ; *

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

; *

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 19a. ; *

Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (german: Schweizer Luftwaffe; french: Forces aériennes suisses; it, Forze aeree svizzere; rm, Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914 as a part of the army and ...

; *

Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retroactively known by its historical name the Chinese Air Force and unofficially referred to as the Taiwanese Air Force, is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, currently based i ...

Pelletier 1995, p. 81. ; *

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

Bridgman 1951, p. 20a. ; * Tongan Maritime Force Air Force ; *

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known t ...

; *

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

–

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

; *

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

; *

Uruguayan Air Force The Uruguayan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya, abbreviated FAU) is the air service branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay. Originally created as part of the National Army of Uruguay, the Air Force was established as a separate branch on Dec ...

Pelletier 1995, pp. 84–85. ; *

Venezuelan Air Force , colours = Bleu celeste , colours_label = , march = , "Hymn of the National Military Aviation" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December (Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , battle_honou ...

Pelletier 1995, p. 85. ; * Zairian Air Force

Accidents and incidents

The Beechcraft Model 18 family has been involved in the following notable accidents and incidents: *April 25, 1951: Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, a

Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s ...

bound from Miami to Havana, registration ''CU-T188'', collided with a U.S. Navy SNB-1,

''39939'', on a practice instrument approach to

Naval Air Station Key West Naval Air Station Key West , is a naval air station and military airport located on Boca Chica Key, four miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Key West, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 NAS Key West is an air ...

. The collision and ensuing crashes killed all 34 passengers and five crew aboard the DC-4 and all five crew aboard the SNB. The accident occurred at midday, weather was clear with unlimited visibility, and both flight crews had been cleared to fly under

visual flight rules In aviation, visual flight rules (VFR) are a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better ...

, being expected to "see and avoid" other aircraft; the student flying the SNB was wearing view-limiting goggles, but the other SNB crew were not, and were expected to keep watch. Ground witnesses said that neither aircraft took evasive action prior to the collision, and the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: Th ...

attributed the accident to the failure of both flight crews to see and avoid conflicting air traffic. *1967:

Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden Muhammad Binladin ( ar, محمد بن لادن, translit=Muḥammad Binlādin; – 3 September 1967) was a Saudi tycoon who founded the Saudi Binladin Group. He worked primarily in the construction industry and became the wealthiest non-royal S ...

was killed in the crash of a Beechcraft 18 in Saudi Arabia. *December 10, 1967: American

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

singer

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, four members of his backing band the

Bar-Kays The Bar-Kays are an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) in ...

, the pilot, and another member of Redding's entourage were killed in the crash of Redding's H18, registration ''N390R'', into

Lake Monona Lake Monona is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and on the south east side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin. It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along ...

on approach to Truax Field in Wisconsin. The

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

(NTSB) was unable to determine the cause of the crash, noting that the left engine and propeller were not recovered. Trumpet player

Ben Cauley Ben S. Cauley, Jr. (October 3, 1947 – September 21, 2015) was an American trumpet player, vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the Stax recording group the Bar-Kays. He was the only survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the live ...

, the sole survivor, subsequently revived the Bar-Kays together with another band member who was aboard a different aircraft. *September 20, 1973: American

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

singer-songwriter

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pa ...

, four members of his entourage, and the pilot were killed when their chartered E18S, registration ''N50JR'', crashed into a tree on takeoff from

Natchitoches Regional Airport Natchitoches Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) south of the central business district of Natchitoches, a parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Although most U.S. a ...

in Louisiana. The NTSB attributed the accident to reduced visibility due to fog, and to physical impairment of the pilot, who had severe

coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pla ...

and had run to the airport. An investigation conducted for a lawsuit against the charter company attributed the accident solely to

pilot error Pilot error generally refers to an Aviation accidents and incidents, accident in which an action or decision made by the Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pi ...

, citing his downwind takeoff into a "black hole" of severe darkness, causing him to experience

spatial disorientation Spatial disorientation results in a person being unable to determine their position or relative motion, commonly occurring during periods of challenging visibility, since vision is the dominant sense for orientation. The auditory system, vestibular ...

. *September 26, 1978:

Air Caribbean Flight 309 Air Caribbean Flight 309 was a domestic, non-scheduled airline flight by Puerto Rican airline Air Caribbean, which on September 26, 1978, crashed as it was preparing to land at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then known, unofficially, ...

, an

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...

flight by a D18S, registration ''N500L'', crashed on approach to Isla Verde International Airport in Puerto Rico, killing the pilot and the five passengers aboard the aircraft and causing substantial property damage and injuries to bystanders on the ground. The pilot could not communicate with

approach control Approach may refer to: Aviation *Visual approach *Instrument approach *Final approach (aeronautics), Final approach Music * Approach (album), ''Approach'' (album), by Von Hertzen Brothers * ''The Approach'', an album by I:Scintilla Other uses *A ...

and was following directions relayed by local tower controllers, who told the pilot to make a turn and maintain separation from a

Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, also known as the L-1011 (pronounced "El-ten-eleven") and TriStar, is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter comme ...

that was overtaking the flight, but the pilot did not turn, and the D18S passed underneath and very close to the L-1011. Both the NTSB and a U.S. District Court ruling attributed the crash to the D18S pilot's failure to correctly follow visual flight rules and air traffic control instructions to maintain separation from the much larger L-1011, causing a loss of aircraft control due to

wake turbulence Wake turbulence is a disturbance in the atmosphere that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. It includes variety of elements, the most significant of which are wingtip vortices and jetwash. Jetwash refers to the rapidly moving g ...

. A contributing factor was the pilot's difficulties in communication with controllers.

Aircraft on display

Argentina

* AT-11A ''3495'' – at the

Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina The National Aeronautics Museum "Brigadier Edmundo Civati Bernasconi" ( es, Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica) is an Argentine museum located in the city of Morón, Buenos Aires. Established in 1960, the museum is dedicated to the history of aviati ...

in Buenos Aires. * C-45H ''5621'' – at the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina in Buenos Aires. * C-45H ''AF-555'' – at the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina in Buenos Aires. * H18S c/no. BA-752 (former ''LV-JFH'') – at the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina in Buenos Aires.

Australia

* E18S c/no. BA-81 (former ''N3781B'') - at the

Queensland Air Museum The Queensland Air Museum is a not-for-profit community-owned aviation museum located at Caloundra Airport in Queensland, Australia. Its mission is to collect and preserve all aspects of aviation heritage with an emphasis on Australia and Queen ...

in Caloundra, Queensland.

Belgium

* 3NM floatplane c/no CA-191 (former ''C-FGNR'') – at Pairi Daiza.

Brazil

* AT-11 ''4615'' - at the Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. * C-45F ''2856'' - at the

Museu Aeroespacial Museu Aeroespacial is a national aviation museum located in the West Side of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the Administrative Region of Realengo. The place is known as "the Brazilian Aviation cradle".Ogden (2008) Address Av. Marechal Fontenelle, 2000 ...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Canada

* C-45H ''459'' – at the

Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC), located on the north bank of the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to preserving the history of bush flying and forest protection in Canada. It was founded in 1987 by a ...

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants of ...

. Tail code CF-MJY * 3TM ''8034'' – at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. * D18S c/no. A-141 (former ''CF-MPH'') – at the

RCMP Academy, Depot Division RCMP Academy, Depot Division (commonly known as "Depot", not ) is the police training academy for Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) "cadets." Providing training since its establishment in 1885, the facility is located in the west part of Regi ...

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

. * D18S c/no. A-142 (former ''CF-MPI'') – at the

Bomber Command Museum of Canada The Bomber Command Museum of Canada, formerly the Nanton Lancaster Society Museum, is an aviation museum in Nanton, Alberta. The museum opened in 1986 and was founded to protect and restore Avro Lancaster FM159, one of only 17 remaining in the ...

Nanton, Alberta Nanton is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. Nanton was named after Sir Augustus Meredith Nanton of Winnipeg (1860–1925) who directed firms which offered financing for farms and ranches throughout the west. It is located south of Calgary at th ...

. * D18S c/no. A-156 – at the

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display. Displayed is a co ...

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. * 3N c/no. A-652 (former RCAF ''1477'') – at the

Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The museum opened to the public in its new location on 21 May 2022. History The Western Canada Aviation Museum w ...

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. * 3NMT c/no. A-700 – at the

Canadian Air Land Sea Museum Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Toronto/Markham Airport Markham Airport or Toronto/Markham Airport is a private aerodrome operating north of Markham, Ontario, Canada near Toronto. The airport was founded in 1965 by two former Polish air force pilots and is operated by Markham Airport Inc. The airpo ...

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...

. * 3NM c/no. A-710 – at the

North Atlantic Aviation Museum The North Atlantic Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in the town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. History The association to establish the museum was formed in 1985 and the museum opened to the public in 1996. The museu ...

in Gander,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. * 3NMT c/no. A-782 (former ''CF-CKT'') – at the

Canadian Museum of Flight The Canadian Museum of Flight (formally the Canadian Museum of Flight Association since 1998) is an aviation museum at the Langley Regional Airport in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. The museum has over 25 civilian and military jets, pisto ...

in Langley, British Columbia. * 3NMT c/no. A-872 – at the

TransCanada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

Ignace, Ontario Ignace is a township in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located at Highway 17 (Trans Canada Highway) and Secondary Highway 599, and on the Canadian Pacific Railway between Thunder Bay and Kenora. It is on the shore of Agi ...

. * 3NM c/no. A-895 – at the

Alberta Aviation Museum The Alberta Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum is located on-site at the former Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport on the southwest corner of the field (11410 Kingsway Avenue). T ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta.

Chile

* D18S c/no. A-1024 (former FACh ''465'') – at the

Museo Aeronautico y del Espacio Museo may refer to: * Museo, 2018 Mexican drama heist film *Museo (Naples Metro) Museo is a station on line 1 of the Naples Metro. It was opened on 5 April 2001 as the eastern terminus of the section of the line between Vanvitelli and Museo. O ...

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

India

* D18S VT-CNY former aircraft of the Raja of Mayurbhanj and later sold to Coal India Limited- at the

Hotel Mayfair Lagoon A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

Italy

* C-45F ''6668'' – suspended inside the

Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport ( it, link=no, Aeroporto di Olbia-Costa Smeralda) is an airport in Olbia, Sardinia. It was the primary operating base for Italian airline Air Italy whose headquarters were located at the airport. It mostly handles ...

passenger terminal in Olbia, Sardinia. This was the first aircraft owned by Alisarda Airlines and was used in the filming of the movie ''

The Last Emperor ''The Last Emperor'' ( it, L'ultimo imperatore) is a 1987 epic biographical drama film about the life of Puyi, the final Emperor of China. It is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Peploe, which was adapted ...

''.

Malta

* C-45H ''8304'' – under restoration at the

Malta Aviation Museum Malta Aviation Museum is an aircraft museum situated on the site of the former Royal Air Force airfield in the village of Ta'Qali, on the island of Malta. The museum, based in three hangars, covers the history of aviation on the island with exhi ...

Ta' Qali, Malta Ta' Qali is a wide open space in the limits of Attard and Mosta in central and northern Malta respectively, which contains the national football stadium, the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, Ta' Qali National Park, a crafts village, and a nation ...

Mexico

* UC-45J Expeditor "ETL-1320" (S/N): 18 - at the Museo Militar de Aviación.

Netherlands

* C-45G ''51-11665'' – at the

Aviodrome The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome (also known simply as Aviodrome) is a large aerospace museum in the Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport since 2003. Previously the museum was located at Schiphol Airport.

Lelystad, Netherlands Lelystad () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, and it is the Capital city, capital of the province of Flevoland. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named af ...

New Zealand

* AT-11 ''3691'' - at the

Museum of Transport and Technology The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a science and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum has ...

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

Portugal

* AT-11 ''2504'' - at the

Museu do Ar The Air Museum ( pt, Museu do Ar) is an aviation museum of the Portuguese Air Force located at Sintra Air Base and with spaces at Ovar and Alverca. History The museum dates back to the ''Aero Clube de Portugal'' in 1909 and was created in ...

Sintra, Portugal Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...

Spain

* C-45H ''AF-752''– at Fundación Infante de Orleans in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Turkey

* AT-11 Kansan ''6390/9-930'' – at

Istanbul Aviation Museum The Istanbul Aviation Museum, a.k.a. Turkish Air Force Museum, ( tr, Havacılık Müzesi or Hava Kuvvetleri Müzesi) is a military-based museum for aviation, owned and operated by the Turkish Air Force. The museum is located in Yeşilköy neighbo ...

United Kingdom

* E18S ''G-ASUG'' c/no. BA-111 – at the

National Museum of Flight The National Museum of Flight is Scotland's national aviation museum, at East Fortune Airfield, just south of the village of East Fortune, Scotland. It is one of the museums within National Museums Scotland. The museum is housed in the original ...

in East Lothian, Scotland.

United States

* AT-11 ''41‐27561'' – at the

National Museum of the USAF The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

in Dayton, Ohio. ''or'' 42-37493 * AT-11B ''41-27616'' – at the

Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center The Travis Air Force Base Aviation Museum (former names include Travis Air Museum, Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum, and Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center) is an aviation museum located at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. The ...

Travis AFB Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, Californi ...

, California. * AT-11 ''42-36887'' – at the

Barksdale Global Power Museum The Barksdale Global Power Museum (formerly, the 8th Air Force Museum) is an aviation museum run by the United States Air Force on Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City, Louisiana. Hosted by the 2nd Bomb Wing, it maintains a large collecti ...

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

. * AT-11 ''42-37240'' – at the

Lone Star Flight Museum The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Houston, Texas, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 24 historically significant aircraft, and many artifacts related to the history of flight. The museum's collection is rare because most of ...

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

. * UC-45 ''42-37496'' – at the

Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (WOTR) is located on the former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado, United States. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its collections, archives, and ...

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. This aircraft was originally an AT-11 before being remanufactured. * UC-45F ''44-47342'' – at the

Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum The Alaska Aviation Museum, previously the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, is located on Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Its mission since 1988, is to preserve, display, and honor Alaska's aviation heritage, by preserving and displ ...

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

. * C-45G ''51-11467'' – at the

EAA Chapter 1241 Air Museum EAA may refer to: Education * Education Achievement Authority, in Michigan * Educational Assessment Australia * Egypt Aviation Academy * Escondido Adventist Academy, a school in California * Estonian Academy of Arts Sport * European Arenas ...

at the

Florida Keys Marathon Airport The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is a public airport located along the Overseas Highway (US1) in Marathon, Florida, Marathon, in Monroe County, Florida, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The airport covers and has one runway. ...

Marathon, Florida Marathon is a city spread over Knight's Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key islands in the middle of the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a to ...

. * TC-45H ''51-11529'' – at the

Tri-State Warbird Museum The Tri-State Warbird Museum is a private, not-for-profit aviation museum located in Batavia, Ohio, in Clermont County next to the Clermont County Airport. Overview The focus of the museum is on World War II, therefore, all aircraft at the mus ...

Batavia, Ohio Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census. Geography Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160). According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

. * C-45H ''51-11696'' – at the

Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle.< ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. * C-45G ''51-11795'' – at the

Air Mobility Command Museum The Air Mobility Command Museum a military aviation museum located at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware dedicated to the history of the Air Transport Command, Military Air Transport Service, Military Airlift Command and Air Mobility Command. ...

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...

. * C-45G ''51-11897'' – at the

Castle Air Museum Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located in Atwater, California, United States adjacent to Castle Airport, a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base which was closed in 1995, after the end of the Cold War. It is o ...

Atwater, California Atwater is a city on California State Route 99, State Route 99 in Merced County, California, Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of Merced, California, Merced, at an elevation of . The population as of the 2020 Uni ...

. * C-45H ''52-10539'' – at the

1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum The National Warplane Museum is a warbird and military history museum currently located on the grounds of the Geneseo Airport in Geneseo, New York. Founded in 1994, the museum restores, flies, and displays vintage military aircraft from the Second ...

Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester metropol ...

. * C-45H ''52-10865'' – at the Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center at Travis AFB, California. * C-45H ''52-10893'' – at the

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

. * UC-45J ''09771'' – at the

National Museum of Naval Aviation The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its curr ...

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

. This aircraft was converted from the last civil Beech 18 built prior to WWII. * UC-45J ''23774'' – at

Laughlin AFB Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located east of Del Rio, Texas. Overview Laughlin AFB, the largest pilot training base in the US Air Force, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Education and ...

Del Rio, Texas Del Rio is a city and the county seat of Val Verde County in southwestern Texas, United States. The city is 152 miles west of San Antonio. As of 2020, Del Rio had a population of 34,673. History The Spanish established a small settlement south o ...

. * RC-45J ''51233'' – at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in

Sevierville, Tennessee Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee, located in eastern Tennessee. The population was 17,889 at the 2020 United States Census. History Native Americans of the Woodland period were among the first human ...

. * UC-45J ''51242'' – at the

CAF Central Texas Wing CAF or caf may refer to: Armed forces *Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy *Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force *Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retro ...

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...

. * UC-45J ''51291'' – at the

Aerospace Museum of California The Aerospace Museum of California is a private non-profit aviation museum located in North Highlands, California, outside of Sacramento, California, on the grounds of the former McClellan Air Force Base. The museum has a 4.5-acre outdoor Air Park ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. * UC-45J ''51338'' – at the

Minnesota Air National Guard Museum The Minnesota Air National Guard Museum is an aviation museum located at Minneapolis–Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. It is dedicated to the history of the Minnesota Air National Guard. History Founded by th ...

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. * S18D c/no. 178 – at the

Beechcraft Heritage Museum The Beechcraft Heritage Museum is an aviation museum at the Tullahoma Regional Airport in Tullahoma, Tennessee. It is focused on the history of the Beech Aircraft Corporation. History The museum was founded by Carolyn and Richard Perry, Louise ...

Tullahoma, Tennessee Tullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in southern Middle Tennessee, United States. The population was 20,339 at the 2020 census. In 2019, the population was estimated to be 19,555. It is the principal city of the Tullahoma micropol ...

. * D18S c/no. A-935 – at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum at

Tullahoma Regional Airport Tullahoma Regional Airport , also known as William Northern Field and Soesbe-Martin Field, is a public use airport in Coffee County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the City of Tullahoma and located two nautical miles (4 km) n ...

in Tullahoma, Tennessee. * C-45H ''AF-824'' – at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. * E18S c/no. BA-453 – at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. * H18 c/no. BA-670 – at the Lone Star Flight Museum in

Specifications (UC-45 Expeditor)

Beechcraft SNB-2 Navigator 3-view line drawing

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bridgeman, Leonard, ed. “The Beechcraft Expeditor.” ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II''. London: Studio, 1946. . * Bridgeman, Leonard. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52''. London: Samson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd., 1951. * Donald, David, ed.''American Warplanes of World War II''. London: Aerospace, 1995. . * Griffin, John A. ''Canadian Military Aircraft Serials & Photographs 1920 - 1968''. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, Publication No. 69-2, 1969. * Hagedorn, Daniel P. ''Central American and Caribbean Air Forces''. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1993. * Mesko, Jim. "The Rise...and Fall of the Vietnamese AF". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...

'', August–November 1981, No. 16. pp. 1–12, 78–80. . * Mondey, David. ''American Aircraft of World War II'' (Hamlyn Concise Guide). London: Bounty Books, 2006. . * Ogden, Bob. ''Aviation Museums and Collections of North America''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. . * Pelletier, A. J. ''Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. . * * Pettipas, Leo. ''Canadian Naval Aviation 1945-1968''. L. Pettipas/Canadian Naval Air Group, Winnipeg: 1986. * * Swanborough, F. Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Military Aircraft since 1909''. London: Putnam, 1963. * * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1961. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1965. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1967–68''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1967. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. . * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1982-83''. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1982. . * ''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook''. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.

External links

Experimental Aircraft Association (Chapter 1000) Beech E18S overview and pictorial tour
{{Authority control 0018 1930s United States military trainer aircraft C-45, Beechcraft 1930s United States civil utility aircraft World War II trainer aircraft of the United States Aircraft first flown in 1937 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Twin-tail aircraft

Design and development

Operational history

Spar problems

Variants

Manufacturer models

Military versions

USAAC/USAAF designations

US Navy designations

RAF/RCAF Lend-lease designations

Post-war RCAF designations

Canadian Armed Forces

Conversions

Operators

Civil

Military

Accidents and incidents

Aircraft on display

Argentina

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

India

Italy

Malta

Mexico

Netherlands

New Zealand

Portugal

Spain

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States

Specifications (UC-45 Expeditor)

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links