Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing

what is it?

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger (the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing). It first flew in 1932, and was sold on the civilian market, being used for transport and air racing. During World War II, it was used by allied forces, and after the war continued in civilian production until 1949, with 785 having been produced.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 9.8 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 341 km/htop speed
• range 1,078 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,928 kgmax take-off weight
• built 785made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 94 years ago, in 1932.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.8 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,078 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1932-11-04

introduced

1933

number built

785

role

utility aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Beechcraft

engines

1× Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1

length

8.2 m

wingspan

9.8 m

height

2.4 m

max take-off weight

1,928 kg

top speed

341 km/h

cruise speed

325 km/h

range

1,078 km

ceiling

7,620 m

wings

biplane

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.