Beech 18 info...

[Nark]

Later this week I’m potentially going to part ways with a bit of savings I have gathered.

There is a 1943 Beech 3TM aka Beech 18 project in need of some loving. It flew in the 2nd world war in Burma for the RCAF, redesignated a Beech 18 in 1952, flew for a few Canadian outfits, then made its way to the US in the 90’s. Last flew in 2004.

Any info would be great. I’m putting together a list of stuff to look at. The spar has a strap, X-ray a few hundred hours ago. Both engines are mid time, but fresh overhauls don’t scare me.

I plan to spend 5-10 years getting it back flying again, should I end up buying it.

[David MacRay]

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[Chuck Ellsworth]

Great airplane and a joy to fly.

[Slick Goodlin]

Everyone I know who has flown a Beech 18 speaks highly of it and misses it dearly, that’s gotta say something about a plane.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

the B18 on floats was hands down the best float plane I ever flew.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I think its history is what matters. A lot of commercial operators just ran their Beech 18’s into the ground. On those airplanes EVERYTHING is going to broken, worn out, graunched, or generally fucked. I would suggest you find one that is flying now and in decent shape. It will be far cheaper and you don’t have to wait 10 mins years to fly one of the nicest handling bigger tail draggers ever made

If you have to rebuild this one start with a very hard lock at the centre section. A 20 year old X ray is meaningless. If this area is a mess you are in for a huge amount of work.

[Big Pistons Forever]

I think its history is what matters. A lot of commercial operators just ran their Beech 18’s into the ground. On those airplanes EVERYTHING is going to broken, worn out, graunched, or generally fucked. I would suggest you find one that is flying now and in decent shape. It will be far cheaper and you don’t have to wait 10 mins years to fly one of the nicest handling bigger tail draggers ever made

If you have to rebuild this one start with a very hard lock at the centre section. A 20 year old X ray is meaningless. If this area is a mess you are in for a huge amount of work.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

I first flew one in 1964 and over the decades probably flew them for around four thousand hours.

Only the DC3 was nicer to fly.

As far as rebuilding one that can also be a real pleasure and when you are finished you have exactly what you want, even the paint scheme.

[CaptNerdly]

Any idea what the former Canadian registration was? There were quite a few operating here in northwestern Ontario over the years and still are a few active on floats. I seem to recall there is a difference between the C and D models but don't remember what it was. I know there is a least one parked in the grass at Riverside Maintenance in Selkirk Manitoba that might be available for parts.
I have a few thousand hours on floats but never flew it on wheels. Cruising along at 7500' in cool air sipping coffee and looking down at some poor soul in a single Otter wallowing along at 2000' indicated covered in sweat. I found the hardest thing about flying it was squeezing the the load into the logbook!

[Nark]

This comes back from the research I was able to do:

Another twin Beech with an interesting history. Originally built for the USAAF as 43-35552, but delivered to the Canadians as Expediter Mk.I HB139. Modified to Mk.3 in 1952. Then as a Cargoliner with Millardair from 1969 until 1992 as CF-SIJ and C-FSIJ. Transferred to the USA in July 92, due to difficulties with the certification of the Mk.3T, N40JT was put on the register as a Mk.3TM with c/n CA-128. But that c/n actually belongs to CF-ZQE which was under restoration at CFB Winnipeg (MB) at the time.