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Beech Starship Progresses Towards First Flight
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Beechcraft’s revolutionary Starship is on schedule for its first test flight early in 1986.
Six prototype Starships are being built for the FAA Certification programme. Of these, three will be flying prototypes and three will be used for ground testing. The first prototype has a fuselage built using a revolutionary filament winding process, where the entire unit is wound on a mandrel as a single piece. The second and third prototypes will use fuselages constructed by the more traditional lay-up method. All three aircraft are planned to be flying by mid-year.
Meanwhile, in Mojave, California, the 85% proof of concept aircraft made its first flight with actual production engines on August 29, two years to the day after its maiden flight. The new engines are Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67s flat rated at 1,000shp. They replace PT6A-135As which were rated at only 750shp.
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