Travel Air 4000 Specs | Model 17 Specs | Model 18 Specs | Model 33 Specs | Model 35 Specs | Model 36 Specs   Model 17 Drawings | Model 18 Drawings Home > Technical Library View Another Specification in Library Travel Air 4000 Model 17 - 17R Model 17 - A17F Model 17 - A17FS Model 17 - B17B Model 17 - B17E Model 17 - B17L Model 17 - B17R Model 17 - C17B Model 17 - C17E Model 17 - C17L Model 17 - C17R Model 17 - D17A Model 17 - D17R Model 17 - D17S Model 17 - D17W Model 17 - E17B Model 17 - E17L Model 17 - F17D Model 17 - G17S Model 18 - S18D Model 18 - C-45H Model 18 - D18S Model 18 - Super E18S Model 33 - 35-33 Debonair Model 33 - 35-A33 Debonair Model 33 - 35-B33 Debonair Model 33 - 35-C33 Debonair Model 33 - 35-C33A Debonair Model 33 - E33 Bonanza Model 33 - E33A Bonanza Model 33 - E33C Bonanza Model 33 - F33 Bonanza Model 33 - F33A Bonanza Model 33 - F33C Bonanza Model 33 - G33 Bonanza Model 35 Bonanza Model 35 - 35R Bonanza Model 35 - A35 Bonanza Model 35 - B35 Bonanza Model 35 - C35 Bonanza Model 35 - D35 Bonanza Model 35 - E35 Bonanza Model 35 - F35 Bonanza Model 35 - G35 Bonanza Model 35 - H35 Bonanza Model 35 - J35 Bonanza Model 35 - K35 Bonanza Model 35 - M35 Bonanza Model 35 - N35 Bonanza Model 35 - P35 Bonanza Model 35 - S35 Bonanza Model 35 - V35 Bonanza Model 35 - V35A/V35A-TC Bonanza Model 35 - V35B/V35B-TC Bonanza Model 36 - 36 Bonanza Model 36 - A36 Bonanza Model 36 - A36TC Bonanza Model 36 - B36TC Bonanza Model 17 Specifications General Information Applicable to Model 17 Series The Model 17 series airplanes were produced between the years 1934 and 1948. The following is a breakdown on model production years:   17 Fixed gear prototype made first flight on November 4, 1932.By 1934, Beechcraft had designed and built four models. They were the 17R (420 hp Wright engine); the A17F (690 hp Wright engine); the A17FS (710 hp Wright engine); and the B17L (225 hp Jacobs engine). All were fixed gear models with the exception of the B17L, which had a pneumatically retractable undercarriage. Of the three models, the B17L proved best suited to meet the market demands, and became the first production model.   B17 First production model, manufactured from March 1934 to March 1936.   C17 Manufactured March 1936 to March 1937.   D17 Manufactured March 1937 to 1945 (All were Military models after 1941).   E17 March 1937 to 1941.   F17 April 1938 to 1941.   G17 1946 to 1948.   Model Designations For better understanding of the Model 17 series differences, an outline of the system used in model designations is provided below:   Number 17 Series designation, Beech Biplane   Prefix Letter Model (Basic through G)   Suffix Letter Engine installed, all are air cooled radial   A Wright R-760-E2, nine cylinder, 350 hp   B Jacobs R-830-1, L-5, seven cylinder, 285 hp   D Jacobs R-915A3, L-6, seven cylinder, 330 hp   E Wright R-760-E1, seven cylinder, 285 hp   F Wright R-1820-F11,"Cyclone", nine cylinder, 690 hp   FS Wright SR-1820-F3, Supercharged "Cyclone" nine cylinder, 710 hp   L Jacobs R-755D, L-4, seven cylinder, 225 hp   R Wright R-975-E2 or E3, nine cylinder, 420 or 450 hp   S Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 or AN-3, "Wasp Jr.", nine cylinder 450 hp   W Pratt & Whitney R-985-SC-G, "Wasp Jr.", Supercharged and Geared, nine cylinder, 600 hp METO and 525 hp cruise   Each model was not manufactured in all engine configurations, and engines were not necessarily interchangeable in a particular model group. In other words, there were both Wright and Jacobs engines installed on the Model B17, but a Wright engine could not be installed on an airplane originally delivered as a Model B17L. The following breakdown shows engines that were installed in each model:   A17 F and FS   B17 B, E, L, and R   C17 B, E, L, and R   D17 A, R, S, and W   E17 B, L   F17 D   G17 S   Only two D17W airplanes were built and all were changed to Model D17S with the installation of Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines.   Commercial Production by Model A total of 785 Model 17 series airplanes were built. The breakdown of commercial production by model was (click on model name to view more detailed specifications:   17R 2   A17F 1   A17FS 1   B17B 1   B17E 4   B17L 46   B17R 15   C17B 39   C17E 2   C17L 6   C17R 17   D17A 8   D17R 27   D17S 67 (412 were produced for the military)   D17W 2   E17B 54   E17L 1   F17D 60   G17S 20   Model Differences While the airplanes of the Model 17 series were all similar in appearance, they actually differed considerably between models. The following points out many of these differences:   Aileron Location Lower wing on all B17 and C17 models Upper wing on all remaining production models   Flap Location Split type flap on under surface of upper wing on Models B17B, B17L, C17B, and C17L Upper wing trailing edge on Models B17E, B17R, C17E, and C17R Lower wing trailing edge on all other production models   Fuselage Length Short type - Length 216 5/16 inches on models B17 and C17 Long type - Length 229 5/8 inches on all other production models   Landing Gear Long type on Models B17B, B17L, and C17B Short type on all other production models Retraction was by pneumatic on first 30 Model B17L airplanes, and on first Model B17B. Nearly all were modified to electrically retracted gear when the systems became available   Wing Stagger Negative stagger of 23 inches on Models B17 and C17 Negative stagger of 25 19/32 inches on all other production models   Tail Surfaces Braced both sides with brace from vertical fin to horizontal stabilizer and two braces from stabilizer to fuselage on Models B17, C17, E17, and F17 Cantilever type with no struts or braces on Models D17 and G17   The specifications outlined for Model 17 and Model 18 are taken from "The Staggerwing Story", by Edward H. Phillips, © 1996 Flying Books International     Beechcraft Heritage Museum P.O. Box 550 - Tullahoma, TN 37388 P:(931)455-1974 - F:(931)455-1994 museuminfo@beechcraftheritagemuseum.org   • • © 2007 Staggerwing Museum All Rights Reserved• • Please send Questions/Comments to webmaster@beechcraftheritagemuseum.org