Beechcraft Expeditor
The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. 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 on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it was also used as a military aircraft.
During and after World War II, 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, and "mother ship" for target drones"”including Royal Canadian Airforce (RCAF), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) C-45 Expeditor, AT-7 Navigator, and AT-11 Kansan; and United States Navy (USN) UC-45J Navigator, SNB-1 Kansan, and others. In World War II, over 90% of USAAF bombardiers and navigators and pilots trained in these aircraft.
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, sterile insect release, fish stocking, dry-ice cloud seeding, aerial firefighting, air-mail delivery, ambulance service, numerous movie productions, skydiving, freight, weapon- and drug-smuggling, engine testbed, skywriting, banner towing, and stunt aircraft. Wikipedia
CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF On Strength (415), Canadian Aircraft Losses (21), RCN On Strength (1)Expeditor Mk. 3NM 1580
Delivered to storage. Issued to Training Command on 5 June 1953, for use at RCAF Station Summerside, PEI. With 1 Air Navigation School at Summerside when it suffered a Category A crash at North Bay, Ontario on 13 October 1953. Flying Officer J.A.E. Holten killed.
1953-01-22 Taken on Strength No. 25 Air Material Base 2019-08-20
1953-11-19 Struck off Strength Struck off, scrapped on site by No. 6 Repair Depot 2019-08-20