Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Kincardine, Ontario
Beechcraft Expeditor
Beechcraft CT-128 Expeditor Mk. 3TM (Serial No. A-734), (Serial No. CA-134), RCAF (Serial No. 1534), coded AO-N, Air Transport Command.
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
Expeditor
Wikipedia Expeditor
Harold A Skaarup Web PageCASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF On Strength (415), Canadian Aircraft Losses (21), RCN On Strength (1)Expeditor Mk. 3NM / 3NMT 1549
Delivered to RCAF Station Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 17 April 1952. To Bristol Aerospace at Winnipeg for overhaul. To No. 403 Squadron (Auxiliary) at Calgary, Alberta on 23 November 1956. To No. 4 Flying Training School at RCAF Station Penhold, Alberta on 13 February 1961. To Bristol Aerospace for overhaul on 12 June 1962. To Central Flying School at RCAF Station Gimli, Manitoba on 16 October 1962. To Air Transport Command on 22 November 1963, for use by No. 438 Squadron (Auxiliary) at RCAF Station St. Hubert, Quebec. To No. 1 Advanced Flying School at CJATC, Rivers Camp, Manitoba on 30 June 1964. Moved to RCAF Station Portage la Prairie, Manitoba with this unit on 31 July 1964. To Bristol Aerospace for installation of TACAN, back to No. 1 AFS on 12 October 1965. Still with this school when it crashed on 16 February 1967. Flying Officer D.W. Smith killed. Converted to Mk. 3NMT, date unknown.
1952-04-07 Taken on Strength Training Command 2019-08-20
1967-05-12 Struck off Strength Struck off after Category A crash 2019-08-20
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