Plane Update

"JR1" (type35bugatti)
03/11/2018 at 10:33 • Filed to: None

I saw a Beechcraft Starship in the wild. I had never heard of it before. And I was very impressed to see it. That is all.

DISCUSSION (31)

Ash78, voting early and often > JR1
03/11/2018 at 10:46

A great story about being too far ahead of your time in both materials planning and labor training.

I think there are only about 20-30 left in the world.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > JR1
03/11/2018 at 10:46

In service or sitting on display? IIRC Beech stopped supporting them years ago and put their owners into new aircraft like the Premier.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
03/11/2018 at 11:04

There are a handful of dedicated owners keeping their starships in the air. iirc, one of them bought up all the starships he could find when they announced EOL so he could keep his running as long as possible.

wafflesnfalafel > JR1
03/11/2018 at 11:24

they sound cool too - very distinctive

TheRealBicycleBuck > Ash78, voting early and often
03/11/2018 at 12:16

I was reading about them just last week. You are right about the materials and manufacturing. Some of the things that killed it were cost overruns due to carbon fiber being in its infancy, it being overweight and it being under-powered. I’d bet they could rework the design to incorporate modern manufacturing techniques and modern engines and it would be successful.

Brickman > JR1
03/11/2018 at 12:27

That and the super king air was my favorite prop planes when I was a kid, even now days too.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP
03/11/2018 at 12:28

Someone actually bought up Beech’s entire stock of spare parts and avionics and has been running their own parts business for the few owners left.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > JR1
03/11/2018 at 13:02

Where?

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
03/11/2018 at 13:20

maybe that’s the guy I was thinking of. I seem to recall they bought a bunch of starcraft that beech had bought back and were planning on shredding in addition to the spares they bought up.

f86sabre > JR1
03/11/2018 at 13:49

I’ve met the guy who bought all the spares. Good dude with a passion for the plane.

yamahog > JR1
03/11/2018 at 13:56

c a n a r d s

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > yamahog
03/11/2018 at 14:35

Quack

yamahog > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
03/11/2018 at 14:44

no those are

m a l l a r d s

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > JR1
03/11/2018 at 14:48

No wonder it’s called the Starship, that’s some space age styling.

I mean... the rear mounted props... hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

JR1 > Ash78, voting early and often
03/11/2018 at 15:00

Wow that few? Makes me wonder if I miss identified it. Definitely looks like this though or something very very similar.

JR1 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
03/11/2018 at 15:01

Maybe I miss identified it. Definitely looks like this though or something very very similar. My knowledge of planes isn’t exactly expert.

JR1 > wafflesnfalafel
03/11/2018 at 15:02

Yes it has a higher pitch than a normal prop plane.

JR1 > Brickman
03/11/2018 at 15:02

It was pretty impressive

JR1 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/11/2018 at 15:03

Captiva Island Florida

JR1 > f86sabre
03/11/2018 at 15:03

All of them? Wow

Braniff747SP > JR1
03/11/2018 at 15:16

Awesome airplane. Very few left in service (less than 15?) after Beechcraft made an effort to get them out of private hands and scrap them.

Ash78, voting early and often > JR1
03/11/2018 at 15:48

There are a few (very prolific) homebuilt planes that look like it, but are much smaller. Most are also Burt Rutan designs and have names like Long-EZ, Vari-EZ, etc.

Its only real doppleganger that I know of is the Piaggio Avanti:

Kinja'd!!!