a slightly smudged image, taken c. 1937:
Beechcraft B17E
Beechcraft 17?, NC17073
also taken at East Boston airport, based on the buildings in the background
Note the reverse stagger of the wings.
from Aero Digest, April, 1935:
The Beech Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas
• Four- or five-place biplane. Wright R760 E-1 engine, 285 horsepower.
Span 32 feet. Length overall 24 feet 5 inches. Height overall 8 feet 6 inches. Wing area 267 square feet.
Power loading 12.6 pounds per horsepower. Wing loading 13.5 pounds per square foot.
Empty weight 1900 pounds. Useful load 1200 pounds. Variable payload. Gross weight 3600 pounds.
Fuel capacity 70-120 gallons. Oil capacity 5-7.5 gallons.
Maximum speed 185 miles per hour. Cruising speed 165 miles per hour. Landing speed 55 miles per hour. Service ceiling 18,000 feet. Rate of climb 1200 feet per minute. Cruising range 700-1200 miles.
Fuselage: the framework is of steel tubing, welded and covered with fabric and aluminum; soundproofed; safety glass windshield sloped and curved to conform to streamlining of plane. Wings: inverse stagger type; elliptical dihedral wing tips; the spars are solid spruce; ribs are of spruce, truss type; decelerator flaps are built into the under side of the upper wings. Tail group: welded steel tube framework covered with fabric; tab control on elevator. The fully retractable landing gear may be instantly folded inwardly into the fuselage completing the streamlining on the underside of the fuselage; it is equipped with 24 inch, or 7.50 X 10 semiballoon tires, Autofan wheels and brakes, hydraulic shock absorbers. Cable controls are used throughout, with all moveable parts on ball bearings.
Standard equipment includes an Exide battery, starter, generator, engine-driven fuel pump, hand wobble pump, flop over or TeeType control column (optional), cabin heater, two cabin ventilators, and navigation lights. metal propeller.
Instruments: oil pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge, tachometer, compass, bank and turn indicator, rate of climb indicator, altimeter, air speed indicator, ammeter.