[net.aviation] Beech Starship 1 rolled out!

marcum@sun.uucp (Alan Marcum) (01/14/86)

From the 13Jan86 issue of _Aviation Week_, p. 14:

	Beech Aircraft will begin flight test in February or March
	of its first full-size, composite material Beech Starship 1,
	which rolled out at Wichita, Kan., Jan 3.  Test pilots will
	fly the aircraft from the right copilot's seat during extreme
	attitude testing because the exterior door structure behind
	the pilot's seat interferes with ejection seat placement.

The text continues, describing the Collins EFIS panel (a thing of
beauty, shown in a photograph above the text).  On the page facing
the text is a picture of the roll-out of N2000S, the first full-
size Starship 1.
-- 
Alan M. Marcum				Sun Microsystems, Technical Consulting
...!{dual,ihnp4}!sun!nescorna!marcum	Mountain View, California

wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) (01/16/86)

> From the 13Jan86 issue of _Aviation Week_, p. 14:
> 
> 	Beech Aircraft will begin flight test in February or March
> 	of its first full-size, composite material Beech Starship 1,
> 	which rolled out at Wichita, Kan., Jan 3.  Test pilots will
> 	fly the aircraft from the right copilot's seat during extreme
> 	attitude testing because the exterior door structure behind
> 	the pilot's seat interferes with ejection seat placement.
> 

Now, that be interesting.  Is this the first installation of an ejection
seat in an experimental General Aviation aircraft?  Considering the
configuration of the Starship, I certainly see why one was installed.  I
wish *I* had a handle that solves all aeronautical problems...:-).

					    Ron Wanttaja
					    (ssc-vax!wanttaja)

"Batteries to power... turbines to speed..."