Historic Aircraft at Merrill Field


                                                    Click on a Graphic   Photos by Alex Edwards

 

Beech C-45H

manufacturer  Beech
wing span 47' 8''
length 34' 2''
height 9' 2''
weight 9,300 lbs. (max)
engine two Pratt & Whitney R-985 450 hp each
crew 2
cost $57838
maximum speed 219 mph
range 1140 miles
ceiling 18,200 feet
total produced 4,526
year first built 1939

    The Beech C-45H is the military version of the Beech 18 also called the Twin Beech.  At the Outbreak of World War Two elevenC-45Hs were ordered by the Army Air Corps.  They soon realized the full potential of the C-45H as a trainer and were soon ordered in mass numbers to provide a good trainer aircraft for the new pilots flooding in. The C-45H Expeditor was mainly used as a transport aircraft but there were several versions made.  The AT-7 was a navigation training aircraft, The AT-11 Kansan was an attack aircraft trainer, and the F-2 was an aerial reconnaissance trainer.  

    These variations were the main training aircraft for most of the U.S. airmen in World War Two.

    There were a total of 4,526 of these aircraft were built between 1939 and 1945

    During the early 1950s the military requested that 900 twin beeches be rebuilt.  They got new fuselages and a new serial number.  These stayed in the service until 1963 at that point they were sold to the public.