N34NL
S/N BG-139
A prototype for this plane, derived from the civil V-tail Bonanza, first took flight on December 2, 1948 as a military trainer for Air Force tests and evaluation.
The USAF had decided to discontinue the primary trainer and put student pilots directly into advanced trainers but, after mulling it over, changed their military minds. After an $8-million contract was awarded to Fairchild in 1949 for the Navy's XNQ-1, they again changed their minds, canceled the contract, and held more evaluation trials with various aircraft. From these the Beech Model 45 was accepted in 1953 as the tandem cockpit and straight-tail T-34 Mentor for a production run of more than 1,200 units.
USN evaluation took place in July 1953, after which orders were placed for 423 planes as T-34A and -T-34B. Production ended in 1957.
This one came to us from Lemoore Naval Air Station, where it was used by the base flying club as a non-military trainer, hence the civil registration [N34NL]. Apparently someone forgot to lower the wheels, a major requirement for successful landings, and we became the recipient for restoration to non-flying display status. It doesn't look like much at this stage, but wait until our magicians get their hands on it. It ran out of gas and crashed through a fence near Hearst Castle.
Manufactured by Beech Aircraft Corp, Wichita KS.
| Powerplant: | 240 hp Continental 0-470-4 |
| Wingspan: | 32'1 0" |
| Length: | 25' 11 " |
| Height: | 9' 7 " |
| Wing area: | 117.6 sq ft |
| Empty weight: | 2,055 lbs |
| Gross weight: | 2,900 lbs |
| Maximum speed: | 188 mph |
| Cruising speed: | 173 mph |
| Landing speed: | 60 mph |
| Ceiling: | 20,000 ft |
| Range: | 975 statute miles |
| Status: | Static Display |
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