A Vital Part

Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor and its variants played a vital part in gaining the Allied victory in World War II. (Airbase Arizona/Submitted)

Beech 18 made its mark in the war efforts

BY BILL QUEHRN

Airbase Arizona Flying Museum Docent

Most of the amazing collection of historic military aircraft on display at Airbase Arizona Flying Museum in Mesa look like war planes bristling with machine guns or yawning bomb bay doors, with one exception.

Although it doesn’t look much like a warplane, the Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor and its variants did play a vital part in gaining the Allied victory in World War II.

In 1938 Beech Aircraft Corp. introduced a new plane, the Beech 18 or Twin Beech, designed for the emerging commercial aircraft industry as a mid-range passenger plane.

The initial reception for the plane was decidedly cool until several were purchased by Nationalist China, already a victim of Imperial Japanese aggression. The Chinese purchase seemed to awaken U.S. military interest in the Beech 18.

As war clouds darkened over the United States, the mushrooming need for warplanes meant there was a corresponding need for training aircraft that would become the cradle of countless U.S. Army Air Corps heroes.

Looking very much like a scaled-down version of a heavy bomber, the Beech 18 soon found its part to play the war effort as a military plane. Beech 18s became C-45 Cargo and transport planes or AT-11 Advanced trainers for the Army.

It is estimated that, by war’s end, 90% of the nation’s navigators and bombardiers, as well as many aerial gunners, learned their trade in variants of the Beech 18.

AT-11 variants were also used as light bombers, mostly by the Chinese, on some occasions. Wartime missions for C-45 Expeditor variants included photo reconnaissance, cargo and personnel transport, mission liaison, search and rescue, and mothership for drones.

C-45s continued to serve as cargo, observation, tactical and med-evac aircraft in Korea. In Vietnam, they became an aircraft of choice for operations by Air America, covertly owned and operated by the CIA.

Beech produced the plane from 1938 to 1969, at that time the longest production run of any plane in history. More than 9,000 Beech 18s were built, making it one of the world’s most widely used light aircraft. It was sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo and passenger airliner able to operate on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis or floats.

A Beech 18 even had a brief run of stardom in the 1983 James Bond movie “Octopussy.” Bond’s rival, the evil Kamal Kahn, flew his Beech 18 in several scenes, with the final scene showing the plane crashing into a mountain.

The plane was destroyed in the scene, but sadly the cameras missed the shot and the final version for the film was recreated with models.

The C-45 Expeditor at Airbase Arizona, a unit of the Commemorative Air Force, is one of the planes that guests can see up close or buy a ticket to take a ride on this remarkable aircraft or several other historic planes, including a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-25 Mitchell bomber. Schedule and price information can be found on the museum website at azcaf.org.

Everyone doing their part to win WWII in America was a hallmark of the Greatest Generation. Men left their homes and farms to fight; women left their traditional roles to join minority, handicapped and older workers in defense plants.

And American industry retooled and reimagined businesses and factories to produce the mountain of goods and materials needed to win the war. The people who served in those vital noncombat support positions were heroes. So, it was with planes. Not every airplane was strictly a warplane, but each one had a vital part to play.

Guests to Airbase Arizona at Falcon Field in Mesa see docent tour guides. Static displays throughout the museum tell many stories about those whose military service has kept us free and, in particular, those who fought for our freedom in the air.

Airbase Arizona at Falcon Field

2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa azcaf.org For museum/PX store: 480-9241940 For rides/flights: 480-462-2992 For admission details, visit the website Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays