When the Beechcraft Bonanza carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper crashed outside Clear Lake, Iowa, in the early morning hours … It was way over design weight, slower than anticipated, and did not meet range targets. It is hard to imagine that the initial design phase for the Starship started in the late 1970’s. It was a financial disaster for Beech, so the program was scrapped soon after it started in the early 1990s. Successing in testing led to the Model 2000 Starship 1. To say that the Starship was ahead of its time is an understatement and even today, it is one impressive machine. In 1988, Beech's parent company, Raytheon, sold Scaled back to Rutan, who then sold it to Wyman-Gordon. Pure politics supported by alcohol and BBQ. The Beechcraft Starship is a futuristic-looking United States turboprop-powered six- to eight-passenger seat business aircraft.The design was originated by Beechcraft in January 1980 as Preliminary Design 330 (PD 330). Designed in 1982 by well known aircraft designer Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites, the Starship is the first all-composite pressurized business class aircraft. The design was originated by Beechcraft in January 1980 as Preliminary Design 330 (PD 330). (Source: 2) 08AUG14. They looked to Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites Inc. to design and produce the SCAT1, an 85% scale technology demonstrator of a conard-configured aircraft. Early in the development phase, Beechcraft commissioned Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites to build and test fly an 85% scale version of the Starship design. ... A Notre Dame Regional High School junior was killed in a single-vehicle wreck Sunday. ... Col Pay was killed in the crash of Air Tractor AT-802 VH-LIS while testing a water pickup system at Lake Liddell, NSW. Survivors. The first of 3 flying pre-production Starship 1s flew on Feburary 15, 1986. Scaled Composites was established in 1982 and purchased by the Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1985, as a result of the collaboration on the Starship project. Development of the Starship began in 1979 when Beech decided to explore designs for a successor to its King Air line of turboprops that would fly faster and carry more passengers. The whole TPE331 versus PT6 argument was (a) a smoke screen, and (b) the result of Pratt & Whitney throwing some wild parties for the 38P development team and convincing people that Beech really should be loyal to its main engine supplier. Burt Rutan was subsequently retained to refine PD330 and one of the significant changes he instituted was the addition of variable geometry to the canard (he holds a … QIAE ceased trading. Development. For many reasons the Raytheon Beechcraft Starship is a unique aircraft. [citation needed] Beechcraft President Linden Blue was the executive sponsor of the project at its inception. Beechcraft Starship N786BP has been reunited with its original props for the first time since it arrived at Caloundra in 2004. Beech was looking for a new generation of corporate transports. Abigail Jansen, 17, of Kelso, Missouri, was the sole occupant of a … This proof-of-concept aircraft flew successfully (1983) and was also shown at business aircraft conventions as the next Beech business aircraft of the not-too-distant future. Beechcraft 2000 Starship The Beechcraft Starship is one of the most technologically-advanced aircraft of its type. Beechcraft Starship visits KCGI. Three Starships are registered in Oklahoma (NC-29, NC-35 & NC-45), one in Texas (NC-50), one in Colorado (NC-51), and four are registered to Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita, Kansas (NC-2, NC-8, NC-19 & NC-24).NC-51 was used as a chase plane during the re-entry phase of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne. However the aircraft is still minus engines. THAT is what killed the 38P. 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