Beech 18A  Twin Beech   N15810                                                              (c/n 62)

                                   

                                           One day in July 1959 I stumbled across the prototype "Twin Beech" at Long Beach.Muni-
                                           cipal (as it was in those days)).      The machine had just been converted to Beech 18B
                                           standard by the change of power plant to 285 hp Jacobs L-6 engines, and given helmeted
                                           nacelle coverings from a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat.    Nose titling read "Son of Beech" **  .
                                           N15810 was withdrawn from use in 1972, and then restored to the register again in July
                                           1990.  It is still registered to an owner in Henderson, Nevada.    Presumably stored at
                                           Hendersom Executive Airport.  Back in the late 1980s I lived about five miles from there,
                                           although at the time it was named Sky Harbor Airport.  One would think this ancient
                                           Twin Beech should be in a museum.
                                           **   Some years before I took the above shot, I was at Van Nuys Municipal one day
                                           and saw a Beech D-18S titled "Beech" on the nose in the company's font, and resting
                                           just under the starboard wing was an early Beech 35 Bonanza carrying nose art which
                                           said  "Son of Beech"   I always thought that showed a clever turn of phrase by the then
                                           current owner of both machines.            Unfortunately the aircraft were jammed in too
                                           tightly to photograph, although today I would certainly have given it a go, albeit
                                           the shot would have been badly cropped..