Spartan 7W Executive        NC17601                    (c/n  7W-6)

                                 
                                    

                                           The Spartan Executive, 5 seat low wing cabin monoplane was one of the most advanced
                                           machines of its time when it first came out in the mid-to-late 1930s.  Powered with a 400 hp
                                           Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr SB engine this beautiful aircraft cruised at an honest 200 mph tas. 
                                           However, at $25,000 or more a copy,  it was, in 1939, beyond the means of all but the
                                           wealthiest of playboys or corporations.  This, plus the fact that the Depression didn't really
                                           end until after WW II  had started meant that only 34 were produced and sold between
                                          1937 and 1940.     As testament to the design and quality which went into the 7W, 21
                                          of the original 34 still exist today.     The nice shot above was taken by William T. Larkins
                                          at the famouis Nut Tree Airport in beautiful Solano County, California.