Raytheon-Beech Starship

Beechcraft Starship airplane model. To provide a new generation of corporate transports, Beech looked to Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites Inc. This led to the construction of the Model 2000 Starship 1. The Starship design has compound taper main wings, which mount the two pusher engines. Large endplate fins, known as tip sails, provide longitudinal stability, augmented by two small fins on the wing trailing edge. Additional keel area is provided by a ventral fin under the extreme rear of the slender fuselage. Virtually the entire structure is made of Nomex honeycomb and graphite/epoxy composites, with titanium used in high-stress areas. The first of three flying pre-production Starships flew on February 15, 1986. The Beech 2000 Starship 1 was powered by two Pratt &amp, Whitney Canada PT6A-67A turboprops, each flat rated at 1,200 shp, and driving a five-blade Hartzell fully feathering and reversible-pitch propeller. This 10-passenger plane had a maximum cruising speed at 25,000 ft of 386 mph, maximum altitude of 41,000 ft, and a range at 35,000 ft of 1,946 miles. Scale: 1/48. Wingspan 14 1/4 inches, Length 12 inches.