Beechcraft Starship - Ahead Of Its Time! History, Review & Specs

[@loopie007]

I used to work for a boss who owned one of these planes, and I flew in it about five times. If I recall correctly, the cabin was actually larger than what is shown in this video. It was significantly wider than other competing jets and had a very spacious and comfortable interior. However, we faced challenges in hiring certified pilots for this aircraft, who were also more expensive to employ. These pilots needed to have a certain number of flying hours to maintain their licenses. One major issue we encountered was with the propellers located at the back of the plane. During takeoff and landing, it was essential for the runway to be very clean to prevent damage caused by small rocks and dirt being thrown up by the wheels. As a result, the plane could be out of service for up to two months while waiting for a new propeller to arrive, be installed, tested, and certified. This was especially problematic for us as we often flew to Mexico and frequently damaged the props, which were costly to replace. In addition, we were unable to rent out the plane as it was slower than jets and not suitable for the quick trips that most people wanted. Despite its impressive appearance, the plane frequently required maintenance and replacement parts. Also, with regards to the canard, I don't recall it swinging, but my experience dates back to around 2000-2001.

[@topturretgunner]

1990. I was arriving at my former employer to go to work. Upon hearing the hum of twin turbo props overhead I looked up and saw an aircraft unlike anything I had seen before. Being an aviation enthusiast I thought at first that Burt Rutan had come up with yet another of his unusual aircraft. I learned later that while yes Rutan had played a role in this aircrafts design, what I had just seen was a Beechcraft Starship. It was on final into Tampa International Airport. That single aircraft really captured my imagination. It’s so sad that Beech discontinued this wonderful airplane.

[@wlpaul4]

There's a likely apocryphal story about a Starship flying over Kansas/Missouri when the pilot got a request over the radio from an Air Force jet asking if it was alright to come alongside to take some pictures. The pilot naturally said of course, and then looked over his shoulder to see a B-2 Spirit off of his wing.

[@augustusnalley8745]

I worked for an aircraft cleaning company in the 90s in Atlanta, and have worked on most all of the Starships ever made, and occasionally got to ride in the left seat on maintenance flights. As cool as they look on the outside, the experience in the cockpit was just a completely different level. 30 years ago, it was mind-blowing.

[@ricyoung7545]

Great telling of the Starship story. I worked on the certification team for the Starship and was amazed at how many tests it had to go through. Flying in the Starship was great. I think that halting production had a political part also as I loved it along with the King Air series. It will be remembered as a 'step ahead of its time' to be assured. Thanks for the story.

[@christophergagliano2051]

I've been involved with two certification projects involving composite aircraft and it is a nightmare that comes to the FAA and how they delegate design approval. Too bad that didn't apply such scrutiny on the 737 max what a joke, I know it was a joke because I was involved with the 737 max certification process

[@rdmgwinn]

Always loved the Starship. Beautiful sitting on the ground even more beautiful in the air. Favorite story of the Starship heard from another pilot. He was ferrying a Starship to its final resting place. He got a radio call from an aircraft that wanted to join up with him to take some pictures of the Starship. He agreed and they set up for the intercept with the Starship as Lead. The next thing he knew there was this huge dark cloud joining up with him. It was a USAF B2. After a few minutes they thanked him and pulled away. Knowing the pilot involved it IS a true story.

[@rolandgonzalez7165]

I used to work for Beechcraft in Tampa, FL, where we would get several Starships in for repair. Our repair station also offered a research and development department. Those guys were responsible for such inventions as the Beechcraft Smart Start as well as a direct GPU connection to run ground air conditioning for King Airs. I miss the Starship and remember when Beechcraft started the buy-back program to minimize the amount of time that they had to support them. One guy had purchased several Starships so that in the future, he would always have spare parts to support his primary plane. The Starship was a futuristic beautiful aircraft which will be missed.

[@longshot7601]

I used to live near Van Nuys Airport and saw a Starship fly in a few times. Pictures did not do it justice, truely a beautiful plane. Quite a bit different than the latest canard-ish twin pusher turboprop the Avante. That plane just looks plain wrong.

[@kentbarnes1955]

I was a volunteer at The Masters Golf Tournament for 14 years. There was Starship that would fly in every Wednesday and depart late Sunday when the tournament was over. Such a beautiful plane. For the past decade I've followed an effort to build a large scale RC version. It has proved to be challenging...but has flown...a few times...then crashed...and is being rebuilt.

[@NotThatBob]

Back in the 90s I was permitted to enter one of these planes. Jaw dropping in every way. I was lower middle class and was shocked at such luxury. The cockpit was totally sci-fi. Wish these planes still flew where I live.

[@kncortes]

I had the privilege and the great pleasure of getting a promotional ride aboard the Starship while working at a radio station in San Diego around 1989 maybe 1990. I sat in the right seat and enjoyed every minute of this 30 minute flight around San Diego. What a great airplane!

[@bmobert]

I remeber being on the schoolbus to home in 5th grade, telling my friend the SR-71 was my favorite airplane. And then he told me the Starship was his favorite because he could imagine owning one. If never heard of the starship.

[@P-J-W-777]

It’s unfortunate that the Starship wasn’t given as much love as many others. It was actually a safe aircraft. I was lucky enough to get to fly in one on several occasions and it was fast for a propeller driven aircraft and it was much less noisy in the cabin. The flights always felt smooth and very comfortable. Unfortunately the price is one of the ultimate killers of this marvel of aviation. I’ve always loved the King Air 300 and 350 but the Starship was very special and earned my respect and love very quickly. I’m very glad that there are a few caretaker of a few starships that are still flight worthy and in service in order to keep this dream and marvels story alive.

[@robertweldon7909]

Similar to @topturretgunner, and at about the same time period, I was on my way home from work one afternoon. This took me past "Fulton County" (Charlie Brown) airport in Atlanta. Suddenly, right in front of me, this absolutely, "STAR WARS" looking aircraft flew past, made a fighter jet style 180 degree turn and landed on the main runway. It was, of course a "Star Ship". It's the only one I've ever seen, but it's a memory I never forget. I've been around aircraft all my life, worked on S-2's and OV-10's in the Navy, but have rarely been blown away by any given aircraft, the "Star ship" is one of them.

[@greatmartini1]

I was able to fly on the Beech Starship in the late 80s out of Freeman Field just south of Sun Valley Idaho. It was an amazing aircraft. Quiet, smooth, and powerful. It took off from that high altitude field on a hot summer day with no problem. It was amazing!!!!

[@sauxybanana2332]

Man this is high quality production, hope the channel exploded soon! BTW beautiful plane I've never seen, thank you for this episode

[@bigmetalbirds]

thank you so much! I do put a lot of effort into making these videos, so really glad you enjoyed it!

[@v.e.7236]

Love that they keep showing my beloved Beech Staggerwing as part of Beech's innovative efforts. FYI: pusher style aircraft are more efficient than pullers -- the more general configuration. Would love to own one of these Rutan inspired beauties. Have had a fascination w/ the canard wing style aircraft since first seeing one in a Popular Science mag back in the late 50s/early 60s. Now my flying years have passed and I watch videos of flying and go to air shows when I can.

[@N807DS]

"FYI: pusher style aircraft are more efficient than pullers -- the more general configuration." Sadly not so : look at air races and see how many pushers win. This is the ultimate proof. PS I am a fan of pushers for other reasons (noise, visibility) but the pusher prop operates in "dirty" air which decreases propulsion efficiency.

[@OneWildTurkey]

@@N807DS More 'efficient' or more configurable? Can't you put more power forward in a puller than a pusher?

[@philrab]

Back in the mid 2000’s I was working for an FBO, and one of these things hit my ramp. It was one of many cool experiences I had seeing one of the last flying Starships in person, right up there with ground handling a vintage B-17 and P-51.

[@larry-z9m]

Starship is right up there in the beauty category w/ the Fortress.

[@uscitizen5656]

They had a Starship here in ATL @ PDK. I always knew she was up just by that tone, the pushers made. Miss that sound!

[@justashesaid]

I heard one and saw it overhead just this past week (late July 2024) a few miles north of PDK. Maybe it's the same one, or perhaps a coincidence. The sound is unmistakable once you've heard it and seen the plane at least once before, making its signature, higher-pitched drone.

[@achmadosman9807]

A conversion to jet engines to replace the props would be a nice idea. Make it analogous to a Hondajet.

[@uah3080]

I worked for Raytheon when their acquisition of Beech aircraft took place. Over time I got to know quite a number of Beech executives and had the opportunity to visit their manufacturing facility including the facility designed for manufacture of the carbon fiber Starship. During that period I worked to acquire a new (Super) King Air from Beech for our company. Eventually flying serveral thousand miles on what must be one of the very finest corporate aircraft ever built. Your video brought back some memories of those days.

[@R182video]

I saw one at Asheville, NC soon after they came out and and was able to climb into one at the Beechcraft Museum in Tullohoma, TN. Great looking airplane and performed well, but ahead of it's time.

[@FutureSystem738]

As a retired heavy jet captain, in my FORMER career I was flying general aviation aircraft. My all time favourite aeroplane was the Piper Cheyenne III, in which I had around a thousand hours. (The Cheyenne III is somewhat similar to a KingAir 200, but a good 20 knots quicker. The Cheyenne 400 was even faster still- actually much faster!) When I was watching the development of the Starship during the 1980s, I was really scratching my head at the pusher props. Like most similar aircraft, we very often operated from dirt and grass airstrips. Pusher props directly behind the main gear wheels was NEVER going to work- prop damage would have been a total nightmare. I can’t believe that no one had thought of this massive problem. If Starship had been available at even half the price, this alone would have made it totally non-viable for our company.

[@avohill4]

Was a passenger on a Starship once. Not enough hours in it to comment except for the odd resonance of the engines through the bulkhead material which remains my only vivid memory. Not horrible, just different. But, I flew twice weekly on a top of the line King Air for a few years and fell in love with that plane and if given choices today between small business jets and the King Air . . . .well, I'd go with the latter. A marvelous product. It didn't convey the max level of testosterone of a G5 when parked at the Aspen airport alongside all the other private planes. The King Air was more like owning a classic 1985 S Class Mercedes. Low and slow, beautiful, functional, comfortable, special in classic ways. The Starship didn't live long enough to take on those traits or develop its own personality. Too bad. It was special; its unique sounds announcing its presence and its design quite beautiful in the sky. RIP

[@ralphfisher-d5j]

I can always tell by the sound when one of these lovely aircraft flys over.

[@mikekelly6774]

A Piaggio engineer told me that because the composite skin of Starship would not dissipate a lightning strike, the FAA required that Beechcraft add a copper mesh as one of the laminates of the skin. This added so much additional weight to the aircraft that the majority of the savings over aluminum disappeared. Such a shame. I always enjoyed hearing it fly over when I lived in Southern California in the 90s.

[@michaelkim3432]

I was lucky enough to take a Starship demo flight from Santa Monica airport up to Santa Barbara, CA and back. Amazing plane, so ahead of its time. Too bad it was also too expensive! If Beech had stuck with it, by now they may have retired the King Air instead. Also, the end of the Starship story was Beechcraft's end of support for the aircraft and their methodical scrapping of as many airframes as they could. Sad ending to an iconic aircraft.

[@bradya4914]

My first large airplane print was of a Starship… I got to fuel one as a ramp guy and worked a couple as an Air Traffic Controller. I always loved the Starship and wish it had been successful.

[@therealgaragegirls]

I've always loved this aircraft. A bucket-list item of mine is to fly on one someday.

[@kevinmccorkle7476]

My favorite non military type. I've been fortunate enough to see one on 3 different occasions, in flight each time. The shape and sound are unique to any other plane.

[@JedRothwell]

I saw one of these in the 1990 at PDK Atlanta. What I like about this is how it resembles the 1903 Wright flyer. Elevator forward (sort of), twin pusher propellers . . . This is not the future. It is the past! Seriously, a beautiful airplane.

[@andysmith5220]

I still have this model and still love the design. Even though it is gone the Pioggio p180 continues it's legacy

[@joycehubka140]

Big Metal Birds, thank you for doing this wonderful video! I have never seen a Starship in person, but maybe someday I will. Until then I have a model of the Starship on my desk. I see it every day and I just hope that one day I will come across a real one. In my opinion, the Beechcraft Starship is the most beautiful airplane ever made. I have flown a Beechcraft King air 200 and I love its design, handling and power. I can only dream and imagine sitting in the left seat and flying a Starship. Jerry

[@Airpaycheck]

I've been fortunate to see a couple of them. Rare birds indeed. It would be interesting to see the program restarted with modern technology.

[@LakeMurraySunsets]

As a kid aspiring to become an Aeronautical engineer, i watched the Starship through it's development. Like many other airplanes ahead of their time, sadly, commercially it didn't make it. Piaggio Avante took the flaws of the Starship and turned them into one of the fastest propeller driven planes of all time, plus, it looks and sounds incredible. The sound is up there with the infamous P-51 Mustang. When flying over, at 2,000' or FL240, you know exactly what airplanes they are.

[@rogerreimer6787]

To bad it never took off but the Piaggio P.180 Avanti made the same type and has been a great success I guess a bit ahead of its time

[@KMASIF-mi9yj]

But Piaggio looks soooo good. I would say sexiest aircraft ever

[@N807DS]

Same mission, same market, FAR better aircraft...

[@uah3080]

The Starship was the first carbon fiber aircraft designated for the corporate market. The FAA requirements added so much weight. Cost were driven up and performance dropped to the degree that it was not practical to pursue further manufacture and sale of the aircraft.

[@madrabbit9007]

I saw one of these beauties up close about 25 years ago. I was working as a lineman in college at Ole Miss (UOX) and it flew in for the LSU vs. Ole Miss game. It looked like it was going supersonic while sitting on the ground.

[@thehospitalguy1657]

Used to see a Starship fly into Oxnard regularly. Nothing like the sound of a Beach Starship. Always wanted to fly on one.

[@kevinwest1607]

My pop worked for Beech and worked on the Starship. I always thought it was a really cool aircraft!

[@daenglishpatient]

Wow. I never heard of this. I actually thought it was brand new airplane. Great video. Thank you.

[@alonzovillarreal4666]

I would see one of them from time to time back in the 80’s -90’s when I was still flying.

[@spacewalk001]

In the early 90's I was working towards my Private Pilot license. For practice at controlled airports, I would sometimes head over to Pontiac (PTK, Oakland County, MI). At the time there was a business operating a Beechcraft Starship there. I had the incredible luck of seeing it taxi, do runups and take offs, or come in for landings on a few occasions - each time was amazing. We knew we were witnessing something special, and pretty much everyone would stop and stare. The folks I knew in aviation at the time all expressed a sense of sadness that the business case didn't work out for the Starship. I wonder if one of the remaining examples might make it to Oshkosh in a year that I can be there - I'd love to see one in flying condition again.

[@jimr513666]

Saw a Starship fly over my house west of Milwaukee, WI back in April.

[@richardmountz3865]

Roughly 1989 I was lounging on my boat just below Watts Bar Dam TN when I heard an unusual aircraft 3/4 mile west flying a big clockwise circle. Yep, it was a Starship at 1000" banked in all it's glory. In a minutes time it flew all the way around me and headed west as I realized I was one of the first people to eyeball this candy. She's a boss bird for sure...

[@N807DS]

I am amazed that you completely omitted the contemporary "Starship killer" from Piaggio as a reason for Beech to scrap this project. Truth is: the Starship and the Avanti were designed for the exact same mission and the Avanti flew circles around the Starship. With comparable payload and a huge cabin, the Avanti cruised at 360-380 knots. And that was with lower powered engines and therefore less fuel burn. Blaming the commercial failure of this engineering flop on the FAA is unfair. It simply died a Darwinian death.

[@jc11250f45]

CORRECT!

[@bigmetalbirds]

Just done researching P180! Video coming next week, thanks for the input!

[@N807DS]

@@bigmetalbirds Awesome news thanks

[@MENSA.lady2]

THE ONE QUESTION YOU DIDN'T ADDRESS WAS , WHY DID BEECH BUY BACK MOST OF THE STARSHIPS AND DELIBERATLY DESTROY THEM.

[@tledful]

Likely due to liability and requirement to support the small fleet. Cheaper to buy them back and scrap them. One still flies out of Addison, TX.

[@larrybremer4930]

@@tledful As I recall the story nearly all the Starships were leased and simply collected at the end of the leases and not offering a buyout or release option. A few were actually owned and many of those were bought by Beachcraft but your guy in Texas bought a couple to use for spare parts and bought up a lot of Beachcrafts supply of spare parts to keep his flying.

[@mikewoodard6984]

@@tledful have seen this one a couple of times. I live a bit west of Addison Airport. The sound attracted my attention and then I saw it flying away from Addison still at low altitude. I saw it two or three times. It wasn't the first I'd seen. Alerted by a friend, to watch for it, I'd seen one flying at pattern altitude just northwest of Austin a couple of times. It was on some sort of regular schedule for awhile and my buddy and I compared sightings.

[@thomasaltruda1243]

300 knots? Slow.. the Piaggio went 380 to 400 knots.

[@Ebbrush3]

someone has been flying one over my house twice this year in the LA area ....it sounds like nothing else .......then i saw it and was in shock knowing how rare they are these days

[@enricio]

Great vid. 😎

[@AxialFlux]

For some reason, I was thinking Beech had them all scrapped. Fantastic plane though!

[@bigmetalbirds]

yeah, they scrapped majority of them, but luckily few went to private owners and they still fly!

[@jamesburns2232]

@@bigmetalbirds There was a yet flying Beechcraft Starship at the EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh just last week. 🥸

[@hgr.7857]

My favorite civie plane in existence. I'd heard they were all bought back and scrapped, too. Nice to hear one still graces Oshkosh 👍

[@oceanpathway]

for me I think the starship has great potentials coz most of the flaws the starship had in the past can easily be fixed the tilt canard mechanism which was deemed too heavy for the aircraft can easily be made lighter the avionics can also be replaced with a more modern and lightweight once the corrosion problem... now that people have better knowledge on carborn-fiber materials, the beechcraft starship can be raised back to life

[@wernerdanler2742]

I worked at Beechcraft in the late 70s, so I missed getting to see these being built. Those hangar doors they show were on the east end of the plant. I ran an NC machine in the middle of the plant. When they opened the doors to move a plane out, in winter, I would have to shut down my machine because the aluminum parts would change shape as the cold air wave came through. Beech was actually a good place to work, but Boeing paid much better, so I went there.

[@koharumi1]

How is working at Boeing now?

[@wernerdanler2742]

@koharumi1 I worked there in the 70s, and in 80, I moved to San Diego and worked at other jobs and went to college and got a couple of degrees. I have no idea what the work environment is like now, but from all the problems they have been having, I wouldn't want to work there.

[@jamesburns2232]

@@wernerdanler2742 I worked at Boeing 20 years until I retired. Funny how people would work there for 20 years and then miss a promotion or a raise and suddenly turn against the company. It takes a lot of work to do things right but three times as much work to do things wrong. A lot of "whistle blowers" are those who can't do the job themselves but blame others for their own ineptitude. 🥸

[@infographie]

Excellent.

[@HPockets933-xd2zt]

Love it, I want one

[@raffly4449]

Burt Rutan did a forum at OSH 2024 about why the Starship didn’t replace the King Air.

[@ChoneyNation]

When I worked in Marana, Az I used to drive by these everyday. I was told they were all owned by one guy and they were the last ones anywhere. This was back in the mid 2000s.

[@Overneed-Belkan-Witch]

Whenever I see a rear build prop aircraft, I always think of these words "2 Turning, 2 Burning, 2 Unaccounted for"

[@SSD99]

an absolutely beautiful aircraft! It broke all the rules and aesthetics of what a sophisticated business (prop) jet should look like, feel like, and sound like. I hope someone else comes along and develops a plane like this. Raytheon did the Beechcraft crowd the biggest disservice when they bought out Beech and killed the Starship.

[@sscrounger4759]

East Bay, San Francisco area, USA, some years ago - happened to be at an afternoon garden party, heard airplane noises, looked up - and exclaimed, "That's a Beech Starship!" Nobody else there knew what I was talking about, but we got a good look and all agreed that it looked distinctly weird.

[@eulusgarza5765]

This is my favorite aircraft

[@bigmetalbirds]

definitely one of mine too!

[@mikecarbone828]

What a shame! Now almost all new planes use graphite composite construction, even the largest airliners. This definitely was a plane ahead of its time. Thanks for sharing! Please have an excellent and awesome day! ☀️✨🌟🚀

[@ericvogel1126]

I have often wondered what happened to it. It truly was a unique approach to a business plane.

[@TheCluelessReefer]

Growing up, I would see one flying into PBI almost daily in the 90s, got used to seeing them...and then they were gone.

[@Tool-Meister]

Our local airport (Hillsboro, Or) had two Starships based there off and on during the 1990s. We pilots had to stop and stare when we’d hear them. Eventually one of them was moved to PDX. Then, there were none. There has been a Starship parked outside at Evergreen Air Museum in nearby McMinnville, Oregon. However, I see it’s missing from the latest digital map images. I don’t know if it’s been moved inside or it’s gone all together. They were a work of art!

[@jstoney6471]

Remember seeing it doing test flights around Winston-Salem, NC !

[@theinternetknows]

In 2004 I made this plane as a mod in MS Fright sim. Was a great plane.

[@Iflew727]

In aviation, the Starship was often called the technological blunder, and the Piaggio Avanti the technological wonder.

[@elosogonzalez8739]

Walter Beech was always an innovator when it came to building airplanes. The Staggerwing, Twin Beech (Model 18), Bonanza, King Air. When Beechcraft built the Starship without a market to sell to. Beautiful and efficient, Beechcraft already had the King Air, a proven design with performance to match. Had the delays happened the Starship might have had a more successful run. I've been inside a Starship, it is impressive and comfortable. Just too expensive to make it profitable. After all, that's what it's all about. It was another feather in the cap of brilliant designer Burt Rutan.😊 If you want to see one in person, go to the BEECH HERITAGE MUSEUM IN TULLAHOMA, TN. It's worth a visit!

[@itsmeagainmargret]

I grew up in Garland Tx back in the 80's and I can remember seeing one of these planes fly over my home almost daily for years. I always assumed it was some rich guy flying to and from work everyday. I have no idea what airport (s) they were using.

[@OneWildTurkey]

I think there's one in the Gainesville, FL area. The engines / props have a very distinctive sound and you can hear them coming from quite a distance. They look Italian from below, for some reason. It might be because there's often a Piaggio nearby that gives me the idea, but I like this one better.

[@xxZerosumxx]

The Starship had a very unique engine sound. It would have been nice if you had included it.

[@natehendricksen3338]

Worked for a major sub that designed and produced several key systems for this plane. Variations in actual performance from their original design specs drove many delays and product design changes in our products. The composite structures were actually R&D with many issues. Surface distribution from lightning strike was a major hold up. A weakened economy high interest rates and general market downturn combined with average performance against similarly priced competitors was the final stake in the projects heart. Extended down time and high maintenance costs drove a buy back and scrap program. This plane should have never made it to market.

[@thatguy7085]

Very cool plane… just way too cool for it’s time

[@colonyresident7151]

In early 2000s, when I was a student pilot in Delta Connection Academy, there were couple of Starships often visited FBO just opposite of the runway. I went to the FBO ramp, took a look of the plane. I immediately like its designs.

[@Mr.Alwaysright-z8q]

I’ve seen one of these up close. They have a very distinct sound in flight.

[@ocker2000]

Rutan got to Oshkosh 2024 in his own Starship. Glad he got success on other projects. Innovation often gets ripped up because they were ahead of their time.

[@garyolsen3409]

I don't know if I have ever heard about this airplane. Such a sad story and sad ending for such gorgeous aircraft.

[@davidjacobs5266]

Saw one lift off at a small airport in Ohio- just amazing

[@jeffbrinkerhoff5121]

The Starship had delamination issues between the fiber-resin and metal structures. Beautiful time bombs.

[@andyamendala6611]

Please cite your source for this claim. The airframe of the Starship has an effectively unlimited fatigue life, and the airplane as a whole is limited more by its avionics and propellers than anything else. Where specifically are these bonded "fiber-resin" metal structural interfaces you're referring to?

[@toddeliott20]

The commentary guy loves bbq

[@ronparrish6666]

There's someone who fly's into Toronto every couple of days with one of these things it sounds like my lawnmower when it goes overhead

[@jonathanbidwell914]

The problem was that they never anticipated the weight of structural repairs to the hand laid-up carbon fiber fuselage. We had an airplane run off the runway in Europe, cracking the fwd. pressure bulkhead. The repair took 6 months and added almost 300 lbs. to the nose, necessitating 300lbs. of ballast in the tail, making the airplane useless. I was working in the repair center, at the time.

[@Zelaznogsiul-63]

I have seen it fly over my house, but have not seen it for a while near Clearwater Florida.

[@zeroohms369]

in the film "Wind", the Piaggio 180 Avante 2 makes a brief appearance.

[@StevenCheimets]

I 100% remember that!

[@stevenshevick7292]

I worked for the man who purchased the first plane. He was flown to the Paris air show to pick it up. Unfortunately that was the highlight of his ownership. This plane replaced his King air B model. The Starship spent the majority of its life in the shop. After a year plus of problems Beechcraft bought the plane back so the buyer was happy to get rid of this plane.

[@marilynhansen3337]

SKY KING, Penny kept me coming. back

[@christian-michaelhansen471]

The Starship is the most handsome airplane of its time. Sucks that it was ahead of its time and was discontinued before it really had a chance to prove itself.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

4:41 Almost looks like Grant County International (where a lot of aircraft are tested), but I have vague memories of Mohave Airport looking more like that.

[@ggregory6611]

One of these is parted and flown out of Aspen CO…..have pix…….cool looking aircraft

[@derekheuring2984]

We're lucky here in North texas in that someone owns a Starship and I've seen it flying past my house dozens of times. Haven't seen it lately though.

[@tledful]

It was based at Addison airport. Very cool plane.

[@bearlemley]

What a beautiful flop. Couldn’t go as fast, go as far, go as high, carry as much or use less fuel as its completion. And it cost much more ! When Linden Blue asked Rutan why the 85% scale test aircraft met none of its design goals, he said, it’s ok 👌 the full scale version will. Beech pumped 500 million into a 250 million dollar project for a flop. Sold down the river by Rutan.

[@jamesdash1906]

I want one !!!!!

[@---Wade---]

I am a retired Army helicopter pilot so engine and rotor noise is something I lived with. But this thing has crazy prop noise. There is one that flies out of Monterey California. As it turns out my house is between the ILS and GPS approaches about 5 miles from the runway. I can hear this thing coming miles away and it sounds like crap. Might look good but sounds like a cheap toy.

[@Subgunman]

The reason for the "prop noise" is actually the sound of the turbine exhaust being routed through the props. Just like the Huey's, you can hear them coming miles away however the difference is that the tips of the two blades are traveling at supersonic speeds trying to keep that bird flying. If they went to three blades they could reduce the speed of the props and cut the thump we hear. Unfortunately for the Starship there is no real way to reroute the exhaust from their turbines so it’s the exhaust being chopped by those blades causing the cacophony you hear on the ground. As an aviator you should know that if all of a sudden you quit hearing that noise, something bad is about to happen.

[@---Wade---]

@@Subgunman I was ferrying a UH1-H from Taegu to our maintenance facility at K16 because of an intermittent Fire Light coming on when I lost the engine. Actually all you hear is the low RPM warning audio blearing in the ICS. Turned out to be a low side governor failure due to a bad re-build job on the fuel control on the T53 engine.

[@Subgunman]

@@---Wade--- Rodger that! Any opinion as to why that Iranian heilo wend down a few weeks back? Non TSO parts? Junk parts? Timed out blades?

[@---Wade---]

@@Subgunman The reports from the BBC said there were foggy/low clouds conditions in the mountains. The search and rescue mission was hampered by bad weather. The Bell 212 is really just a twin engine UH1 so plenty of power. Looks like the classic VFR into IMC accident. The only way out of that is to pull in power to the torque red line and hold the airspeed at 60 knots and hope you can climb faster the high ground. The nasty little secret is pilots flying this vintage/era aircraft do not fly IMC and will try to descend to get out of the cloud. The is no auto-pilot in this era helicopter. It is a handful on the instruments.

[@notvaporlocked5479]

I lived and in Wichita in the 90’s and occasionally did work at the Beechcraft factory. One of my favorite sites was the Starship flying around town and the factory. I loved the sound and think it is one of the most beautiful airplanes in the sky.

[@larrybremer4930]

For the price Starship was not a good value proposition compared to other aircraft with a similar similar mission. Also putting props behind the wing was already known to be a problem with efficiency from the B36 and XB35 because they eat dirty air that also have different velocities and pressures above and below the wing that also contributed vibration and additional noise. Also the props would hit dirt and rocks thrown up by the main wheels causing faster blade wear and damage. While innovative in many ways it simply did not offer anything aside from style and novelty points compared to contemporaries like the King Air or even smaller business jets while adding the problems of high procurement cost and higher maintenance needs/cost than a more conventional King Air it was competing against. The only real positive contribution due it being a canard is the difficulty to stall it due to the significantly higher wing loading on the canard making it stall well before the main wing which forces the nose down. A well designed canard aircraft is nearly impossible to get into a fully developed stall.

[@briankumpan9892]

I flew in a beechcraft king air, will never ever own one and will never buy 1. The Starship, I would buy in a heartbeat

[@robertvalet2079]

John Austin Pike was Beech VP in charge of Research and Development in Wichita. He passed away July 11, 2023 in Kerrville, Texas at the age of 92. I met him well into his retirement only because his son was a friend of mine. John was adamantly against the Starship program from its inception but he was overruled by the Beech family. A personal rift developed and John left the company prematurely, but his opposition proved correct. The Starship was a total failure for a variety of reasons. Details can be read on Wikipedia.

[@videointercepter]

N514RS taxied by me at EAA 2024. Had I known she was on the ground, I would have paid her a visit.

[@TheDwightMamba]

For the price, the props turned people off. This thing as a twin engined jet would still be in production today.

[@CentristRN]

If they had put some kind of midline vert stab on the Starship, it would have looked more “normal” and likely sold better.

[@DonaldStanley-f1f]

Could this air frame be reconfigured to support jet engines like the wart hog. A-10?

[@bdb3350]

You forgot to mention the starship was the first noncommercial aircraft to have a fully glass cockpit.