Too Advanced For Its Own Good - Beech Starship (Reworked)

[@PeteDriver530]

growing up in Wichita, I was lucky enough to see the Starship flying numerous times. it was a beautiful airplane and had a very unique sound.

[@richardsweeney197]

I always loved this aircraft, I always thought it was one of the most beautiful planes I had ever seen.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Reworked & re-watched. Thanks from AU, RMV!

[@sharlin648]

I thought I saw one of these flying into Southend Airport, was outside and heard a somewhat strange plane engine noise, looked up and saw a Piaggio P.180 Avanti. Great video about an innovative design.

[@endospores]

Nice rework. Starships were too cool for the era. Look at the P.180, Piaggio just kept on going and now there's over 200 of them.

[@adriancash7063]

Piaggio kept on going until they went bankrupt in the late 1990’s and were bought out… Before going into receivership in 2018.

[@Morgan_Sandoval]

I was lucky enough to see one of these while out camping once when I was a kid (circa 2003 or so). Sounded weird and looked weirder, but I'd heard of these already and was beside myself with excitement to actually see one. It's filed in my memory alongside my Eagle Flight.... where if having one wasn't enough, I got a wing-waggle wave from a freaking F117 while we were at it! Cheers all~

[@stevem-h3562]

I saw one of these once over Buckinghamshire. Very handsome. Sad to see it fail.

[@PuncakeLena]

These aircraft look so neat

[@floycewhite6991]

The Starship has Burt Rutan written all over it.

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

Incredible how out of touch Beechcraft was with their customer base, they just made the most beautiful plane no one wanted.

[@Straswa]

Nice video, I love the Starship's design. I first learned of this plane when I saw one in the pc flight sim Flight Unlimited 2.

[@Pressbutan]

I love the evergreen museum, super fun to check out if you’re in the areas

[@kcnmsepognln]

I neither fly nor drive, but a pusher aircraft with a tendency to phugoid, makes me think of a rear-wheel drive car and oversteer. It seems like there was something to the design, because YT is recommending a vid about an "E-Racer" aircraft, which looks remarkably like the Starship. Strong work as per: thanks!

[@DaveSCameron]

Love this channel, thanks again Sir.☘️👍

[@DaveSCameron]

I’m becoming aware of a common thread however which is whatever the craft /vehicle I’ve yet to hear of one that suffered from “economic downturn…”.

[@Lastindependentthinker]

I have been watching a lot of Velocity video's. If I could afford one I would buy one. They seem to be increasing in popularity. According to the comment section on one vid. There is a rumour they are designing a 6 seat version. Incremental improvement and growth.

[@fungalcoffee]

One of my favorites

[@melvyncox3361]

Lovely looking aircraft.Shame it failed.Nearest thing to it now is the Piaggio P180,a fine craft in it's own right.

[@bibliotek42]

It's a shame it didn't succeed, and odd that it didn't outperform more traditional designs.

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

Ahead of its time. As someone else mentioned, Piaggio is doing quite well with the P.180 (in a market where hundreds now count as success versus thousands in the 70s and 80s, until the crash).

[@gregorylenton8200]

yes very informative ...facts..many thanks

[@Racing_Fox]

Ruairidh, do you plan on doing a video on the class 150s?

[@drstevenrey]

It is ironic that Beechcraft in 1979 saw a reason to change something about the King Air. Now, End of 2024, the King Air is still the King of the air. Put simply, this bucket (lovingly, not bashing) has been around as long as I have. the first King Air, a turboprop version of the Queen Air, flew in 1963 when I was in diapers. Now a pensioner it is still built as the 360 ER. That is mind boggling.

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Maybe you could do a video sometime of the HondaJet?

[@wdanielporter5391]

You missed odel 2000 Starship #49 *of 53 manufactured), on display at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum, Tullahoma, Tennessee.

[@feiti5879]

hi there, would you mind sharing where you found the pr footage for this video?

[@AlexanderPallares]

I occasionally see the two Oklahoma ones taking off and landing from my yard.

[@davidg3944]

Doesn't living in an airport make it difficult to sleep?

[@AlexanderPallares]

@@davidg3944 Just put in the ocean sounds cassette and you're all good!

[@deefox7333]

first, nice Reworked.

[@jaws848]

Incom Corpporation built them under licience for the Rebel Alliance..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@alanwood4968]

But italy made it commercial and fast economical what happened to America perhaps greed again?

[@bernardkealey6449]

1. Piaggio/Avanti went bankrupt a couple of times. That is actually helpful for keeping a project going if you can get your lenders to accept pennies on the dollar of the debt owed, AND keep the IP and move forward with new investors 2. A lot of the fuselage development cost was underwritten by Lear, who due to their own financial issues at the time pulled out of the project and therefore never recouped that cost 3. Wasn’t composite 4. Multiple times got significant government support - including guaranteed orders Given that Beech invested over $300m in the development program, I don’t think “greed” was the issue, more that they underestimated the challenges, and overestimated their various partners capabilities. Lead to an unsustainable product. It’s a damn pity; not a perfect plane, but a great platform which could have been progressively enhanced.