Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger ( the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing ) , that first flew in 1932 . Development . At the height of the Great Depression , aircraft executive Walter H . Beech and airplane designer T . A . " Ted " Wells joined forces to collaborate on a project to produce a large , powerful , and fast cabin biplane built specifically for the business executive . The Beechcraft Model 17 , popularly known as the " Staggerwing " was first flown on November 4 , 1932 . During its heyday it was used as an executive aircraft , much as the private jet is now , and its primary competition were the Waco Custom Cabin and Waco Standard Cabin series of biplanes . The Model 17 ' s unusual negative stagger wing configuration ( the upper wing staggered behind the lower ) and unique shape maximized pilot visibility while negligibly reducing interference between the wings . The fabric - covered fuselage was faired with wood former s and stringers over a welded , steel tube frame . Construction was complex and took many man - hours to complete . The Staggerwing ' s retractable conventional landing gear , uncommon at that time , combined with careful streamlining , light weight , and a powerful radial engine helped it perform well . In the mid - 1930s , Beech undertook a major redesign of the aircraft , to create the " Model D17 Staggerwing " . The D17 featured a lengthened fuselage that improved the aircraft ' s handling characteristics by increasing control leverage and the ailerons were relocated to the upper wings , eliminating interference with the flaps . Braking was improved with a foot - operated brake linked to the rudder pedals . Operational history . Sales began slowly . The first Staggerwings ' high price tag ( between US $ 14 , 000 and US $ 17 , 000 , depending on engine size ) scared off potential buyers in an already depressed civil aircraft market . Only 18 Model 17s were sold during 1933 , the first year of production , but sales steadily increased . Each Staggerwing was custom - built by hand . The luxurious cabin , trimmed in leather and mohair , held up to five passengers . Eventually , the Staggerwing captured a substantial share of the passenger aircraft market . By the start of World War II , Beechcraft had sold more than 424 Model 17s . Air racing . The Staggerwing ' s speed made it popular with 1930s air racers . An early version of the Model 17 won the 1933 Texaco Trophy Race . In 1935 , a British diplomat , Capt . H . L . Farquhar , successfully flew around the world in a Model B17R , traveling 21 , 332 miles ( 34 , 331 kilometers ) from New York to London , by way of Siberia , Southeast Asia , the Middle East , North Africa and back across Europe . Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes won the 1936 Bendix trophy in a Model C17R Staggerwing . Thaden also won the Harmon Trophy for her achievement . Jackie Cochran set a women ' s speed record of , established an altitude record of over 30 , 000 feet ( 9 , 144 m ) , and finished third in the 1937 Bendix Trophy Race , all in a special Model D17W Staggerwing . The aircraft made an impressive showing in the 1938 Bendix race as well . In 1970 , due to a dispute with the T - 6 racing class , the Reno National Air Races invited five Staggerwings to perform a demonstration race . Two G models and two D17 models raced . The five pilots were Bryant Morris , Bert Jensen , Don clark , Noel Gourselle , and Phil Livingston the only pilot to have prior racing experience in the T - 6 Class . The race was flawless with ABC Wide World of Sports Coverage but protesting T - 6 racers prevented the class from future competition with allegations of safety issues . World War II . As World War II loomed , a number of Model B17L were pressed into service as bombers by the FARE , the air forces of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War . China ordered a number of Staggerwings to use as ambulance planes in its fight against Imperial Japan . Finland had one B17L as a liaison aircraft between 1940 - 1945 . On October 2 , 1941 , Beech shipped a special camouflage d D17S to Prince Bernhard of Lippe , who was in exile in London after the Germany invasion of the Netherlands . He used it for refugee work in and around London . The Beech UC - 43 Traveler was a slightly modified version of the Staggerwing . In late 1938 , the United States Army Air Corps purchased three Model D17S to evaluate them for use as light liaison aircraft . These were designated YC - 43 . After a short flight test program , the YC - 43s went to Europe to serve as liaison aircraft with the air attaché s in London , Paris , and Rome . Early in World War II , the need for a compact executive - type transport or courier aircraft became apparent , and in 1942 the United States Army Air Forces ordered the first of 270 Model 17s for service within the United States and overseas as the UC - 43 . These differed only in minor details from the commercial model . To meet urgent wartime needs , the government also purchased or leased ( impressed ) additional " Staggerwings " from private owners including 118 more for the Army Air Force plus others for the United States Navy . In Navy service the planes were designated as GB - 1 and GB - 2 . The British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy acquired 106 " Traveller Mk . I " ( the British name uses the UK double " l " spelling ) through the Lend - Lease arrangement to fill its own critical need for light personnel transports . The production UC - 43 differed in minor details from the service test YC - 43 . Two distinguishing external features of the UC - 43 are the circular ADF antenna mounted between the main landing gear and landing lights near the lower wingtips . They were all powered by the 450 horsepower ( 336 kilowatt ) Pratt & Whitney R - 985 engine . Post - war . After the war ' s end , Beech immediately converted its manufacturing capabilities back to civil aircraft production , making one final version of the Staggerwing , the Model G17S . They built 16 aircraft , which they sold for US $ 29 , 000 apiece . Norway sold one D17S to Finland in 1949 , which the Finnish Air Force used from 1950 to 1958 . The lightweight V - tail Beechcraft Bonanza , a powerful four - passenger luxury aircraft , soon replaced the venerable Staggerwing in the Beech product line , at about a third the price . The Bonanza was a smaller aircraft with fewer horsepower , but carried four people at a similar speed to the Staggerwing . Beechcraft sold the 785th and final Staggerwing in 1948 and delivered it in 1949 . Critical praise . In March 2003 , " Plane & Pilot " magazine named the Staggerwing one of its Top Ten All - Time Favorite aircraft . In the April , 2007 issue of AOPA Pilot magazine it was reported that the Staggerwing was voted by nearly 3000 AOPA members as the Most Beautiful Airplane . " Members said it ' s the perfect balance between ' muscular strength and delicate grace , ' and rated it highly for its ' classic lines and symmetry . ' " The November 2012 issue of " Aviation History " magazine ranked the Staggerwing as fifth in their top twelve list of The Worlds Most Beautiful Airplanes . Stating that " Some might think ' the Stag ' ungainly , backward wings and all , yet it has become the prime example of vintage beauty . " and " . . . the aftward upper wing led to the big , steeply raked windscreen that is also a key element of what some have called an art deco classic . " By 1934 , Beechcraft had designed and built four models . They were the 17R ( 420 hp Wright engine ) ; the A17F ( 690 hp Wright engine ) ; the A17FS ( 710 hp Wright engine ) ; and the B17L ( 225 hp Jacobs engine ) . All were fixed gear models with the exception of the B17L , which had a pneumatically retractable undercarriage . Of the three models , the B17L proved best suited to meet the market demands , and became the first production model . Operators . Numbers operated from Survivors . Many Staggerwings remain registered with the FAA in flyable condition , or undergoing restoration . Several military versions are on display .