Staggerwing

This is the Beech-17, also known as the Staggerwing. It is quite possibly the most elegant single-engine airplane made for private pilots.



Designed and first flown 70 years ago, they were the Learjets of their day. It is said that the Staggerwings had speeds that were on a par with the Army's P-26 fighter.

Staggerwings are fully capable of fulfilling the role of fast personal transportation today. Their only drawback is that the structure of their wings is made of wood (spruce) and covered with fabric; redoing the wings of a Staggerwing is not a job for the faint of heart.

Which may be one reason why Griffon Aerospace designed the Lionheart, a roomy, fast, six-place homebuilt. The Lionheart is a composite aircraft.


Unfortunately, Griffon Aerospace stopped selling their kits, as they found it a lot more profitable to make UAVs for the military. As far as I know, less than a dozen Lionhearts were completed and flown.