Radical features of Beech Aircraft Corp.'s 20-passenger feederliner, now undergoing flight tests at Wichita, are plainly apparent in the latest photographs of the four-engine, two-propeller transport. The company claims four "firsts" for the plane: first airplane to be equipped with engines completely submerged in the wings; first to combine four engines with two propellers; first to have integral emergency landing keels on the bottom; and first large airplane to have a V tail. As a result of these features, original or not, the Twin-Quad appears to give excellent passenger visibility (inherent in a high-wing design) and has aero-dynamic cleanliness largely due to the buried powerplant installation. The landing skids on each side of the fuselage give the underside a rounded appearance, although in reality the floor of the cabin is flat.
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Aviation Week | November 10, 1947
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