Pic(k) of the week 3: Beech 18 - The Twin Beech
When it comes to "Aviation Photography", Southern California is probably one of the hottest places on earth; a mecca for aviation geeks like yours truly!
Last Saturday I had a day packed with Aviation fun in the Los Angeles area; the afternoon was spent at the 2014 Cable, CA airshow. An entire blogpost will be dedicated to this event in the coming days.
For now, I would like to share one of my favourite images, of the event; a beautifully restored Beech 18, sitting in great late afternoon light.
Nicknamed the "Twin Beech", the Beech 18 holds the record for the piston aircraft being in continuous production for the longest time; first one was produced in 1937 while the last one went to Japan Airlines in 1970; 33 years later !
While it was initially used as a US military transport and training aircraft during World War II, later versions were also used in all kind of civil roles; from small airliners, through cooperate aircraft, to skydive and other utility aircraft.
Often confused with the lookalike Lockheed Electra 10 (and 12) which was flown by legendary female pilot Amelia Earhart, the Twin Beech was a far more successful aircraft when it comes to the number of aircraft being built; almost 8000 came of the production line.
There are still plenty of Beech 18's taking to the skies, mostly in the hands of aircraft collectors. Check out Twin Beech.com for one of the best sites on this great vintage aircraft!
Unfortunately, I do not have the registration of this specific aircraft and can't give you the history of the specific airframe. If anybody can help me with this, I would appreciate a quick email or comment below.
Unfortunately, I do not have the registration of this specific aircraft and can't give you the history of the specific airframe. If anybody can help me with this, I would appreciate a quick email or comment below.
Image details:
Nikon D800 with the 24-70 2.8 Nikkor lens
ISO 200, 38mm, f 4.5, 1/1600s
RAW development in Lightroom 5.3
Nik ColorEfex for detail and contrast enhancement
Nik SilverEfex for Black and White conversion
Those of you that want to have a sneak preview of some of the other images shot at the Cable airshow , can find the gallery here.
Remember: "Aviation is not so much a profession as it is a disease".
BJORN
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