What a difference 20 years makes. It was late 1983, at that year’s NBAA annual meeting, that Beech brought down the house with a flyover of a scaled version of its proposed all-composite turbopusher, the Starship 2000. Last year, Beech’s new owner Raytheon announced it would scrap the 40-odd airframes it was leasing and developed a buy-back program for the 10 or so copies in private hands. Still, the one-of-a-kind airplanes remain popular — with museums. Several aviation museums have requested and/or have received a donated Starship. Now, the McMinnville, Ore.,-based Evergreen Aviation Museum has received one, which will be added to its collection, including the worlds most famous flying boat (Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose”) and the worlds fastest aircraft (Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird).
Beech Starships Becoming Museum Pieces
Key Takeaways:
- Introduced in 1983 as an innovative all-composite turboprop pusher, Beech's Starship 2000 had a short commercial lifespan.
- By the early 2000s, Beech's owner Raytheon decided to scrap most Starship airframes and offered a buy-back program for privately owned aircraft.
- Despite its commercial failure, the unique Starship remains popular with aviation museums, with the Evergreen Aviation Museum recently acquiring one for its collection.
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