As you may recall from previous coverage, Raytheon Aircraft announced in June that it was decommissioning the 40-ship Starship fleet because its support costs were prohibitive. While some aircraft were reportedly scrapped, others are headed for museums. NC-41 was recently donated to the Kansas Aviation Museum. On Sunday, the aircraft, formerly based in Rockford, Ill., was flown to the museum at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. A group of about 100 Kansas Aviation Museum officials and supporters were on hand to receive the Starship after its final flight. NC-41 is not the only Starship destined for a museum, as Raytheon will be donating a limited number of these aircraft to other museums, aviation maintenance schools and various research institutes. The canard-design, twin-turboprop, pusher corporate aircraft was built from 1988 to 1995 but never saw any commercial success. Nevertheless, Raytheon claims the design paved the way for several new business jets, including the Beechcraft Premier I and Hawker Horizon.
Raytheon Donates Beech Starship to Kansas Aviation Museum
Key Takeaways:
- Raytheon Aircraft is decommissioning its 40-ship Starship fleet due to prohibitive support costs, with some aircraft being scrapped and others donated.
- Specific Starship NC-41 was recently flown to the Kansas Aviation Museum, joining a limited number of others destined for museums, schools, and research institutes.
- The Starship, a canard-design twin-turboprop aircraft built between 1988 and 1995, never achieved commercial success.
- Despite its commercial failure, Raytheon claims the Starship's design influenced newer business jets like the Beechcraft Premier I and Hawker Horizon.
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