Beechcraft Starship – Ahead Of Its Time! History, Review & Specs

You definitely heard of Beechcraft – Bonanza, King Air, Queen Air, we even have a few videos about it on our channel, but today we dive into the history and specs of the plane that was definitely ahead of its time. Beechcraft Starship is twin engine plane made of composites and featuring a canard wing for better safety. A comfortable interior, lots of power and lots of general aviation innovations were packed into this fuselage, so lets dive deep into the history of Beechcraft Starship, talk about its specs and even check how much it costs to fly Beechcraft Starship!

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:50 History of Starship
02:07 Beech Starship Development
03:20 Fuselage
04:45 Engines
05:33 Speed and Range
06:45 Interior
07:45 Commercial Failure Of Starship
08:50 Outro

[loopie]

I used to work for a boss who owned one of these planes, and I flew in it about five times. If I recall correctly, the cabin was actually larger than what is shown in this video. It was significantly wider than other competing jets and had a very spacious and comfortable interior. However, we faced challenges in hiring certified pilots for this aircraft, who were also more expensive to employ. These pilots needed to have a certain number of flying hours to maintain their licenses.

One major issue we encountered was with the propellers located at the back of the plane. During takeoff and landing, it was essential for the runway to be very clean to prevent damage caused by small rocks and dirt being thrown up by the wheels. As a result, the plane could be out of service for up to two months while waiting for a new propeller to arrive, be installed, tested, and certified. This was especially problematic for us as we often flew to Mexico and frequently damaged the props, which were costly to replace.

In addition, we were unable to rent out the plane as it was slower than jets and not suitable for the quick trips that most people wanted. Despite its impressive appearance, the plane frequently required maintenance and replacement parts. Also, with regards to the canard, I don't recall it swinging, but my experience dates back to around 2000-2001.

[topturretgunner]

1990. I was arriving at my former employer to go to work. Upon hearing the hum of twin turbo props overhead I looked up and saw an aircraft unlike anything I had seen before. Being an aviation enthusiast I thought at first that Burt Rutan had come up with yet another of his unusual aircraft. I learned later that while yes Rutan had played a role in this aircrafts design, what I had just seen was a Beechcraft Starship. It was on final into Tampa International Airport. That single aircraft really captured my imagination. It’s so sad that Beech discontinued this wonderful airplane.

[wlpaul]

There's a likely apocryphal story about a Starship flying over Kansas/Missouri when the pilot got a request over the radio from an Air Force jet asking if it was alright to come alongside to take some pictures. The pilot naturally said of course, and then looked over his shoulder to see a B-2 Spirit off of his wing.

[ricyoung]

Great telling of the Starship story. I worked on the certification team for the Starship and was amazed at how many tests it had to go through. Flying in the Starship was great. I think that halting production had a political part also as I loved it along with the King Air series. It will be remembered as a 'step ahead of its time' to be assured. Thanks for the story.

[NotThatBob]

Back in the 90s I was permitted to enter one of these planes. Jaw dropping in every way. I was lower middle class and was shocked at such luxury. The cockpit was totally sci-fi. Wish these planes still flew where I live.

[bmobert]

I remeber being on the schoolbus to home in 5th grade, telling my friend the SR-71 was my favorite airplane. And then he told me the Starship was his favorite because he could imagine owning one. If never heard of the starship.

[kncortes]

I had the privilege and the great pleasure of getting a promotional ride aboard the Starship while working at a radio station in San Diego around 1989 maybe 1990. I sat in the right seat and enjoyed every minute of this 30 minute flight around San Diego. What a great airplane!

[rolandgonzalez]

I used to work for Beechcraft in Tampa, FL, where we would get several Starships in for repair. Our repair station also offered a research and development department. Those guys were responsible for such inventions as the Beechcraft Smart Start as well as a direct GPU connection to run ground air conditioning for King Airs. I miss the Starship and remember when Beechcraft started the buy-back program to minimize the amount of time that they had to support them. One guy had purchased several Starships so that in the future, he would always have spare parts to support his primary plane. The Starship was a futuristic beautiful aircraft which will be missed.

[P-J-W-]

It’s unfortunate that the Starship wasn’t given as much love as many others. It was actually a safe aircraft. I was lucky enough to get to fly in one on several occasions and it was fast for a propeller driven aircraft and it was much less noisy in the cabin. The flights always felt smooth and very comfortable. Unfortunately the price is one of the ultimate killers of this marvel of aviation. I’ve always loved the King Air 300 and 350 but the Starship was very special and earned my respect and love very quickly. I’m very glad that there are a few caretaker of a few starships that are still flight worthy and in service in order to keep this dream and marvels story alive.

[avohill]

Was a passenger on a Starship once. Not enough hours in it to comment except for the odd resonance of the engines through the bulkhead material which remains my only vivid memory. Not horrible, just different. But, I flew twice weekly on a top of the line King Air for a few years and fell in love with that plane and if given choices today between small business jets and the King Air . . . .well, I'd go with the latter. A marvelous product. It didn't convey the max level of testosterone of a G5 when parked at the Aspen airport alongside all the other private planes. The King Air was more like owning a classic 1985 S Class Mercedes. Low and slow, beautiful, functional, comfortable, special in classic ways. The Starship didn't live long enough to take on those traits or develop its own personality. Too bad. It was special; its unique sounds announcing its presence and its design quite beautiful in the sky. RIP

[robertweldon]

Similar to @topturretgunner, and at about the same time period, I was on my way home from work one afternoon. This took me past "Fulton County" (Charlie Brown) airport in Atlanta. Suddenly, right in front of me, this absolutely, "STAR WARS" looking aircraft flew past, made a fighter jet style 180 degree turn and landed on the main runway. It was, of course a "Star Ship". It's the only one I've ever seen, but it's a memory I never forget.
I've been around aircraft all my life, worked on S-2's and OV-10's in the Navy, but have rarely been blown away by any given aircraft, the "Star ship" is one of them.

[FutureSystem]

As a retired heavy jet captain, in my FORMER career I was flying general aviation aircraft. My all time favourite aeroplane was the Piper Cheyenne III, in which I had around a thousand hours. (The Cheyenne III is somewhat similar to a KingAir 200, but a good 20 knots quicker. The Cheyenne 400 was even faster still- actually much faster!)
When I was watching the development of the Starship during the 1980s, I was really scratching my head at the pusher props. Like most similar aircraft, we very often operated from dirt and grass airstrips. Pusher props directly behind the main gear wheels was NEVER going to work- prop damage would have been a total nightmare.
I can’t believe that no one had thought of this massive problem. If Starship had been available at even half the price, this alone would have made it totally non-viable for our company.

[achmadosman]

A conversion to jet engines to replace the props would be a nice idea. Make it analogous to a Hondajet.

[emsjphh]

Starship is right up there in the beauty category w/ the Fortress.

[rogerreimer]

To bad it never took off but the Piaggio P.180 Avanti made the same type and has been a great success I guess a bit ahead of its time

[MENSA.lady]

THE ONE QUESTION YOU DIDN'T ADDRESS WAS, WHY DID BEECH BUY BACK MOST OF THE STARSHIPS AND DELIBERATLY DESTROY THEM.

[uscitizen]

They had a Starship here in ATL @ PDK. I always knew she was up just by that tone, the pushers made. Miss that sound!

[v.e.]

Love that they keep showing my beloved Beech Staggerwing as part of Beech's innovative efforts. FYI: pusher style aircraft are more efficient than pullers -- the more general configuration. Would love to own one of these Rutan inspired beauties. Have had a fascination w/ the canard wing style aircraft since first seeing one in a Popular Science mag back in the late 50s/early 60s. Now my flying years have passed and I watch videos of flying and go to air shows when I can.

[sauxybanana]

Man this is high quality production, hope the channel exploded soon! BTW beautiful plane I've never seen, thank you for this episode

[kentbarnes]

I was a volunteer at The Masters Golf Tournament for 14 years. There was Starship that would fly in every Wednesday and depart late Sunday when the tournament was over. Such a beautiful plane. For the past decade I've followed an effort to build a large scale RC version. It has proved to be challenging...but has flown...a few times...then crashed...and is being rebuilt.