James Ostrich's Beechcraft C-45H Expeditor

James Ostrich and Warbirds West Air Museum are the operators of this Beechcraft C-45H Expeditor which is available for airshows, flybys, warbird rides and film.

The Beech Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas designed the Beech 18 in 1936 for the small feeder airline market, and the prototype first flew less than a year later in January 1937. Initially, there was little interest amongst US airlines for the Beech 18, but this was not the case in Canada. The first foreign order for the aircraft came from Starratt Airways of Hudson, Ontario in December 1937 and was followed soon after by an order from Prairie Airways of Edmonton for a fleet of Beech 18s. The company continued to improve the aircraft's performance by developing models powered by several different types of engine.

Performance was key to Beech Aircraft gaining a USAAF contract for 150 aircraft in 1941. The order was the first of many and the company eventually built more than 5250 aircraft for the military. The Beech 18 trained pilots, navigators, bomb aimers and gunners as well as serving as a military transport. The USAAF operated four versions; the AT-7 Navigator, the AT-11 Kansan for bombing and gunnery training, the C-45 Expeditor as a light transport and the F-2 for aerial photography and mapping. During WW2, 90% of all USAAF navigators and bomb aimers were trained on AT-7s and AT-11s.

The RCAF took delivery of its first C-45 Expeditor in August 1939. Three versions of the Expeditor were used by the RCAF; the 3NM, 3TM and the 3T. The 3NM was used for navigation, bombing and weapons training, as well as photographic reconnaissance, the 3TM for VIP transportation and the 3T for cargo. Eventually, the RCAF purchased 388 Expeditors. During the 1950's the numbers in service shrunk to 180 and by 1970 all had been retired from use.

The needs of the Allied Air Forces in WWII and the Beech 18's continued popularity afterwards ensured it stayed in production for 32 years. In the 1950's Beech refurbished more than 2200 of the military versions for civilian use. When production ended in 1969, more than 7,000 Beech 18s had been built in 32 configuration.

This Beechcraft C-45H was built in 1943 as an AT-7 Navigator, used in San Marcos, TX during WWII and rebuilt into a C-45H in 1951. It is painted in Navy Manila Markings.

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