twin propeller "concept plane" sketch at one of the Textron visitor centers in Wichita

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Adventure

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Adventure
Hi POA. I had some extra hours before a commercial flight out of Wichita yesterday and ended up doing a quick browse at both the Beech and Cessna delivery centers. The Staggerwing in the Beechcraft lobby is stunning. (snapshot attached)

And my son who flies a 150 really benefited from me visiting the Cessna gift shop with a vintage taildragger t-shirt and Textron socks. We got to peek in the Citation "selection center" which was fun to see.

In a side off near the exit of one of those the visitor centers I glimpsed a few framed sketches of a concept plane. Maybe a 50s or 60s era futuristic concept drawing? If I knew how much it would haunt me I surely would have grabbed a snapshot to study later. I thought for sure I'd be able to find it with some internet seaching but alas I'm stumped. It was some sort of automotive-styled small plane with two closely-spaced propellers up front. At least one was an on-the-ground lifestyle scene with people. Anyone happen to know what I'm talking about and can share more info about it?
 

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The Staggerwing concept?
Screenshot 2025-06-21 at 11.05.06 AM.png
The image depicts an artist's rendering of the proposed twin-engine Beech Model 20M aircraft.
  • This aircraft was a light transport biplane project, envisioned as a derivative of the Beech Model 17 Staggerwing.

  • It was intended to be powered by two 260 hp Menasco C6S4 engines.

  • The design included mounts for two .30 caliber machine guns and racks for five small or two large bombs, suggesting a potential military or armed transport role.

  • The Beech Model 20M never entered production, remaining a concept design.
 
That was my first thought, but “automotive styled” didn’t fit. ;)

I’m thinking there was a metal 4-place monoplane concept, but I can’t remember what it was.
 
Lowflynjack said:
The Staggerwing concept?
View attachment 142147
The image depicts an artist's rendering of the proposed twin-engine Beech Model 20M aircraft.
  • This aircraft was a light transport biplane project, envisioned as a derivative of the Beech Model 17 Staggerwing.

  • It was intended to be powered by two 260 hp Menasco C6S4 engines.

  • The design included mounts for two .30 caliber machine guns and racks for five small or two large bombs, suggesting a potential military or armed transport role.

  • The Beech Model 20M never entered production, remaining a concept design.
Click to expand...
And for what it’s worth…
 
Thanks all and that's super cool too but that's not it. What I was looking at was like 50s or 60s futuristic ad-slick like mock-up. The sketch depicted two propellers on the front, mounted so close together that I remember thinking they'd have had to be synchronized (like for a Gatlin gun) so they wouldn't hit each other.

Guess I'm going to have to go back.
 
Adventure said:
Thanks all and that's super cool too but that's not it. What I was looking at was like 50s or 60s futuristic ad-slick like mock-up. The sketch depicted two propellers on the front, mounted so close together that I remember thinking they'd have had to be synchronized (like for a Gatlin gun) so they wouldn't hit each other.

Guess I'm going to have to go back.
Click to expand...
You could call them.

Visitor Guide

txtav.com txtav.com
 
Lowflynjack said:
The Staggerwing concept?
View attachment 142147
The image depicts an artist's rendering of the proposed twin-engine Beech Model 20M aircraft.
  • This aircraft was a light transport biplane project, envisioned as a derivative of the Beech Model 17 Staggerwing.

  • It was intended to be powered by two 260 hp Menasco C6S4 engines.

  • The design included mounts for two .30 caliber machine guns and racks for five small or two large bombs, suggesting a potential military or armed transport role.

  • The Beech Model 20M never entered production, remaining a concept design.
Click to expand...
That's got a bit of a Dornier DO-28 vibe to it.
 
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