February 14, 2023 On a Dime

The Liberty Gazette

February 14, 2023

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Twenty-five years before Tesla and rocket builder Elon Musk was born, Swiss engineer Walter Otto Wyss designed a concept car called the Plainsman. It was the vision of his employer, Walter Beech, the brains behind the building of great airplanes: Beechcraft Bonanza, military trainers, such as the T34, and others. The force that made it happen was Walter’s wife, Olive Ann Beech, aerospace businesswoman extraordinaire. 

The Plainsman’s four-cylinder air-cooled rear-mounted Franklin (aircraft) engine drove a generator that powered four electric motors, one for each wheel. It had fully independent air suspension, and, as you would expect from an aircraft manufacturer, an aluminum body, so it weighed only 2,200 pounds. It was capable of reaching 160 miles per hour, could seat six, and get 30 miles to the gallon – in 1946.

This wasn’t the only diversion for the Beechcraft company. They built corn harvesting machines for International Harvester and even designed a house, the Dymaxion House, a monolithic dome, similar to a Hershey’s Kiss, or the Hillside Church (formerly Maranatha) in Mont Belvieu. But why? 

Mr. and Mrs. Beech began building airplanes in 1932, the dawn of the golden era of aviation. But after the boom came World War II, and life changed. Like other aircraft manufacturers, Beechcraft survived on military contracts, employing thousands of workers. VJ Day was a good thing, but with the lucrative contracts over, they had to let thousands of workers go. Olive Ann and her team had to take a hard look at their business model. What was the future of personal and commercial aviation? What would the market be for their airplanes? A friend once told me, “You know why we’re survivors? Because we can pivot on a dime.” That describes Walter and Olive Ann. By diversifying and remaining flexible to pivot, they weathered the hard times, positioning their company to be ready to build whatever would sell. 

The Plainsman concept car was ahead of its time; maybe ours too. Even though the engine was in the back, the car had a front grill, in case they wanted to move the engine to the front. Instead of door handles, there were buttons flush with the body. With the four-wheel electric drive, they didn’t need a differential, clutch, and transmission, which also meant no hump on the floor. It had cruise control and traction control. Plus, they tested it in a wind tunnel for aerodynamics. Of course they did. 

Airplane geeks will look at the silhouette and say, “Yes, I can see the aero-influence! Why look, there’s even an ADF radio antenna on the roof!” Car buffs will nod at the flavors of Chevy Fleetline, hints of Hudson, whispers of Mercury, winks of a ’49 Lincoln or shadows of an over-sized Renault Dauphine. 

Ever the wise businesswoman, Olive Ann called for the Plainsman and other projects to be shelved when the Cold War brought new government airplane-building contracts in the tens of millions of dollars, and they could feed more families as they re-grew their workforce. 

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com