Star Airlines  Beech F-17-D  NC20797          (c/n  332)

                                   

                                     This rare shot is from the William Fike Collection, Museum of Alaska Transportation & Industry,
                                     and was submitted by Lars Opland who advises that Star Airlines acquired two of these Staggerwings
                                     (the other one being NC19473 - c/n 245).    The F-17-D was produced by Beech in 1939 as a sort
                                     of lower powered, lower cost version of the D-17 series.   38 of them were impressed into service
                                     during WW II as the UC-43, and NC20797 was, in fact, one of these, wearing the Army Air Corps
                                     serial 42-107411 over its dull war paint.   Just who the two worthies are was not indicated.