Beech H18   N 24H                       (c/n  A.576)

                                       

                                           The last version of the "Twin-Beech" to be produced was the Model H.  Production of this faithful
                                           old aircraft ceased in 1969.  Towards the end of the production cycle Beech purpose built the
                                           tricycle landing gear model themselves.   These first appeared as conversions done by both Volpar
                                           and Pacific Airmotive in the late 1950s, early 1960s.   So successful were they (commercially) that
                                           Beech actually ramped up and converted the original tail dragger design on the production line. 
                                           Frankly I always thought they looked a bit unwieldy (tail heavy?) and often wonder at the efficacy
                                           of the mod.  Surely the nose wheel and its retracting mechanism must have weighed a lot more
                                           than the tail wheel?