8

AIRCRAFT

ENGINEERING

BEAGLE
B.206 S

The Birth of Beagle

A short history of the origin of the company and aircraft
By A. J. Greenhalgh
Chief Project Engineer

HE United Kingdom pioneered the practical

light aircraft in the 1920s and continued to be one
of its major producers and exporters until the
early 1950s. More than 15 years ago, however, as a
result of the Royal Air Force decision to use jet aircraft for training its pilots, and because the bigger
British aircraft manufacturers were becoming entirely
preoccupied with large and complicated high performance military and civil aircraft, which in turn led
to these companies being consolidated into large
groups, the British development of light aircraft practically ceased. Production of such aircraft had in fact
almost entirely stoppped by the late 1950s. This represented a grave loss to British exports in a world
market worth more than 80,000,000 a year, and it
had a serious effect on the prestige and competitive
strength of this country's aircraft industry as a whole.

While British aviation was re-shaping itself after

these disruptions caused by the mergers, the American
aircraft industry was already getting down to the task
of producing light aircraft of all kinds for civilian
needs, particularly for the requirements of American
business firms of all kinds and sizes, who were unanimous in their need for a range of light aircraft which
they could use for everyday travel in the same way as
they used their company cars.
The result was that on the other side of the Atlantic
a thriving light aircraft industry was built up around a
number of specialised companies, Beech, Cessna,
Piper, Aero Commander, and Mooney. These companies are now producing 14,000 aircraft a year, to a
total value of some 175,000,000 of which some 20
per cent go for export. The market is expanding
rapidly as the total production was just under 7,000 in
1962 and reached the figure of 14,000 at the end of
1965, i.e. a 100 per cent increase over three years. On
1st January 1966, the F.A.A. had 142,073 aircraft on
its civil register, all but 2,183 in the business and
private category.
It is interesting to note how completely the specialised light aircraft manufacturers have been able to
dominate the light aircraft market, in spite of the
might and resources of the larger manufacturers in
the U.S.A. and elsewhere. The explanation is a logical
one. The organisations and techniques of the large
aircraft groups are not necessarily suited to producing
small aircraft as well as the high performance modern
jet. Much of their work is geared to research and
development on the frontiers of knowledge, necessitating such expensive equipment as supersonic wind
tunnels, structural and environmental laboratories,
and large technical staffs. Light aircraft manufacturers
cannot carry such overhead costsand in fact do not
need to, because their design and development problems are different, and much simpler.

August 1966

August 1966

How Pressed Steel first became interested in a field

in which it has since invested substantial sums as a
private venture is an interesting industrial story in
itself; an investment which, beginning as an act of
faith, is now bringing returns which should multiply
many fold in the years to come.
Pressed Steel's involvement began at a time when
the company was becoming increasingly aware of the
value of the executive aircraft for industrial communications, and the final conclusions were reached
after a considerable programme of experimental
flying between its own factories at Cowley near
Oxford, Swansea, Paisley, and Readingall, as it
happened, conveniently close to civil airfields. This
development came at a time when Pressed Steel, like
the rest of the motor industry, was beginning a period
of great expansion at most of its factories. The firm
found that sending its executives by air not only saved
time but enabled top engineers and technicians to get
through far more work, and to keep abreast of the
programmes which otherwise would have been far
more than one man could cope with. When Pressed
Steel looked around for a suitable British aircraft to
meet its needs at Kidlington there was nothing really
suitable available and the company therefore had to
buy a small fleet of American machines. At this point
the idea of Beagle was conceived.

AIRCRAFT

ENGINEERING

Pressed Steel's growing interest in aviation brought

its top management into contact with Peter Masefield,
then Managing Director of the Bristol Aeroplane
Company and one of the leading figures in the light
business aircraft movement in this country. Mr.
Masefield had had for years the possibility in mind of
setting up a specialist organisation to meet the light
aircraft needs of this country and to recapture a large
part of the tempting export market as well, and when
Bristol became part of the British Aircraft Corporation
in 1960 he was free to put his ideas into practice. He
joined the board of Pressed Steel and in 1960 distributed throughout general aviation circles a brochure
detailing future plans, not only for a whole new
generation of British executive aircraft, but also for
the formation of a new company, British Executive
and General Aviation LimitedBEAGLE in short
as part of the Pressed Steel Group.
This brochure, entitled 'Project for a British Executive Transport Aircraft', which presented a specification for two aircraftboth having an identical airframe design but arranged to provide for the installation of either one or two engineswas in fact the
genesis of a whole new light aircraft industry in
Britain.
The introduction to the brochure stated: 'A
project is now in hand for the development and

production of a related family of British light executive

aircraft to meet basic home and export requirements
in the civil field. The initial project is a five-seat twinengine executive aeroplane powered by two 260 h.p.
Rolls-Royce Continental 470-D flat-six fuel-injection
engines.'
'The aeroplane is designed to carry a payload of
880 lb. (399 kg) for 1,000 miles (1,609 km) at 220
m.p.h. (354 km/hr), and to incorporate all-weather
equipment. It will be fully acrobatic, with emphasis
on good fields of view and handling qualities. This
aeroplane is a development of the original Bristol
220 design, the rights of which have been acquired by
Mr. Peter Masefield from the Bristol Aeroplane
Company.'
'The advice of the R.A.E. at Farnborough would be
sought to ensure that the latest thinking in structure,
aerodynamics and propulsion efficiencies are incorporated in production aircraft. The company would hope
thatat the right timethe project would be considered for providing the R.A.F. with a light communications aeroplane to replace the Anson.'
The first drawing shows the development stages at
Bristol, with the final G.A. depicting the twin-engined
aircraft detailed in Peter Masefield's document. This
was the aircraft taken over by the new Beagle design
team. At the start of the project it was given the Type

10

Number 200, the 2 signifying two engines. The aircraft as it now exists actually is numbered 206, being
the latest of three project designs, since twin-engine
aircraft are denoted by even numbers. The second
drawing shows the development from the original
B.206X, which first flew on the 15th August, 1961
just nine months from the start of detail design. The
B.206X was basically designed as a five scat aircraft
with toilet facilities. The aircraft had a wing span of
38 feet and a maximum take off weight of 6,300 lb.
and was powered by two Rolls-Royce Continental
IO-470D 260 b.h.p. engines driving 7 ft. diameter
constant speed two blade propellers. The B.206X had
a variable incidence trimming tailplane moved by a
screw jack and actuated by a geared motor.- The
separate elevators were fitted with anti-balance tabs
which provided sensibly constant elevator stick force
response characteristics irrespective (within limits) of
tailplane incidence.
Although the B.206X proved exceptionally pleasant
tofly,with only 260 b.h.p. per side it was quite a small
aircraft. Its short span, with ailerons extending to the
wing tips, gave a lightness of control comparable with
World War II fighter aircraft, but the high span loading resulted in an unacceptable single engine performance. From the B.206X the aircraft grew in span from
38 ft. to 43 ft. and finally to just under 46 ft. The

AIRCRAFT

ENGINEERING

power was increased from 260 b.h.p. to 310 b.h.p. and

the tail plane also went through a number of changes
from the original trimming tail of the B.206X to the
orthodox fixed tailplane of the present Series II
aircraft. Detailed changes from the B.206X to the
present B.206 Series II are more specifically described
in the Structural and Aerodynamics Sections of this
appraisal.
The production aircraft of today is shown in the
cutaway drawing, and has the following characteristics:
BEAGLE 206-S LEADING PARTICULARS
Dimensions:
Overall length
33 ft. 8 in.
Overall height
11
ft. 4 in.
Wing span
45 ft. 9 in.
Wing area
212.93
Aspect ratio
9.85
Design Weights:
Gross weight
7,500 lb.
Landing weight
7,500 lb.
Fuel Capacity
1,404 lb.
Power Plant:
Engines:
Two R,-R. Continental GTSIO-520-C turbosupercharged engines of 340 b.h.p.
Propellers:
Two Hartzell Model HC-A3VF-2/V8833 fullyfeathering airscrews of 7 ft. 4 in. diameter.
Accommodation:
Crew:
1
Passengers:
7

August 1966

Performance:
Initial rate of climb:

1,340 ft./min. at
7,500 lb.
Take-off to 50 ft. in I.S.A. conditions, Sea
Level. 10 kt. wind at 7,500 lb:
1,880 ft.
Cruising speed:
191 kts (220 m.p.h.)
at 8,000 ft. (70%
Max. S. L. power)
191 kts (220 m.p.h.)
at 12,000 ft. (65%
Max. S. L. Power)
Maximum still air range:
1,400 Nautical miles
Maximum speed:
222 knots (255
m.p.h.) at 16,000 ft.
Single engine service ceiling (50 ft./min.): 12,500 ft. at 7,000 lb
A.P.S. weight:
5,040 lb. (inc. 215 lb
for pilot and oil)
Disposable load:
2,460 1b.

SYSTEMS
Hydraulics:

Electrically driven power pack supplying

pressure for flap and alighting gear retraction.
Operating pressure 1,200-2,000 lb./in.2
Electrics:
One 2.9 Kw starter generator on each engine,
supplying 28 volts d.c. for general services.
Two 25 A.H. batteries.
Heating/
Punkah louvres supplied with cold ram air.
Ventilating:
Cabin heating or additional ventilation by
combustion type heater supplied from aircraft
fuel system.
Ice-Protection: (optional extra): Fluid de-icing of spinner and
propeller blades, pneumatic de-icing system
for airframe.
Fire-Protection: Spray rings and extinguisher bottle at each
power plant. Hand extinguisher in cabin.