40-538: Within Misplaced Pages, rvv refers to revert of vandalism . RVV may stand for: Reeve Aleutian Airways , a defunct American airline (ICAO code) Russell's viper venom, used in Dilute Russell's viper venom time Raad van Vlaanderen , a Flemish Movement legislature during World War I Raad van Verzet , a Dutch resistance organisation during World War II Tour of Flanders ,
80-715: A call informing him that some ex- USAAF C-47s and Douglas DC-3s were for sale (the C-47 being the military version of the DC-3). Reeve bought his first DC-3 for $ 20,000 with $ 3,000 down and the balance payable over 3 years. The cost of conversion to civilian standard was quoted at $ 50,000, but Reeve did the work himself at a cost of $ 5,000. A strike by sailors on steamships operating between Seattle and Anchorage started on April 6, 1946. Reeve, along with Merritt Boyle and Bill Borland began flying between Seattle and Anchorage, with stops at Juneau , Yakutat or Annette Island . Each trip carried
120-447: A full load of 21 passengers and took an average of 9 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. In 53 days, 26 round trips were made. Reeve would work all night on inspections and maintenance of the plane at Spokane , and then fly back to Anchorage having had very little sleep. Reeve earned $ 93,000 from this activity, enough to pay for the DC-3 and buy three more. In July 1946, another DC-3 was purchased from
160-589: A further increase in MTOW to 10,286 lb (4,666 kg). The wing spar of the Model 18 was fabricated by welding an assembly of tubular steel. The configuration of the tubes in combination with drilled holes from aftermarket STC modifications on some of these aircraft have allowed the spar to become susceptible to corrosion and cracking while in service. This prompted the FAA to issue an Airworthiness Directive in 1975, mandating
200-538: A lengthened nose to accommodate the tricycle nosewheel , and the Model 18's twin tailfins were replaced by a single fin. Production got an early boost when Nationalist China paid the company US$ 750,000 for six M18R light bombers, but by the time of the U.S. entry into World War II , only 39 Model 18s had been sold, of which 29 were for civilian customers. Work began in earnest on a variant specifically for training United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) military pilots, bombardiers, and navigators. The effort resulted in
240-503: A loan, but was turned down. He ran into Elmer Rasmusson, an Anchorage banker, whilst in Seattle, with the result that Rasmusson loaned him $ 125,000 to get going again. On the day he got the loan, Reeve heard that Pacific Airmotive, who were doing his maintenance, were going out of business in Alaska. Reeve flew back to Anchorage and bought the business, which was renamed Reeve Airmotive. In 1952,
280-485: A road cycling race Raivavae Airport (IATA code RVV) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title RVV . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RVV&oldid=1166101850 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
320-417: A variety of engines and has had a number of airframe modifications to increase gross weight and speed. At least one aircraft was modified to a 600-hp (447-kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 powerplant configuration. With the added weight of about 200 lb (91 kg) per engine, the concept of a Model 18 fitted with R-1340 engines was deemed unsatisfactory due to the weakest structural area of the aircraft being
360-543: Is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas . Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969 (over 32 years, a world record at the time), over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger airliner on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it
400-593: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Reeve Aleutian Airways Reeve Aleutian Airways was an airline headquartered in Anchorage , Alaska , United States. It ceased operations on December 5, 2000. Reeve Aleutian was named, possibly as a pun on the word revolution, by combining founder Robert C. Reeve 's surname and the Aleutian Islands , its primary destination. In February 1946, Bob Reeve received
440-566: The USAF . In the winter of 1946–47, Reeve filed with the CAA for a license to operate on the 1,783 miles (2,869 km) run between Anchorage and Attu , and in the summer of 1947 he was making weekly flights down the chain. Within a year, he was running a twice-weekly service, keeping all four DC-3s busy. It was during this time that Reeve Aleutian suffered its first accident. DC-3 N46567 being damaged in an accident during take-off at Merrill Field . The aircraft
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#1732858495469480-875: The Army AT-7. Further development led to the AT-11 navigation trainer, C-45 military transport, and F-2 (the "F" standing for "Fotorecon", short for "photographic reconnaissance" ). The United States Navy first adopted the Beech 18 as the JRB-1, equivalent to the F-2, followed by the JRB-2 transport; the JRB was initially named the Voyager , but this name did not enter common use, and JRBs were generally called Expeditors like their USAAF counterparts. The first JRB-1 obtained by
520-550: The Beechcraft and Electra were traded in for two Sikorsky S-43 amphibians. In October 1948, Port Heiden was de-activated, followed by Dutch Harbor, Attu and Umnak . Reeve took over Umnak and conceded Attu, which was not vital to his operations. About this time, the Naval Air Transport Service began selling tickets to Adak in competition with Reeve. Reeve went to Washington and met with Louis Johnson , who granted all
560-668: The Christmas 1985 holiday, there was a large backlog of mail at Seattle–Tacoma, and Reeve Aleutian contracted with the USPS to relieve the backlog. The airline entered the 1990s on a relatively tight budget, with three aircraft mothballed and one leased out. In August 1999, Reeve Aleutian entered into a codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines on the route between Seattle, Anchorage and Russian cities Petropavlovsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk . Reeve Aleutian ceased operations on December 5, 2000, and about 250 people were laid off. Reasons given for
600-460: The FAA and other national airworthiness authorities, including regular removal of the spar strap to allow the strap to be checked for cracks and corrosion and the spar to be X-rayed . In Australia, the airworthiness authority has placed a life limit on the airframe, beyond which aircraft are not allowed to fly. Unless otherwise noted, the engines fitted are Pratt & Whitney R-985 radials. C-45Ds delivered between 1951 and 1952 As of 2012 ,
640-876: The JRB-6, the SNB-5, and SNB-5P. The Coast Guard retired its JRBs in 1956 and sold most of them as surplus in 1959, but one was retained by the United States Coast Guard Reserve until at least 1972. With the adoption of the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system , the Navy's SNB-5 and SNB-5P became the TC-45J and RC-45J respectively, later becoming the UC-45J as their primary mission shifted from aircrew training to utility transport work. The C-45 flew in USAF service until 1963,
680-591: The Navy between 1943 and 1947; they were primarily used as utility transports, with one aircraft later converted for aerial mapping, and another used for proficiency flying. After the war, the USAAF became the United States Air Force (USAF), and the USAF Strategic Air Command had Model 18 variants (AT-11 Kansans, C-45 Expeditors, F-2 Expeditors, and UC-45 Expeditors) from 1946 until 1951. In 1950,
720-537: The Navy still had around 1,200 JRB and SNB aircraft in inventory. From 1951 to 1955, the USAF had many of its aircraft remanufactured with new fuselages, wing center sections, and undercarriages to take advantage of the improvements to the civil models since the end of World War II. Eventually, 900 aircraft were remanufactured to be similar to the then-current Model D18S and given new designations, constructor's numbers, and Air Force serial numbers. The USN had many of its surviving aircraft remanufactured as well, resulting in
760-709: The Navy, bureau number (BuNo) 09771 , was converted from the last civil Model 18 built before production was earmarked solely for the military for the duration of the war. The Navy subsequently obtained more Model 18s as the JRB-3 (C-45B), JRB-4 (UC-45F), SNB-1 Kansan (AT-11), SNB-2 (AT-7), and SNB-2C (AT-7C). Existing naval Twin Beeches were subsequently modified into the SNB-2H air ambulance, SNB-2P reconnaissance trainer, and SNB-3Q electronic countermeasures trainer. The United States Coast Guard acquired seven JRB-4 and JRB-5 aircraft from
800-569: The USN retired its last UC-45J in 1972, while the U.S. Army flew its C-45s until 1976. In later years, the military called these aircraft "bug smashers" in reference to their extensive use supplying mandatory flight hours for desk-bound aviators in the Pentagon. Beech 18s were used extensively by Air America during the Vietnam War ; initially more-or-less standard ex-military C-45 examples were used, but then
840-648: The airline had 12 aircraft modified by Conrad Conversions in 1963 and 1964 to increase performance and load-carrying capacity. The modified aircraft were known as Conrad Ten-Twos, as the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) was increased to 10,200 lb (4,600 kg). The increase was achieved by several airframe modifications, including increased horizontal stabilizer angle-of-incidence, redesigned undercarriage doors, and aerodynamically improved wingtips. Air America then had Volpar convert 14 aircraft to turboprop power, fitted with Garrett AiResearch TPE-331 engines; modified aircraft were called Volpar Turbo Beeches, and also had
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#1732858495469880-523: The business in the area to Reeve. In 1948 another DC-3, a Sikorsky S-43 and a Grumman G-21 Goose were purchased. In March 1949, four days' notice was given that Shemya was to close. This base was vital to Reeve, as it was an all-weather alternative to Adak, Amchitka and Attu. Northwest also needed the base on its run to the Orient. Reeve and Croil Hunter (President of Northwest) flew to Washington to plead their case without success, but on their way back to
920-489: The early postwar era, the Beech 18 was the pre-eminent "business aircraft" and "feeder airliner". Besides carrying passengers, its civilian uses have included aerial spraying , sterile insect release , fish stocking , dry-ice cloud seeding , aerial firefighting , air-mail delivery, ambulance service, numerous movie productions, skydiving , freight, weapon- and drug- smuggling , engine testbed, skywriting , banner towing , and stunt aircraft. Many are privately owned, around
960-605: The engine mounts. Nearly every airframe component has been modified. In 1955, deliveries of the Model E18S commenced; the E18S featured a fuselage that was extended 6 in (150 mm) higher for more headroom in the passenger cabin. All later Beech 18s (sometimes called Super 18s) featured this taller fuselage , and some earlier models (including one AT-11) have been modified to this larger fuselage. The Model H18, introduced in 1963, featured optional tricycle undercarriage . Unusually,
1000-459: The fitting of a spar strap to some Model 18s. This led, in turn, to the retirement of a large number of STC-modified Model 18s when owners determined the aircraft were worth less than the cost of the modifications. The corrosion on unmodified spars was not a problem; it occurred due to the additional exposed surface area created through the STC hole-drilling process. Further requirements have been mandated by
1040-693: The fleet in later years. The first was purchased from California Airmotive in February 1968. With the acquisition of the Electras, the DC-6s were phased out of passenger service. Reeve Aleutian still had DC-3s in service, and a replacement was sought. The NAMC YS-11A was decided on and the first aircraft was purchased new in 1972. In 1973, the Electra was certified by the CAA to land on gravel runways. On November 11, 1974, there
1080-472: The hotel, Reeve met Major General Sam Anderson, who had served with Reeve's brother Richard, and explained their predicament with the result that the military were persuaded to pronounce the field "militarily desirable" and thus Shemya was saved. A Sikorsky S-43 registered N15062 was purchased in March 1950. In late 1950, the bank was reluctant to loan Reeve any more capital. Reeve flew to Seattle in an effort to get
1120-486: The new Anchorage International Airport opened and all the other airlines moved there. The CAA was going to close Merrill Field, but it was retained for use by Reeve Aleutian and private operators. In 1953, final military deactivation of the Aleutian airfields occurred. Reeve obtained leases on Shemya and Cold Bay . Shemya closed in 1954 and all flights were switched to Cold Bay. In January 1957, A Douglas DC-3 registered N49363
1160-486: The situation included increased competition and high fuel prices. At the end, only one Lockheed Electra propjet and one Boeing 727 jetliner were in service. Several aircraft belonging to Reeve Aleutian were involved in accidents. Reeve Aleutian Airways served the following destinations during its existence. * Denotes air drop only. The following aircraft served with Reeve Aleutian. Beechcraft Model 18 The Beechcraft Model 18 (or " Twin Beech ", as it
1200-507: The undercarriage was developed for earlier-model aircraft under an STC by Volpar , and installed in H18s at the factory during manufacture. A total of 109 H18s was built with tricycle undercarriage, and another 240 earlier-model aircraft were modified with this. Construction of the Beechcraft Model 18 ended in 1970 with a final Model H18 going to Miyazaki Aviation College, Japan . Through
1240-442: The wartime Chain bases he was using. Reeve flew to Washington and leased Dutch Harbor field and acquired landing permits for Kodiak , Adak and Attu. Electra NC14994 was traded in during 1947, going to Continental Airlines. In April 1948, Reeve Aleutian Airways was granted a temporary, five-year airline certificate. With the need to run the business on proper business lines (maintain an office, publish schedules and tariffs etc.),
RVV - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-664: The world, with 240 in the U.S. still on the FAA Aircraft Registry in August 2017. By the late 1930s, Beechcraft management speculated that a demand would exist for a new design dubbed the Model 18 , which would have a military application, and increased the main production facilities. The design was mainly conventional for the time, including twin radial engines , all-metal semimonocoque construction with fabric-covered control surfaces, and tailwheel undercarriage . Less conventional
1320-470: The years, 32 variations of the basic design had flown, over 200 improvement modification kits were developed, and almost 8,000 aircraft were built. In one case, the aircraft was modified to a triple tail, trigear, humpbacked configuration and appeared similar to a miniature Lockheed Constellation . Another distinctive conversion was carried out by Pacific Airmotive as the PacAero Tradewind. This featured
1360-699: Was a hangar fire at Anchorage, and two Electra aircraft were destroyed. In April 1977 the two Gooses were sold to Peninsula Airways , and their service subcontracted for services out of Cold Bay. In 1979, Reeve Aleutian initiated nonstop service between Cold Bay, Alaska and Seattle–Tacoma flying the Lockheed L-188 Electra . This service lasted for three and a half years. During that time, only nine out of 458 scheduled flights were cancelled, seven due to weather and two flights due to mechanical issues. In December 1983, Reeve Aleutian purchased two Boeing 727 -22QC combi aircraft from Wien Air Alaska . During
1400-577: Was also used as a military aircraft . During and after World War II , over 4,500 Beech 18s were used in military service—as light transport, light bomber (for China), aircrew trainer (for bombing, navigation, and gunnery), photo-reconnaissance , and "mother ship" for target drones —including United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) C-45 Expeditor , AT-7 Navigator , and AT-11 Kansan ; and United States Navy (USN) UC-45J Navigator , SNB-1 Kansan , and others. In World War II , over 90% of USAAF bombardiers and navigators trained in these aircraft. In
1440-468: Was going out of business. The first scheduled DC-4 flight was on March 12, 1957. The route was Anchorage-Kodiak-Cold Bay-Adak- Amchitka -Shemya-Attu. Umnak was served as required. In 1957, the Distant Early Warning line was being constructed, bringing a boom to Reeve Aleutian. In 1957, an S-43 was traded in, two Curtiss C-46 Commandos were purchased from Cordova Airlines and Grumman G-21 Goose
1480-403: Was insured, and Reeve bought a twin-engine Beechcraft and a Lockheed Electra 10-B to replace the DC-3, which was subsequently repaired and eventually sold. On March 24, 1947, Reeve Aleutian Airways was incorporated. The company was running scheduled and charter services all over Alaska, despite not having a formal CAA certificate. About this time, Reeve was ordered to get authorization to use
1520-525: Was leased from Interior Airways. Merrill Field proved too small for the DC-4, so Reeve Aleutian moved to Anchorage International in 1958. By the early 1960s, the DC-4 was proving outdated, and therefore a Douglas DC-6B was purchased in January 1962. The late 1960s saw the emergence of the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop airliner, which was to be backbone of Reeve Aleutian's business until Boeing 727-100 jets joined
1560-553: Was sold to Twentieth Century Aircraft. During the 1950s, St. George and Chernofski were served by airdrop, Reeve installing salvaged bomb releases in his DC-3s to enable this. By the mid-1950s, it was apparent that the DC-3s were not big enough for Reeve Aleutian. Therefore, the Douglas DC-4 was selected to supplement the DC-3s, eventually replacing them. Reeve's first DC-4 was purchased in March 1957 from Twentieth Century Airlines, which
1600-452: Was the twin-tailfin configuration. The Model 18 can be mistaken for the larger Lockheed Electra series of airliners, which closely resemble it. Early production aircraft were powered either by two 330-hp (250-kW) Jacobs L-6s or 350-hp (260-kW) Wright R-760Es. The 450-hp (336-kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 became the definitive engine from the prewar C18S onwards. The Beech 18 prototype first flew on 15 January 1937. The aircraft has used
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