A banner year for bold and beautiful Beechcraft

Blue skies, beautiful Beechcraft, and warm spirits abounded during Beech Party 2022 at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum at Tullahoma Regional Airport (KTHA) in Tennessee.

Aircraft ranged from antiques to contemporary, and while primarily a Beechcraft convention, other aviators and airplane types were welcomed as well. It was another record-breaking year, with more than 180 aircraft and 900 guests.

There was a baker’s dozen of Staggerwings from Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, and Tennessee.

Of those, Mark Holmquist of Georgia flew his Staggerwing in for its first post-restoration debut at Beech Party. Sporting a blue and vermilion paint scheme, this EAA AirVenture Gold Lindy winning restoration was completed by Westfall Aviation of Arkansas.

Another Staggerwing stopped at Tullahoma on its cross country flight from Canada to its new home in the southeast.

Additionally, 10 Twin Beeches and one AT-11 Kansan were in attendance, including renown air show performer Matt Younkin’s two Beech 18s.

“We were proud and privileged to have visitors from across the globe — the Netherlands, France, and China,” said Jody Curtis, executive vice president.

There were newcomers and old timers at the 2022 event, and of the latter, there were three remaining members of the original Tullahoma Bunch, the group that became the Staggerwing Club, then evolved into the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.

Jim Gorman

Lifetime member Jim Gorman of Mansfield, Ohio, is one of the original Tullahoma Bunch. Jim, who is looking forward to turning 99 next year, flew NC80305 for 54 years.

He first became acquainted with Staggerwings during World War II, when a Navy Staggerwing flew in to the New Guinea air base where Jim was stationed. The pilot treated him to a flight and Jim, a C-47 pilot, decided then and there that he’d like to have one.

“Eventually I had enough money to buy one, and found out there was one for sale on the west coast,” he recalled. “My wife and I jumped in a long tube and flew out there. I negotiated with the gentleman and finally paid his price. I told him I’d never flown a Staggerwing and I wanted him to go up with me. But he had no intention of getting in that airplane — it scared him,” chuckled Jim. “So I figured I might as well see what I can do, and the first landing I made was in Phoenix. Years later, my wife, Marjorie, was the first woman to fly a Staggerwing to this fly-in, and she was the first woman board member of the American Bonanza Society.”

Family Legacy

Gayle Gorman Green is Jim’s daughter, and is keeping her family legacy of flying going strong. She earned her private pilot certificate at 19, and has a commercial certificate with helicopter, glider, seaplane, and instrument ratings. Now she’s tackling another challenge.

“He is gracious enough to let me start learning to fly his Staggerwing,” she said of her father. “It’s going to be a transition, but I am getting instruction and will get my tailwheel endorsement in the Staggerwing, but there’s a lot more to learn to be able to fly it. I fly an A-36 Bonanza and have been flying for 52 years, but not anything of this caliber — and I want to fly it here next year for the museum’s 50th anniversary!”

Les Marsh

Les Marsh, 77, is a native Tennessean and it was on his bucket list to be up on his feet and volunteering at Beech Party this year, helping with all sorts of tasks, including golf cart transportation on the grounds. The patches, badges, and pins adorning his jacket hinted at his longstanding history in aviation, starting with his banana-shaped name badge.

There’s a story behind that badge, because it denotes him as one of the original Tullahoma Bunch or Banana Bunch as they sometimes called themselves.

“I was acquainted with the group back in the 1970s before the museum was built, and kept my airplane here in the hangar with a lot of the other Tullahoma Bunch,” he shared. “Only a few of the Tullahoma Bunch had Beechcraft back then. We had all sorts of antique, classic, and vintage airplanes. I had a prototype Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer (s/n 2) that belonged to William T. Piper himself, and I restored it from a basket case.”

Les recently became a life member of the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.

“This is sort of home for me, and I do have a fondness for Beechcraft. I have to say my favorite is the V-tail Bonanza, but I also like the Staggerwings and Beech 18s. I have really taken a liking to the AT-11 version and the restoration process that’s going on here. I can’t get away from these airplanes!” he said with a big smile.

John Parish, Sr.

Nearly 50 years ago, John Parish’s wife, Charlotte Wiseman Parish, donated her family land adjacent to KTHA for the museum. As chairman of the museum’s executive committee, John shared a bit about the growth and development of the museum.

“When we started the Staggerwing Museum Foundation as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1973, we established an endowment fund to support our activities. People have been very generous, and for 49 years we’ve had no debt. In 2007, we changed the name to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.”

A recent donation was N13MK, a Beechcraft Baron, that was lovingly owned by the late Winn Baker of Georgia, who was part of the original Tullahoma Bunch and attended the fly-in virtually every year until his death in 2021.

“We’re trying to make our museum not hangars with airplanes, but hangars that tell a story and are educational, with displays like our AT-11 restoration project, the naked Staggerwing, and a cutaway Bonanza,” said John.

A variety of events take place on the museum campus throughout the year.

“We have school field trips tour the museum and we have a three-day Air Academy here. We also host the National Soaring Academy,” he said. “This year we had the Cessna 180/185 group fly in for a visit during their convention at Chattanooga. We had the Stearman formation clinic here and the King Air gathering with 32 King Airs. We’ve also hosted the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).”

“We hope to continue growing our annual Beech Party,” he continued. “We’re excited about the future, and we’re looking forward to celebrating the museum’s 50th anniversary in 2023.”

More Photos From The Party