The Beechcraft 1900 is a regional airliner which first flew on 3 September 1982. It is designed to fly up to 19 passengers on services as long as 707km (439 miles).
Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D turboprops, it is often used to connect small city airports to larger airline hubs. Very popular, the aircraft can be found all over the world.
Beechcraft 1900 Video
Following on from the last video about the Japanese Mitsubishi MC-20, this time we look at the American made Beechcraft 1900. This video runs for a little under 13 minutes and gives a good overview of the plane.
There is some great photography of the aircraft in service, as well as an overview of the systems and more. It’s pretty interesting and covers everything you might want to know.
A number of versions of the Beechcraft 1900 were built, with the 1900D model being the most popular. This version was modified so the cabin was taller, allowing passengers to stand up on board. Definitely an enhancement to people’s comfort!
Airlines gradually moved towards using jets for their regional services, with more seats on board. This led to a reduction in popularity of these smaller turboprops and production ended in 2002.
Overall Thoughts
There were 695 Beechcraft 1900 aircraft produced during the 20 years it was in production. Of this total, 439 were of the 1900D model with the stand up cabin. There are a couple of hundred still flying today.
Have you ever flown on this aircraft before? I certainly haven’t been on one, but considering how many were out there, there’s a good chance you might have. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Eugene Butler on JetPhotos via Wikimedia Commons.
Beech 1900D, Cadillac of the skies. One of my favorite planes to have flown. The plane fit like a comfortable old shoe, it was stable and handled anything thrown at it. Remember flying it in icing conditions, listening to other planes having issues dealing with ice buildup. Looked out the window, activated the deice boots shedding all ice, and continuing on. It was like a pickup truck with wings.
This is great to read, thanks for that!!
I flew the 1900D many times to Hartford CT and Lethbridge Alberta. Sitting on the first row would give a view of the cockpit and outside the windshield which was very cool! The inside noise from the propeller was a bit high but somehow it was hypnotizing which helped taking a nap.
Sounds like a pretty decent ride all round. Must have been, if you were able to nap during the flight! Thanks for that!
I have had the pleasure of a couple of flights on the 1900D in NZ. We called it the flying pencil case. Cramped but you do know your flying. My highlight was checking cabin secure for departure which involved the co-pilot leaning through the curtain and shouting everyone strapped in!
“The flying pencil case” – hahaha! Sounds like a fun aircraft all round – thanks for the quick stories there 🙂
I flew on it a few times. Ugly exterior. Have so few seats made it hard to justify, just like the Jetstream 31.
I agree, it’s not particularly pretty and ditto re the Jetstream 31!
I was scheduled to fly on one from St. Louis to Milwaukee on Skyway but unfortunately I had to change my plans. One that got away…
I’m sure there must be some knocking about somewhere! Even so, it wouldn’t be high on my list of “planes I must get on” 🙂