What was unusual about the Beech Staggerwing's wing?

Short answer

It had negative stagger: the lower wing was set further forward than the upper one, with the top wing set back relative to the bottom. This arrangement maximized the pilot's visibility and was meant to reduce interference drag between the wings, an effect later found to be negligible.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What was unusual about the Beech Staggerwing's wing?

Beechcraft Model 17 StaggerwingThornfield Hall (CC BY SA), vía commons

Staggered backwards

On the Beechcraft Model 17, the lower wing is positioned further forward than the upper wing. This unusual negative-stagger configuration, with the upper wing set back relative to the lower one, together with its distinctive shape, maximized the pilot's visibility. It was also intended to reduce interference drag between the wings, although it was later found that the effect was negligible.

A fast biplane for executives

The Model 17 was the new company's first project: a fast biplane with an enclosed cabin designed to meet the needs of business executives. That new company was Beech Aircraft Corporation, based in Wichita, Kansas. The design stemmed from a sketch drawn by Wells while he worked at Curtiss-Wright, which had been rejected at the time by the Curtiss-Wright board. The Beechcraft Model 17, popularly known as the "Staggerwing," made its first flight on November 4, 1932.

From the boardroom to the uniform

At the start of World War II, the need became clear for a compact executive- or liaison-type transport. In 1942 the United States Army Air Forces ordered the first of 270 Model 17s to serve at home and abroad as the UC-43, the USAAF designation for cargo utility aircraft.