AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2020 - 57

distance was 900 feet from the threshold
to the stopping point.
ADVANTAGE: STAGGERWING.
MAGNIFICENT BRUTES

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Beech
won the sales competition with Howard.
Beech produced 785 D17s compared to 520
DGA-15s. Beech then went on to a prolific
period in which its Model 18 Twin Beech
and Bonanza dominated corporate aviation.
Howard ceased aircraft production in 1944.
The DGA has some unique aspects
going for it: Its racing history and connection to Mister Mulligan is almost mystical,
and the airplane flies faster than its mastiff
outline suggests it should. It's even roomier
inside than the Staggerwing, especially in
the front seats. The relatively narrow space
up front in the Staggerwing was a reminder
that the people riding in back were paying
the bills. And DGA pilots know that flying
their airplane with smoothness and precision requires skill, a steady hand, and good
(or lucky) timing on every takeoff, approach,
and landing. The DGA's high difficulty factor, to its owners and pilots, is a plus.
The DGA also isn't as difficult to
maintain. Fixed gear means avoiding the

complexity of the Staggerwing's byzantine
landing gear extension and retraction system. The DGA's fuel system has three tanks
instead of the Staggerwing's five. And the
DGA fuselage is all metal, not intricate woodwork like the Staggerwing center section.
But the Staggerwing owns the
intangibles.
Seeing the Staggerwing's sleek, unmistakable form slicing through the evening
sky is sublime, beautiful, and totally unforgettable. It's an image that those fortunate
enough to get to see up close will always
treasure. I got to fly next to this Staggerwing
twice: once in a Cessna 180 photo airplane
on an evening sortie over the Pacific Ocean
in Southern California, and again from the
DGA cockpit during our Maryland fly-off.
From those vantage points, the Staggerwing
is even more striking than when you're actually sitting in it. The airplane's uniqueness,
rarity, poise, and presence cast a spell.
In almost every category, the
Staggerwing more than measures up. It's
in a league of its own-and that's just as
clear today as it was when these magnificent brutes were new.
AOPA
EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

THE DGA'S elevator trim handle is located

above the cockpit, and it requires lots of
spinning as the airplane slows down in
preparation for landing. Overstuffed rear
seats have plenty of width and legroom-
and the baggage compartment behind
them is easily accessible to passengers
during flight. This panel has been updated
over the years with a standard six-pack
instrument layout, and more recently a
Garmin GNS 430 (on the pilot's-side subpanel) and ADS-B In and Out. The portable
GPS has SiriusXM music tuned to 1940s
big-band station. But the fuel selector
location hasn't moved: It's right in front of
the pilot where it's hard to miss. Even the
DGA door handle is streamlined (bottom
center). The scoop (bottom left) feeds air
to the carburetor on the 450-horsepower
Pratt & Whitney engine.

The DGA's racing history
and connection to Mister
Mulligan is almost
mystical, and the airplane
flies faster than its mastiff
outline suggests it should.

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2020

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