United Consultants Twin Bee
United Consultants Corporation · United States · first flew 1962 · light aircraft
The United Consultants Twin Bee is an American twin-engine light amphibious aircraft of the 1960s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 9.55 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Amphibious hull under a high wing
- Two Lycoming engines in tractor configuration, mounted in the wing close to the cabin
- Reduced rear cabin windows with a porthole-type window each side of the rear cabin
Look for a Seabee-type amphibian with two tractor engines in the wing, the rear cabin windows reduced in size and a porthole-type window at each side of the rear cabin.
Specifications
- The United Consultants Twin Bee has a length of 9.55 m (31 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.18 m (43 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 238 km/h (148 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
In 1960 former Helio engineer Joseph Gigante designed a twin-engine conversion of the Republic RC-3 Seabee and founded United Consultants Corporation to build the UC-1 Twin Bee. The first aircraft flew in 1962 and the type certificate was awarded on 25 June 1965.
Variants
The UC-1 is a major conversion of the Seabee airframe: the single pusher engine is deleted, which allows a fifth seat to be fitted, and two 180 hp Lycoming engines are fitted in the wing.
Where you'll see it
23 production examples were delivered between 1965 and 1987. The extra power gave it STOL takeoff and landing ability, and 15 of the 23 were registered in the United States in April 2009.
Related aircraft
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