Walter Beech together with his wife Olive established the Beech Aircraft Corporation during 1932. In late 1950 Walter Beech died but now, just on 50 years after the company's formation, Mrs. Olive Beech remains in office as chairman of the board of the success story that has built some 45,000 aircraft.

A key to that success was the Beech Model 17, but the high performance of the initial Model 17R, of which only two examples were built, meant that it was very much an experienced pilot's aeroplane, and unsuitable for the far wider market that was sought. First flown during November 1932, an exciting event witnessed by the company's staff of eight employees, the Model 17R was able to demonstrate a remarkable speed range of 97-322km/h. The most conspicuous feature of its configuration was the backward stagger of its biplane wings. Such an arrangement had been selected to provide the pilot with a good field of view, to help structural integration, and because wind tunnel tests had shown that this particular layout offered a good combination of speed and stability. Basic structure was of .welded steel tube, largely fabric-covered; the braced tail unit was conventional; but the narrow-track tailwheel landing gear, with a non-swivelling tail-wheel, had an unusual feature. The main units were enclosed within large streamline fairings, but the wheels could be retracted some 0.15m (6in) in flight so that they were completely within the fairings. Enclosed cabin accommodation was provided for a pilot and three or four passengers, and the 313kW Wright R-975-E2 radial engine was mounted within an unusual tunnel-type cowling.

The excellent performance of the 'Staggerwing', as the type became popularly known, meant that the company's efforts were concentrated upon making it easier to handle, especially on the ground, which led to a number of improvements, including wider-track main units. However, the real turning point to wider market acceptance came with the Model B17L, first flown in late February 1934. This introduced a new lower wing of deeper aerofoil section, allowing sufficient room for the main landing gear units to retract fully into it. This, coupled with a 168kW Jacobs L-4 radial engine, gave much more docile handling characteristics, while retaining a speed range of 72-282km/h. With just a little more power, provided by the 213kW Jacobs L-5, the Model 17 became the marketable commodity that was eventually to establish Beech as a major aircraft manufacturer.

From that time a wide variety of Stag-gerwings were built for both civil and military use, being steadily improved, and incorporating over the years a number of different engines. The civil versions included Model B17, C17, D17, E17 and F17 variants before World War II, which were followed in the early postwar years by a much-improved Model G17S, of which only 20 were built to special order. Although the last of these was completed in 1949, it seems highly possible that at least some examples of Walter Beech's remarkable Staggerwing will still be in use at the end of this century.

When in 1939 the US Army Air Corps needed a small communications aircraft, the excellent performance of the Model 17 resulted in the procurement of three Model D17s for evaluation under the designation YC-43. However, it was not until expansion of the USAAF began during 1941-2 that an initial production order for 27 was received, this leading to a total procurement of 207 Beech 17s under the designation UC-43, these being powered by the 336kW Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 engine. After the United States became involved in World War II, an additional 118 civil Model 17s were impressed for military service, and comprising D17R, D17S, F17D, E17B, C17R, D17A, C17B, B17R, C17L, and D17W variants under the respective designations of UC-43A, UC-43B, UC-43C, UC-43D, UC-43E, UC-43F, UC-43G, UC-43H, UC-43J and UC-43K

The US Navy had acquired a single example of the Staggerwing as early as 1939. This was a civil C17R which became designated JB-1. The designation GB-1 applied to 10 more, equivalent to the civil D17, acquired in 1939 and, later, to eight civil D17s impressed for military service. Wartime procurement totalled 342 GB-2s, of which 105 were supplied to the UK under Lend-Lease, used primarily by the Royal Navy which named them Traveller, a name adopted also by the US Navy.