This month you’re getting a break from my normal efforts at imparting some King Air systems or operational knowledge to you. Instead, I am going to introduce you to two different, yet related, endeavors which I believe you will find of great interest. I want you to participate in these ventures and benefit from them.
It has surprised and somewhat depressed me to realize that there has never been a successful King Air owner-pilot association. I have enjoyed being a Duke Flyers Association (DFA) member for eons and when I was actively instructing in those airplanes, I found their annual gatherings to be both highly informative as well as lots of fun. The members saved a lot of maintenance and parts dollars due to the information that was exchanged. I was an American Bonanza Society (ABS) member when I owned my three Bonanzas – A35, V35B, and A36 – and gladly paid the annual dues to the Cessna Pilots Association (CPA) in the years I was a 180K owner.
Mitsubishi MU-2s, Turbo Commanders, PC-12s, TBMs, Cheyennes … they and others all have varying degrees of action in their owners’ groups. But King Airs, the most popular and prolific executive airplane of all time? Pffft, almost nothing!
I have a theory as to why this is the case. When the King Air first appeared back in 1964, it was one of the very first turbine-powered twins and almost all were flown by a professional crew of two. Yes, there were many exceptions, but that was the norm. The professional pilots were in no position to ask their bosses to allow them to take the plane to some annual fly-in and the desire to save maintenance and parts dollars was not very important to the crew. After all, it wasn’t their money!
But times have changed and now there are a lot of King Airs, from model 90s to 350s, that are owner-flown. And you know what? I think that is a very good thing! Cowl flaps, mixtures, ROP, LOP, CHTs, EGTs, shock cooling, engine monitors … golly, those piston twins are so much harder to operate! I think the lower-time, owner-pilot is safer in the King Air, due to the lower workload required. I recall the old line uttered by a high-time pilot as he first transitioned into the King Air: “I felt fine flying it in an hour, but it took me ten hours to learn how to start the SOB!” Sure, there are some new things to learn – starting, reversing props, pressurization, for example – but once they are in the memory bank, isn’t the King Air a relative piece of cake to operate?
Another factor that makes the King Air safer than, say, a 421 or a Navajo, is the improvement in single-engine performance when faced with an engine failure. Sure, an old standard A90 does not have knock-your-socks-off performance, but I will still take it against most of the piston competition. And the later King Air 90 models? Much better. 200-series? Outstanding! 300-series? Amazing!
So as the mystique of turbine flying has rightly been relegated to its low-priority status, more and more King Airs are now being flown by their owners. Well, guys and gals, let’s take advantage of this new demographic and make an association that will be truly beneficial (and fun!) for all of us who share this common bond. Let me introduce KAS, the King Air Society.
How many of you have been to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum (BHM) in Tullahoma, Tennessee? Isn’t that an awesome Beechcraft collection? It began in the 1970s as a place to collect and honor the Beech Model 17, better known as the Staggerwing. Under the careful and dedicated guidance of John Parrish, Sr., aided by his hard-working staff of volunteers, the Staggerwing Club grew and grew. What it has evolved into is mind-boggling. Beechcraft factory memorabilia, instead of sitting forgotten in some musty Wichita warehouse corner, is now assembled here in this lovely setting of metal hangars and log cabins. Want to see the very first Beechcraft Staggerwing, serial number 1? It’s there, as is one of virtually every standard model Staggerwing. How about the very first Baron, serial number TC-1, and the very first Army U-21 Ute, serial number LM-1? Yes, they’re present, too, as well as the Starship, and Bonanzas from serial number D-9 to one of the last V-tails built, as well as 33 and 36 models. If you are a history buff, you’ll especially enjoy seeing the first Travel Air from the 1920s. (Travel Air was the Wichita company Walter Beech headed before founding his own business in 1932.) Also, Beech’s “Mystery Ship,” the Model R racer, is there. If your interest is in the famous Twin Beech Model 18, you’ll find both early and later examples. Dukes? The P-596 is there; the last one built, a 1982 model in which I have spent many delightful hours conducting recurrent training for its only owners, Jim and Marge Gorman of Mansfield, Ohio. There is also a Model 50 Twin Bonanza.
Get the idea? What started as a Staggerwing club has evolved into an organization that honors the entire Beechcraft heritage. I put it this way: “The factory of Beechcraft is in Wichita, but the heart of Beechcraft is in Tullahoma.”
In 2013, The Beechcraft Heritage Museum decided to add one more branch: The King Air Society, or KAS. In 2014, ’15, and ’16, the BHM Board of Directors asked me to present a brief seminar aimed at KAS members (although all interested folks were welcome to attend) during the annual October “Beech Party,” a four-day fly-in aimed at Beechcraft enthusiasts of all types. I was happy to do so, even though the attendance at my presentation was limited, since few people had yet learned of KAS. I want that to change and this is an attempt to get that ball rolling.
I realize that some King Air owner-pilots couldn’t care less about seeing the museum, talking airplanes day and night, attending seminars, eating good food, enjoying an adult beverage while watching endless single and formation fly-bys of various Beechcrafts as daytime turns to dusk. Wait! What?! Are there really pilots who won’t have a blast doing these things?! Well, probably a few.
That is why I have concluded that gathering a large group of King Airs with their owner-pilots, once a year at the Beech Party in Tennessee, is not enough to develop an active, worthwhile, and successful owners’ group. If the owner is going to fly his King Air, perhaps quite a distance, pay for lodging and meals, be away from home and business for at least a couple of days, then the attraction of the Beech Party won’t be enough. That’s why we need the King Air Gathering (KAG).
As many readers know, I have been actively mentoring the instructors and helping the King Air Academy get started to becoming the best source of practical, accurate and enjoyable King Air initial and recurrent training. The facility is just west of Runway 25R at Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) in Phoenix, Arizona. Although still the new kid on the block, our client list continues to grow as people discover the value that we offer. In addition to having two Advanced Flight Training Devices, simulators, we also have an actual B90 for those who have never stepped foot into a real King Air before. Our founder, B200 owner Ron McAlister who was profiled in this magazine last year, wants this endeavor to always stay with one airplane model only, the King Air. We will never dilute our knowledge or threaten our accuracy by trying to be a jack of all trades.
Here’s the idea: We are planning the first of many King Air Gatherings around the country with the following goals in mind. First, get a group of like-minded, owner-pilots together to share information and to see what the “other guy” is doing with his King Air. Second, have an outstanding group of experts who can put on brief, hard-hitting, presentations. Dean Benedict and yours truly – two King Air magazine authors who contribute regularly – will be on the agenda. Paul Jones of Specialty Turbine Service, “Mr. PT6,” will present. Paul Sneden, maintenance instructor and BeechTalk forum responder par excellence will be presenting. An avionics whiz who can discuss the ADS-B mandate will be there. Jack Braly, King Air F90 owner-pilot, ex-Beechcraft president, and story-teller extraordinaire will provide a welcome break from the technical as he regales the gathering with Beechcraft tales.
This will be a two-day program, beginning at midmorning of Day One – to allow for those who arrive that morning – and finishing by 5:00 p.m. of Day Two. Lunches on both days will be catered at the airport meeting facility. A highlight will come after Day Two’s lunch, when Dean Benedict and Paul Sneden will perform a complete walk-around inspection/demonstration on a King Air that will be jacked up to allow landing gear operation.
In addition to the individual presenters, various King Air aftermarket vendors have indicated a strong willingness to attend: Blackhawk Modifications, Raisbeck Engineering, Sandel (with their Avilon BE-200 demonstrator), and others. They will be available during breaks from the presentations as well as before and after the official gathering. A happy hour will wrap up the end of Day 1.
The very first King Air Gathering will be held at the Apex Aviation facility in Henderson, Nevada, on Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22. Henderson is next door to Las Vegas, so there will be plenty of other attractions when you are not involved with the KAG. Discount rates at a nearby hotel are being arranged. Although an official spouse program has not yet been planned, significant others and guests are welcome, especially for the meals, cocktail hour and casually walking the flight line to see the various attendee airplanes. Golly, this is going to be fantastic!
So, what’s the snag, the hidden problem, the unknown negative? Yes, there is one: All attendees will be charged $250 to cover the expenses involved. Of that fee, $50 will be applied to your 2017 membership in the Beechcraft Heritage Museum as a King Air Society member, and you will be encouraged to attend some or all of the October Beech Party. Additionally, the full $250 will be deducted from the cost of your next training session at the King Air Academy. What a win-win deal!
For more information, the schedule of events, and to register, please go to the web site: www.kingairsociety.com or call (602) 456-2417. Alternately, you may also send an email to kingairsociety@gmail.com. Call or write now so you won’t forget.
Can you tell that I am enthused about both endeavors? You bet I am! Owner-pilot groups like these are certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but at last those King Air owners and operators who wish to share their joy and experience with like-minded individuals will finally have the opportunity to do so. I hope to see you in Henderson!
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