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Revisiting Starter Generators

Revisiting Starter Generators

If you hit the starter switch in your King Air and nothing happens, or if you get a “gen out” light while in flight, starter generators will become top of mind. Generally speaking though, starter generators are not too problematic in most King Airs. The notable exception is the “Infamous -001” found in King Air…

Landing Gear Emergency Extension Differences

Landing Gear Emergency Extension Differences

This is a question I’ve published in the past, but is a good one to repeat for those who may not have owned a King Air when it was published earlier. I was looking through some BE-200 landing gear information and wondered about the following: For 200s and B200s with the electro-mechanical gear, the checklist…

A Tale of Two  King Airs

A Tale of Two King Airs

Beech Aircraft Corporation’s versatile Model 300 and Model B300 exemplified the company’s determination to keep a firm grip on the premier cabin-class, turboprop market segment  As the decade of the 1970s came to a close, management at Beech Aircraft Corporation decided the time had come to expand the company’s King Air product line. Although sales…

Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle to become retrofit installations in select King Air aircraft

Garmin has announced imminent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification to bring Garmin Autoland and Garmin Autothrottle to the retrofit market, starting with select G1000® NXi-equipped King Air 200 series aircraft, and soon after, select King Air 300 series.  The certification marks the first time Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle have been offered as a retrofit solution,…

McCauley Achieves FAA Certification for B300 High-performance Propeller

McCauley Propeller Systems recently announced that its newest C780 propeller for the Beechcraft King Air B300 series, featuring four aluminum swept blades and a 105-inch diameter, has successfully achieved certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The new high-performance propeller offers King Air B300 operators additional payload, increased takeoff and climb performance, reduced noise in…

Banyan Air Service Joins SmartSky’s Network of Installation Partners

SmartSky Networks, the innovative air-to-ground inflight connectivity provider, announced Banyan Air Service as a new sales and installation partner. The Florida-based full-service Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) operation is now offering services to install and upgrade private jets and turboprop aircraft to the fastest and most reliable connectivity solution in operation today. “We are proud…

The Making of a Movie Star

The Making of a Movie Star

Meet the guys who helped prepare the King Air for a starring role in “On a Wing and a Prayer” Photos provided by Doug Scroggins unless specified otherwise The first thing you the reader of King Air magazine should know about the film “On a Wing and a Prayer” is that it was written and…

Propeller Erosion … and How to Avoid It

Propeller Erosion … and How to Avoid It

Walk down a ramp where numerous King Airs are parked and look closely at their propeller blades. I wager that you will see quite a variety of conditions. Some will look almost new, whereas others will be badly sandblasted. It may be that the reason for the difference is reasonable and unavoidable. Namely, one airplane…

Teacher’s Pet – the Model 45

Teacher’s Pet – the Model 45

In 1948, senior management at Beech Aircraft Corporation saw the need for a new military trainer to equip postwar air forces. Their solution was the “Mentor” that would become one of the most popular Beechcrafts ever built.  When World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of Japan in September 1945, the United States Army…

Technical PIREP Front Nose Steering

Editor’s Note: This information was originally released by the King Air Academy in 2017 and received a large response from the receiving audience, many finding their retaining clip compromised. We thought it would be beneficial to publish it again for those who may not have seen the first transmission. It is paraphrased below. This is…