I’d like to tell you a few interesting things that I have experienced over the years involving flaps. I hope you will find them interesting and educational. Let me begin by reviewing the basic flap system design in King Airs and, with minor changes, in most other Beechcraft airplanes. The semi-fowler flaps – ones that…
The Beechcraft Model 17 was not only Walter Beech’s bestselling airplane during the late 1930s, but it proved to be a military workhorse that served the Allied nations with distinction during World War II. Walter Herschel Beech was a salesman – a very good salesman. He and his wife, Olive Ann, had co-founded the Beech…
CenTex Aerospace announced the availability of the Halo 350 increased gross weight conversion for the Beechcraft King Air 350 and King Air 360. The Halo 350 conversion increases the maximum takeoff weight limit from 15,000 to 15,950 lbs. Aircraft empty weight is increased only 4 lbs., which equates to an increase in payload or fuel of 946…
Raisbeck Engineering recently announced it has received FAA STC approval for the installation of Raisbeck/Hartzell five blade swept turboprop propellers on heavyweight (16,500 lb.) King Air 300, 350 and 360 series aircraft. The Raisbeck/Hartzell five blade swept turboprop propellers offer improved aircraft performance. This includes increased thrust and cruise speeds, decreased noise levels, and improved…
PWI has expanded the already-PMA approved bayonet mount LED Ice Light product and is now offering a new PMA-approved version which features a threaded mount. This product illuminates the leading edge of the wing to aid in detecting ice formation. The light performance has received much positive feedback relating to light output and longevity. Owner/operators…
SmartSky Networks, the innovative air-to-ground (ATG) in-flight connectivity provider, announced the launch of SmartSky Private Intranet (PI) routing powered by its Skytelligence services platform. The PI is deployed using an aircraft interface device (AID) and routes data traffic privately to and from the aircraft utilizing SmartSky’s next-generation network and patented beamforming technology that assigns a separate…
There was a seminal moment in my life about 10 years ago when I was in the throes of changing jobs; that moment changed my life. I was in the Army for about nine years in the 1990s and enjoyed it, but I knew I didn’t want to extend my service. I decided to join…
In recent months I’ve fielded quite a few calls on the autofeather system in King Airs. In one case I was engaged to assist a shop with unraveling an autofeather mystery. The system was inoperative on one side and they had taken every conceivable step to fix it, with no luck. As the tech outlined…
It is my strong belief that few pilots (rightly so!) use the same checklist for all of their flight operations in a particular aircraft. Even if they always open the same manufacturer’s current checklist, I believe the way it is used causes it to become a rather different set of procedures. Here are a couple…
In the late 1950s, the U.S. Army’s inventory of the versatile L-23/U-8 Seminole series of light military transports ended with introduction of the L-23F – the versatile Beechcraft that set a new standard for fixed-wing Army aviation. Thirteen years after the end of the bloodiest conflict on earth known as World War II, Americans were…