Hopefully third time’s the charm for this event and we will be able to hold the King Air Gathering that unfortunately had to be rescheduled twice due to health concerns with COVID. If you haven’t already registered, there is still time to do so. The King Air Gathering (KAG) is being held May 12-15 at…
Aircraft Tax Planning When Selling a Business
Amidst a vibrant mergers and acquisitions landscape, many clients have approached Aviation Tax Consultants (ATC) in recent months to discuss aircraft tax planning strategies relating to the sale of their companies. Whether the aircraft is part of the current business going through a sale, or a business aircraft purchase is contemplated after the sale of…
Valley of Vapors
Seeking a smoother ride, we had descended out of our lofty cruising altitude before crossing the northern border of Arkansas. To increase arrival options, I’d canceled our instrument flight plan in favor of VFR flexibility. The first smooth altitude we found was relatively low. Thus, 10 miles northeast of Hot Springs, Arkansas, the airport was…
Controlling Destiny – Pilot Levi Stockton is building a West Coast aviation empire
From flying and managing one Beechcraft King Air in 2005 to directing a fleet of 23 aircraft and the operations of the flourishing Hawthorne (California) Municipal Airport, Levi Stockton is skillfully navigating his career and the growth of a company he convinced four real estate investors to support when he was 23 years old. The…
The State of Aviation Insurance
As 2022 begins, inflation is a recurring conversation topic. It has become impossible to ignore the increased expenses associated with everyday goods, services and commodities. As aviators, we are mindful of the expenses associated with operating our aircraft. The King Air community, as with all turbine aircraft, has seen an increase in their insurance premiums.…
Are You Up for a Challenge?
This month’s article will cause you to put on your thinking caps and consider some King Air systems questions that you probably haven’t seen or heard before. I am going to present six questions to have you ponder for as long as you need, then I will provide my answers … the correct ones, I…
Goebel’s Deadly Gamble
In 1928 pilot Arthur Goebel attempted to transform the Travel Air Type 5000 “Woolaroc” from a mild-mannered monoplane into a high-speed, cross-country racer with near fatal results. In the wake of Charles A. Lindbergh’s epic solo flight from New York to Paris in May 1927, Hawaiian pineapple king James Dole offered a $25,000 first prize…
Flight Testing Begins for Centex Halo 350 Conversion
CenTex Aerospace recently announced the start of the flight test program for its increased gross weight conversion for the Beechcraft King Air 350 and King Air 360 models. The milestone first flight was conducted at the Waco Regional Airport by company president Gregory Barnes and test pilot David Rogers. It was completed as planned and…
PWI Receives FAA PMA Certification for LED Ice Light and LED Right Angle Reading Light
WI recently announced that the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) has given PMA approval for their LED Ice Light and Right Angle Reading Light for use in a wide variety of aircraft including King Air models (specified below). The company says their LED Ice Light provides 100,000 hours of life compared to only 165 hours of…
Be a Part of Something Great
With the help of Beechcraft King Air operators, Textron Aviation hopes to form the largest peacetime airlift with at least 200 aircraft flying to Orlando Executive Airport on June 4, 2022. That would mean a Textron Aviation aircraft taking off or landing every two minutes, taking Special Olympics athletes and coaches from their home bases…