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My Golden Anniversary

My Golden Anniversary

I began as an instructor at the Beechcraft Training Center on Jan. 3, 1972. If anyone had told me then that I would still be teaching King Air pilots in 2022, I would have thought they were crazy, but so it is. To steal a line from “Saturday Night Live:” “King Airs been very, very…

Beechcraft –  90 Years of Excellence

Beechcraft – 90 Years of Excellence

Throughout its illustrious history, the Beech Aircraft Corporation has distinguished itself as one of the world’s premier manufacturers of general aviation airplanes by consistently setting the pace for competitors to follow. Early in 1932, Curtiss-Wright engineer Theodore “Ted” Wells was completing the design of a cabin biplane featuring a powerful static, air-cooled radial engine and…

Pilot Proficient Online Aviation Training and Ground School Offers King Air 200/B200 Familiarization Course

Pilot Proficient has developed an online King Air 200/B200 familiarization course designed for the pilot who is transitioning into the King Air 200 and covers pertinent aircraft systems, limitations, operating characteristics and tips and tricks. The course includes multimedia presentations, in-cockpit video demonstrations and an interactive aircraft systems section to illustrate the concepts, with quizzes…

King Air  Market Report – Limited Inventory and Unbelievable Prices

King Air Market Report – Limited Inventory and Unbelievable Prices

I’m not sure I’m up for the challenge. Ever think that? I rarely do. I’m typically very confident in life and in business. But we all have those moments of doubt and for me they seem to come up every year about mid-January. That’s when I get an email from Kim Blonigen, the editor of…

King Air Gathering – May 12-14, 2022

If you haven’t already registered, you may want to as spots are filling up for the King Air Gathering (KAG) being held May 12-14 at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Below is a summary of the speakers and evening activities: Thursday, May 12: Those flying their King Airs to the event will land…

Why Do the Ailerons  Have a “Lump”?

Why Do the Ailerons Have a “Lump”?

As the picture above shows, the ailerons on the King Air 200- and 300-series models include a pronounced lump on their trailing edges. The official name for the lump is “Trailing Edge Bulge” but, to me, they are simply “lumps.” The ailerons on other King Air models don’t have the lump. Presenting the reason why…

The Staggerwing  Goes to War

The Staggerwing Goes to War

Ted Wells never intended his Model 17 to fight a war, but when duty called the Staggerwing served American and Allied forces worldwide with distinction. The first Model 17 to wear “war paint” was C17R-115, designated as a JB-1 by the United States Navy when it entered service in 1936. Always in search of sales,…

Marsh Brothers Appoints CJ Aerospace as Authorized Distributor/Service Provider

CJ Aerospace Pty Ltd., a leading distributor of quality aviation parts and technical support across Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific regions, has been appointed as an authorized distributor and service provider for Marsh Brothers Aviation’s bearing and seals portfolio. With locations in Sydney in Taren Point, NSW, and Cairns, Queensland, as Australia’s largest stock…