Starting with the Model E33A, in 1968 Beech Aircraft engineers dug deep into their airframe “cookbook” to create the company’s most popular and versatile Bonanza – the Model 36 series “The biggest, most versatile Bonanza ever built.” That was how Beech Aircraft Corporation described the new Model 36 Bonanza when it was certified in May…
I spend a lot of time researching logbooks on behalf of buyers considering King Airs for purchase. They need to know where the aircraft is maintenance-wise. Some of these King Airs are “younger” but many have 10,000 hours or more. The longevity of the Beechcraft King Air makes me proud, but 10,000 hours makes for…
In a perfect world, the seller or buyer of a used aircraft would hire an experienced aviation attorney to draft a purchase agreement. The other side then negotiates modest revisions and everyone signs. That perfect world rarely exists. I’m frequently asked by fellow owners to review purchase or sales contracts drafted by others, and I’m…
Surprised, pleased and honored were the feelings I had when I received a phone call from Garmin’s Senior Business and Commercial Aviation Sales Manager Scott Frye, inviting me to come to their headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. I’d meet with and get briefed about their new Autothrottle and Autoland systems by some of their flight test…
As the four-blade aluminum propellers of the Beechcraft King Air 350 spun to a stop at Alaska’s Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport’s North Terminal, freight handlers stared at the aircraft’s civil lettering and red maple leaf roundels. When the cabin door opened, three men in military flight suits stepped from C-GSYC. As they unloaded training…
Last August, I had lunch at a restaurant overlooking Centennial Airport (KAPA) with the chief underwriting officer of a major aviation insurance carrier. The view was mesmerizing. The blue sky and Rocky Mountains in the background, a variety of aircraft below us – some just landing, some preparing for takeoff and others parked in perfect…
I’ve lost two old friends in the last few months. Gary Banker, the wonderful gentleman for whom I have flown and managed his King Air since May 2006 passed on in February and now my other “old friend,” Gary’s 1988 King Air C90A that I managed and flew. Gary’s family – daughter-in-law and grandsons –…
During the mid-1930s Walter Beech and his engineers developed a new series of Model 17s that added laurels to Beech Aircraft Company’s reputation and black ink to its battered balance sheets. The decision in 1933 to downsize the bullish Model 17R into the popular Model B17 series had proved to be the correct one…
Textron Aviation recently announced a noteworthy upgrade for its Beechcraft King Air 260 and 360 turboprops with the introduction of new CoolView® windows to minimize heat transfer into the cabin on the ramp and offer an unprecedented level of passenger comfort and cabin cooling. According to Lee Aerospace, the manufacturer of the windows, independent testing…
Garmin has announced that PlaneSync™ is now available for retrofit installations to bring new levels of connectivity and convenience to aircraft owners. PlaneSync automatically updates1 avionics databases, logs flight and engine data and allows aircraft owners and operators to remotely check fuel and systems status via the Garmin Pilot™ app2. Using a 4G LTE cellular…