On Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, I had the pleasure of trying out the ThrustSense Autothrottle system for the first time. IS&S is the abbreviation for Innovative Solutions and Support, the company that designed, tested and certified this system that adjusts power lever position to maintain a torque value or an airspeed value that the pilot…
T he Before Takeoff checklist includes a test of the overspeed governors. You know that switch on the sub-panel? When you hold it up, it sends a current to a test solenoid which opens a valve and dumps some of the oil going to the prop into a channel going to the engine case. The…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…