Even on a warm and calm day, the power and danger of Lake Superior is palpable. The largest fresh water lake on earth, its enormity can be appreciated from nearly any perspective. Whether flying above it, strolling along a sandy beach, perched high on a shoreline cliff, or crossing in a large ship or ferryboat,…
Due to unprecedented circumstances during these unpredictable COVID-19 times, the King Air Gathering (KAG), scheduled to take place October 22-24 in Wichita, Kansas, has been postponed to a yet to be determined date in 2021. Safety is a strong foundation that pilots live by and based on what local, state and federal officials are recommending…
How’s the air conditioning (AC) in your King Air right now? This time of year, my phone is burning up with air conditioning problems due to everything from low Freon to the dreaded Black Death. If your AC is acting up a little or not working at all, there are things an owner/operator can check…
W hy do some King Airs have the Rudder Boost (RB) system installed and others do not? No, the answer is not that Rudder Boost was an extra-cost option, similar to a particular piece of avionics. Instead, some models were certified with RB as standard equipment and others were not. From the first King Air…
In 1926 the Travel Air Manufacturing Company offered pilots the “Type BH” biplane powered by the superb Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine. In an effort to expand the Travel Air Manufacturing Company’s product line, Walter Beech and the engineering department mated the proven Type “B” airframe with the war-surplus Hispano-Suiza engine rated at 180 horsepower. Following the…
Blackhawk Aerospace announced the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval of their new XR Upgrade Kit for the King Air 350 series. The XR Kit optimizes a stock King Air 350 series aircraft by increasing Max Gross Takeoff Weight to 16,500 pounds and maintaining a Basic Aircraft Empty Weight that is 220…
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the PMAs (Parts Manufacturing Approval) of PWI’s LED lighting for use in additional aircraft, including King Airs. The 1495 bulb replacement LED reading light was approved for the Beechcraft King Air B200T and B200CT and the 1308 LED replacement reading light in the King Air C90, C90A, C90GT, E90,…
Service Bulletin MTB-34-03: Navigation – TDR-94D ATC Transponder Strapping Change for King Air B300 and B300C Configured for 15,500 or Greater Max Takeoff Weight Date: July 14, 2020 Effectivity: Super King Air B300, Serial Numbers FL-381, FL-383 through FL-953, FL-955 through FL-1009, FL-1011 through FL1030: Only applicable to airplanes with a maximum takeoff weight of…
While the experience piqued his interest in aircraft and planted the seed for learning to fly later in life, he never imagined that he’d one day operate an air charter business out of “The White Building” at Cardiff Airport, a facility that back then was the head office of the airline that was eventually absorbed…
What’s your King Air to you? Is it only an inanimate object that provides transportation convenience for the owner(s)? Or is it something more, something that provides that mystical “pride of ownership” that makes you smile whenever you see it? For a lot of us – especially the owner-pilots among us – the King Air…