The instant the water bottle touched my lips, gusts generated by stone-walled castles and manors below our 50-foot, 6-inch two-spar wing forced the container airborne. Beside me, in the aircraft’s 266-cubic-foot interior, the copilot’s seeping airsickness bag flopped onto the floor and split. Steady on heading, I contemplated why I happened to be 400 feet…
Just seven years after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, two women joined the ranks of American aviators. Blanche Scott and Bessie Raiche each made solo flights in 1910, the first women in America to do so. Today, historians are fairly certain that Blanche flew before Bessie, but in 1910, there was some confusion…
Textron Aviation Mandatory Service Letter MTL-27-05: Flight Controls – Elevator Bellcrank Inspection Published date: Feb. 10, 2026 Effectivity: F90 S/Ns LA-2 thru LA-236; 200/B200 S/Ns BB-2 thru BB-2019; 200C/B200C S/Ns BL-1 thru BL-171; 200T/B200T S/Ns BT-1 thru BT-43; 200CT/B200CT SNs BN-1 thru BN-4; B200GT S/Ns BY-1 and on; B200CGT S/Ns BZ-1 and on; 300 S/Ns…
Hundreds of communities across eight states are planning events and activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66, a historic federal highway synonymous with freedom and adventure. Designated as U.S. Highway 66 on April 30, 1926, the highway connected Chicago and Los Angeles, providing a reliable route through the Midwest. Officially established on Nov.…
by King Air Gathering organizers King Air Gathering co-hosts King Air Nation and BLR Aerospace have announced the speakers, companion activities and a full list of educational and networking events attendees can expect during the 2026 King Air Gathering happening March 26-28 in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. KAG’s venue is Horseshoe Bay Resort, featuring Texas Hill…
The older (or should we call them vintage?) pilots will tell you how easy it is to navigate these days, with inexpensive GPS systems in our phones, electronic tablets and cockpits. We only need to look for the little airplane icon to see we’re over the Wabash River and the nearest airport is 4 miles…
Nope, we are not talking about George Clooney and his band of runaway felons in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” In that movie the felons wore striped clothing and were easy to recognize. They ran across fields in chains, somehow found their way to a microphone to sing some really great music on…
With the retirement of our much-loved author of Maintenance Tips, Dean Benedict, I’ve been given the honor of becoming a maintenance columnist for King Air magazine. I’m humbled to follow in the footsteps of great authorities like Dean and Tom Clements, and I hope you’ll enjoy what I bring to the table. A brief background…
After a few particularly long drives across the state of Texas, Cuatro Strack decided to pursue earning a private pilot certificate. Now nearly 20 years later, the South Texas-based aviator owns a 1967 King Air A90 (serial LJ-260). Strack currently flies the twin turboprop in support of his fence-building business as well as for personal…
In another installment of their He Said, She Said series (see the May 2025 issue of King Air magazine), Joe and Deanna Casey offer their reactions to and takeaways from the late December activation of Garmin’s automated landing system in a Beechcraft King Air 200. Read their differing views below and weigh in by sending…