The altimeter climbed through 1,000 feet as the aircraft began a controlled turn to the left. The back of the aircraft, which once held an executive interior, has been replaced with a myriad of medical devices and purpose kept seats. Passengers now include medical professionals and a patient on a gurney connected to tubes and…
On August 20, King Air Academy Founder Ron McCalister was killed when his 1984 King Air B200 crashed while trying to depart Rockford, Illinois (RFD). He was the only one on board. Ron had dreamed of becoming a pilot since his youth and loved to tell the story about just how committed he was to…
Over the last several years of watching King Air pilots in both their aircraft and in the simulator, it is obvious that they typically have developed their own cockpit flows and use of checklists. As Tom Clements has outlined time and time again, when you are new to flying a King Air, the checklist should…
For many years I maintained a B200 owned by a family business that had used the same pilot for years. He had flown for the airlines and was a decent guy, but every time he picked up the King Air after maintenance, he pulled the door shut, started the engines and took off without even…
As I write this near the end of August 2020, the “ADS Crash” thread on the BeechTalk forum is approaching 100 pages. As most of you know, in June 2019 a tragic accident occurred at Addison airport (KADS) in Dallas, Texas. A nearly new King Air 350i departing on a flight to Florida, crashed into…
In 1930 America’s economy was in a tailspin when the Stearman Aircraft Company introduced the Model 6 biplane – a rugged design but one that found few commercial buyers and was rejected by the military as a primary trainer. The “Roarin’ Twenties” had been good to Wichita’s airframe manufacturers. In 1928, for example, the city’s…
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) recently announced an informative series of upcoming NBAA GO virtual professional development seminars addressing common questions and concerns surrounding aircraft transactions, ownership structures and taxation, including the ramifications from COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Virtual Aviation Tax & Transactions Review will encompass a series of three live…
Garmin® International, Inc. recently announced the D2™ Air, its latest GPS smartwatch for the modern pilot with powerful aviation capabilities and a sleek, new touchscreen design that can be worn 24/7. The newest addition in the D2 aviator watch series, the D2 Air offers tools for all phases of flight, including weather, direct-to navigation, airport…
In a sign of these pandemic times, Textron Aviation last month launched the new flagship of the Beechcraft King Air family with online fanfare only. On Aug. 4, the company posted a 10-minute recorded video on its social media channels followed by distributing a press release with details of the King Air 360 and 360ER,…
When I was new to the aviation world, just acquiring my certificates and ratings, I would watch corporate aircraft of all sizes taxi onto the local ramp and enthusiastically greet pilots with my opinion on what a beautiful aircraft they had and how I couldn’t wait to fly one myself one day. Every now and…