TRU Simulation + Training Inc. announced that customers of its ProFlight pilot training program for the King Air 350 now have the option to train at home through its FAA-approved distance learning option for BE-300 recurrent training. TRU’s East Coast ProFlight Pilot Training center was the first to offer instruction on the new Pro Line…
Jeppesen recently gave a preview of the changes to the company’s SID (standard instrument departure) and STAR (standard terminal arrival route) charts. According to the company, the improvements included input from pilots and human factors experts and are intended to help enhance pilots’ situational awareness. Improvements to the arrival and departure charts include introducing colors…
Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion® avionics upgrade solution for the King Air 350 equipped with Pro Line II has received supplemental type certificate (STC) validation from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). The same upgrade was certified by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) STC earlier this year. The Pro Line Fusion upgrade for the King…
Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. announced details of their newest XP Engine + Upgrade program for the King Air 350. The company is developing a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that will allow the installation and operation of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A engine to replace the existing PT6A-60A engines on the King Air 350 model. The…
Walter H. Beech possessed a highly competitive spirit that drove him to win, and never was that passion expressed more fully than during his early days competing in air races and aerial exhibitions. Suddenly, the starter’s flag dropped and the race began. One after another the pilots shoved throttles all the way forward. In just seconds,…
A recent thread on the BeechTalk internet forum prompted the idea for this article. All models of King Airs, for many years now, require that the pilot include a first-flight-of-the-day preflight check of the accuracy of the airplane’s pitch trim indicator. In the 1970s, in England, a King Air 90 model nearly had a loss of…
Deadline Coming Soon for Part 135 Operators and EASA SMS Requirements Per a new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulation, U.S. Part 135 operators will need an approved safety management system (SMS) program to fly throughout Europe under the Third Country Operators (TCO) regulation. EASA defines a third party operator as any operator holding an…
Not long ago, I had four King Airs in a row that had flap issues. Three of them were in the hangar at same time. A contagion of flap failures? Flap Cooties? Let’s hope not. F90 – No Washers First, there was an F90 in for a pre-buy inspection, and we found that most of…
There is a premise among professional pilots that some FAA rules are intentionally vague and often open to interpretation in order to provide operational flexibility (within reason). For years, such has been the case with runway condition assessments and braking action reports. For example, most pilots who have operated under Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part…
Bert Bollar has been flying Beechcraft King Airs since 1983 and has flown N88JH, a 1989 King Air B200, for the past 19 years. He calls the airplane a member of his family and considers its owners part of his family, too. “I have a dream job because after this long, I’m treated as family…