Western Aircraft, Inc. of Boise, Idaho announced that Textron Aviation Inc. has designated it as an authorized service facility for several models across the Beechcraft and Cessna platforms, including the King Air 90 series, King Air 200/250 series, and King Air 300/350 series aircraft. In addition to the Authorized Service Facility designation, Western Aircraft has…

The Racer’s Edge – Part Two
The Travel Air Company and its speedy Type “R” monoplane would dominate the 1929 National Air Races and realize Walter H. Beech’s dream of beating the Army and Navy to the checkered flag. Air racing had always been among Walter Beech’s favorite activities. He had flown Laird “Swallow” biplanes to victory in the early phase…

New Procedures for SoCal Area Effective November 10
Phase One of the Southern California Metroplex Project will begin on November 10, 2016. The Metroplex Project, approved in early September, is designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of the airspace in Southern California by utilizing performance-based navigation procedures, as well as optimizing the air traffic sectorization at the local FAA facilities. There is…

King Air Operation on Unimproved Landing Strips
I am sure many of my readers have a great deal more experience than I have in operating King Airs in remote areas where paved runways are few and far between. In fact, I’d wager that for many years now the King Air has been perhaps the most popular airplane in commercial service doing this…

Diagnosing Mental Illness, Medication and Certification
Consider two patients. Patient A develops abdominal pain and visits his doctor, who notes the patient has a low-grade fever and tenderness localized to the lower right side of the abdomen. Additionally, if the doctor presses slowly on the lower abdomen and then suddenly lets go of the pressure, the patient winces. A CT scan…

Unconventional Approach
King Air Owner Makes His Way in Business and Aviation on His Own Terms The second landing Jay Vierling made in his newly purchased King Air C90B was at Narsarsuaq Airport (BGBW) in Greenland during the winter. As he describes it, the runway was uphill as well as snow and ice covered, with fjords on…
Technically: From King Air Communiqué 2016-09
Issued: August 2016 ATA 25 − Passenger Seat Arm Rest Repairs/Toilet Seat Frame Repairs B200, 300, B300 The passenger seat arm rests for Beechcraft King Air Models B200, 300, and B300 may be susceptible to breaking when they are used for purposes other than what they were designed. Arm rests were not intended to be…
Value Added: TRU’s ProFlight Pilot Training Earns FAA Qualification for King Air 350 Pro Line Fusion Distance Learning Program
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…
Value Added: Jeppesen Improving SID/STAR Charts
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…

Value Added: Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion Upgrade Now Certified for King Air 350 in Brazil
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…