Call to Action: Pause for GA Safety This spring more than a dozen pilot organizations launched the 2025 National Pause for General Aviation Safety campaign with the support of the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team. The initiative encourages every general aviation pilot to take at least 15 to 60 minutes in the remainder of the…
Sales and use taxes on aircraft vary drastically from state to state. Some states have no sales and use tax, while others charge a hefty fee. Additionally, each state has different exemptions to the tax. With ever-changing legislation and interpretation of state sales taxes and exemptions, it is important for aircraft owners to understand the…
Many pilots who come through training ask what the fuel topping governor really does and if it is really needed. The King Air has three propeller governors: the primary propellor governor (PPG), the overspeed propeller governor (OSG) and the fuel topping governor (FTG). The FTG is in the same housing as the PPG. This combined…
We’re seeing new entrants, innovative underwriting approaches and higher limits of liability for less money for owner-flown and professionally operated King Airs. The King Air community boasts a robust population of owner-pilots. During my time actively flying the King Air B200 around the Midwest, I encountered an array of owner-pilots, from a United States congressman…
The childhood stomping grounds of Walt Disney, the headquarters of the legendary Pony Express that delivered communications more than twice as fast as competitors and the birthplace of an invention by which all other innovations are measured: sliced bread. Those are just three of the iconic American innovators, big ideas and inventions you’ll encounter on…
Garmin Declutters Aviation Charting With SmartCharts As an IFR pilot, have you ever been overwhelmed by the amount of information on your chart while flying a complicated instrument procedure and wished the chart only showed information relevant to your flight? Garmin has unveiled SmartCharts – simple, intuitive charts that optimize your approach, standard instrument departure…
In early May, a delegation from Greece traveled to Fargo, North Dakota, to perform final inspections and formally accept the newest dedicated air medical Beechcraft King Air 360C for use in the country’s national air ambulance program. The group included representatives from several organizations involved in helping ensure that ill and injured patients receive immediate…
As a designated pilot examiner, I get a lot of questions from candidates and potential candidates before and during the BE300 type rating. Most of them are thought-provoking and many require me to do some homework to find the answer. I love receiving these questions, and I believe a discussion of these questions and answers…
We’ve all heard the expression “Grease the squeaky wheel,” but I’m guessing most of us have never thought much about its origin. Last summer, I came across the farm cart in the photograph (below right) near Helsinki, Finland, and couldn’t help but wonder what kind of story it could tell. It was a form of…
Thinking back on the King Air Gathering this past March in Phoenix, it was great to have a portion of the event in a hangar on the airport with a King Air on display and available to everyone. I was there with Travis Lamance of Haven Aero to give a maintenance technician’s perspective on certain…