To appreciate this story, I need to share some background information. In 2016 Ron McAlister, Tom Clements, Jack Braly and I were standing outside of one of the hangars at the Beech Heritage Museum (BHM). During conversation, Ron expressed he had always wanted to have a large King Air fly-in but we were unsure of how it would be accepted in the turboprop world and it needed someone to spearhead it. As I recall, Jack was not sure we would get more than 10 King Airs to attend. That was all it took; the glove had been thrown down and the challenge was accepted – the King Air Academy would take the lead.
Now, we had to decide where to host the first “King Air Gathering” (KAG). At the time, Dean Benedict had just moved his King Air maintenance center to Henderson, Nevada, located right outside of Las Vegas. Of course, Tom and Jack were pushing for the BHM, but having it near Las Vegas for the first time was a “safe” decision. If it did not go over well, it was a short drive home with our tails between our legs. When it was time for the event, I recall 27 King Airs flying in and 47 attendees gathered in a small hangar with only a handful of sponsors gathered round. It was a big success and pilots and owners were asking for more … KAG I was in the books.
In previous years Tom and I had attended a function at Fredericksburg, Texas, and thought it would be a great place to host the gathering. Although Tom was still “coaching” me that the BHM was really where we needed to go. However, Fredericksburg had the Hangar Hotel, a conference center and the Pacific Showroom all on the airport with the Nimitz Museum, breweries and wineries not far away – it was a great venue. After hosting the gathering for two years there, we planned KAG 2020 to be held at Beech Field in Wichita, Kansas, and the 2021 KAG would be held at the BHM. Due to COVID, the 2020 and 2021 gatherings were canceled and it returned this spring.
The first day of the gathering, Thursday, May 12, was scheduled for museum tours during the afternoon, and entertainment by The Bellamy Brothers and cocktails in a large event tent that evening. The museum tours were a complete success with Jack Braly (former Beech Aircraft president), Don Cary (longtime Beech Aircraft executive) and Carl Mariniak (BHM manager) as the tour guides. Imagine that – the old Beechcraft corporate executives providing museum tours; what a treat! The ramp was filling up, the tours were ongoing, sponsors and vendors were setting up and KAG 2022 was officially off and running.
On Friday morning, after some quick welcomes and introductions, Charles Parish of the BHM gave a “welcome” to all the King Air owners and pilots and a brief overview of the museum. The agenda was kicked off by our first speaker, Textron Senior Air Safety Investigator, Peter Basile. This was a not-to-be-missed presentation of aviation-related accidents and how the King Air specifically fares to the industry as a whole. The day continued with varying presentations from the beginnings of the King Air with Don Cary, avionics with Garmin and Genesys Aerosystems, the state of the aviation insurance industry, using ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot effectively as a King Air pilot and ending the day with the Inaugural King Air Hall of Fame awards (see page 2).
Just when attendees thought that Thursday night could not be surpassed, Friday evening was just as special and had something for everyone: walking by all the King Airs on the flight line; admiring the Blackhawk King Air 350ER and Stevens King Air B200; another stroll around the museum; the dueling pianos in the event tent and what appeared to be a professional level cornhole tournament outside; all the exquisite food and drink; perfect weather and finally getting together as a community of King Air enthusiasts. Friday night at the KAG was embraced by all.
Saturday morning came and day two of the conference was underway. The first speaker was King Air C90B owner/operator Bill Crutchfield whose presentation “Safety, Insurance and the Aging King Air Pilot” could not have come at a better time. With the rising insurance rates and the inability for older pilots to even obtain insurance, Bill laid down his personally proven strategy to flying and staying insured well into your 70s. My guess is you will hear much more about this topic in other articles and at other venues. The day continued with presentations from Textron’s Manager, Turboprop Product Support Kim Burton and Tom Grunbeck from IS&S on the certified autothrottle system installed in all new King Airs and available for retrofit on many legacy models. We also tempted fate by having Tom Clements give his presentation “Misunderstood Systems” to the entire audience remotely and IT WORKED. After Tom’s presentation, Rob Winchcomb, Pratt & Whitney YouTube sensation for PT6A engine rigging (check out his videos) shared his insight.
The day could not have ended any better than with our guest speaker, Hoot Gibson. As a naval aviator, test pilot, five-time U.S. astronaut, four-time shuttle commander, F-4 and F-14 fighter pilot, Reno Air Races Unlimited Gold Champion and a hell of a nice guy, we were honored to have him as our final speaker. His recap of flight in space and docking with the Russian Space Station Mir were riveting and led one member of the audience to ask, “Hoot, have you ever done anything boring in your life?” I think Hoot actually had to stop and think.
In closing, King Air Gathering 2022 was a great success. Sponsors, attendees, speakers and museum personnel all had wonderful things to say about the event. The most asked question: When and where is the next King Air Gathering?
Stay tuned for that!
Kevin Carson is an A&P and manages the King Air Academy in Phoenix, Arizona, having flown about every King Air model and Beechcraft from T-34s, Bonanzas and Barons for over 30 years. He has been the lead for planning the King Air Gathering since its inception, and is happily transferring organization of the event to King Air Nation. Kevin can be reached at: kevin@kingairacademy.com or (602) 551-8100. To learn more about the King Air Academy, go to www.kingairacademy.com.