Any time an aircraft broker calls me about a pre-buy inspection and asks, “How much would an annual cost for a King Air?”, it makes me wonder if this is their first shot at selling one. A few months ago, I was invited to speak at the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) for their…
Just before takeoff, or at least before the first flight of the day, your checklist includes testing the overspeed governors. You know that switch on the sub-panel? When you hold it up, the test solenoid opens a port that dumps some oil back into the engine case, and this holds the prop rpm to 150…
A King Air owner was waiting for his 200 to be released from the shop after having a phase inspection. It was his first phase since purchasing the aircraft in 2002. The shop refused to release the aircraft to him because the engines did not make book power – they “temped out” before reaching max torque.…
Thirty-six years ago, this very month, every King Air 200 in existence was grounded by an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) on wing bolts. Back then, ADs were sent through the mail. This one had a really short window for compliance; by the time it was received by owners, they had to act very fast if…
Along-time, out-of-state customer called to say his R/H generator went offline mid-flight. He’s got an F90, but this could happen to any King Air. For troubleshooting purposes, I suggested he swap the GCUs (Generator Control Unit) to see if the problem went to the other side, and it did. I had an exchange GCU drop-shipped…
Imagine you are pre-flighting your King Air, checking the oil and the oil is off the stick on one side. After uttering the obligatory expletive, what do you do? If your first instinct is to dump a couple quarts in that engine and check the stick again, chances are you will be wiping oil off…
It’s August and it’s hot, at least in my part of the world. So far this season, I’ve dealt with everything under the sun and in the shade when it comes to air conditioning (A/C) problems. I’ve solved these issues by looking first at the usual suspects – compressors, vent blowers, and low refrigerant levels.…
A Discussion of Billbacks on Core Charges In earlier years, a core charge for an exchange part was like a little insurance policy for the vendor to ensure they got a unit back in exchange for the one they sent out. It’s just like a trip to the auto parts store. When you buy a…
I probably went for two or three years without installing airplane windshields, then suddenly I completed four installations in a two-month period. I noticed a few changes with the King Air windshields; first was pricing. The price of overhauled OEM windshields and the kits to install them has fluctuated wildly. Five years ago, I wrote…
Just last month, a customer called me with an AOG situation – his aircraft flaps were stuck in the down position after landing. He flies an E90 with the old style flap switches. There are plenty of 90s and 200s still flying today with these switches, which run on ramps instead of the cam type.…