When I was new to the aviation world, just acquiring my certificates and ratings, I would watch corporate aircraft of all sizes taxi onto the local ramp and enthusiastically greet pilots with my opinion on what a beautiful aircraft they had and how I couldn’t wait to fly one myself one day. Every now and…
Every pilot remembers their first solo flight. It’s a huge milestone where, after hours of training with a flight instructor, you are finally deemed ready to take the aircraft up on your own with no one else on board. Those first few moments, as your wheels leave the ground, are both exhilarating and terrifying as…
Due to recent uncertain events with COVID-19, Elliott Aviation has announced its mobile maintenance capabilities are available for aircraft inspections and due items. The company’s mobile maintenance teams are available for maintenance events for the King Air, as well as the Beechjet/Hawker 400XP, Challenger, Citation, Hawker, Phenom, Premier and TBM aircraft. “We understand how challenging…
Service Bulletin MTB-57-01: Wings – Inspect the Aft Upper and Lower Wing Bolts for Correct Washer and Replace if Needed Date: March 5, 2020 Effectivity: King Air 90 (applicable variants within defined LJ serial number range), LJ-2055 through LJ-2129; Super King Air 200/B200, serial numbers BB-2019 through BB-2021; Super King Air 200C/B200C, serial number BL-171;…
It’s been a full year since I last wrote an article for this magazine about the market for King Airs. At that time, I was confident in my assertions and the market in general. In fact, the market had been as stable as I had seen it … almost predictable. We’re all accustomed to ever…
Editor’s Note: One of the newest King Air operators in Europe is also one of the most dynamic and ambitious. Managing Director Herman van Kranenburg wants Zeusch Aviation to become the largest King Air operator in Europe, summarizing he said, “As long as we have enough business, we will buy extra King Airs.” Guy Warner…
It was with great interest that I attended King Air Gathering IV, hosted by the King Air Academy in September at Fredericksburg, Texas. As an active, general aviation instructor and FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, I usually get to be the trainer instead of the trainee, so this was going to be of particular pleasure for…
When you were a kid, or maybe even later in life, someone you trusted probably cautioned you about opportunities that look too good to be true; sometimes they are. That kind of advice usually focused on promised riches in exchange for relatively innocent commitments of time or resources. As pilots and aircraft owners, we’re way…
It was November, and as the altimeter moved toward minimums, snow ribboned over the windshield. First officer Sarah Mousseau began easing power levers forward for the missed approach when the dim airstrip lights of Cape Dorset, 1,081 nautical miles northeast of Winnipeg, Canada, pulsed in the gloom. Over the threshold, she raised the nose and…
In early January, the eighth and final SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenburg AFB in California on a mission for Iridium Communications. Seven of those eight rockets carried 10 Iridium NEXT satellites with the final carrying just five, 66 in all. Each satellite placed itself into a low-earth orbit replacing Iridium’s original satellite-phone…