When Ray Briers returned from a trip to the Bahamas with his family earlier this year, his team at The Pipe Yard, Inc.—the pipe purchasing and cleaning company he owns near Houston, Texas—fell in love with a photo Ray showed them. It wasn’t one of the images showing the family having fun among the beautiful…
Olympics-inspired Destinations – Get in the game with these active adventures
Is the competitive spirit from the 2024 Paris Olympics still pulsing through your veins? Or maybe you’re looking forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics happening in Italy, or the return of the Summer Olympics to the U.S. in Los Angeles in 2028. You don’t have to wait to create your own golden experiences at these…
‘This Aircraft Deserved It’ – Commemorative 1982 Model F90 Gets Full Makeover
Are they making the Beechcraft King Air F90 again? That’s the question David and Shawn Edgington hope to inspire when you see N721RF/serial number LA-190 sitting on the ramp. A gleaming paint scheme with a playful color palette, BLR Aerospace five-bladed Whisper Props, American Aviation’s Pitot Cowling System and Aerodynamic Speed Stacks – the airplane…
Meet the Herr Family Truckster – Their King Air 350 proves ideal for family vacations
Three weeks after purchasing a 1996 Beechcraft King Air 350 in the summer of 2017, Daniel Herr was off on the first of many grand family vacations. His family of four took off from their home airport of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania, headed for a West Coast adventure. He had ideal weather…
Three in a Million – Meet the Beechcraft-loving family behind the Million Air brand
Roger Woolsey became an entrepreneur in the aviation world while still a teenager. That early success – and his knack for tackling problems that needed solutions – propelled him to broaden his reach, from a pilot-for-hire to an air carrier, an air medical service provider, an FBO owner, FBO franchisee and eventually an FBO franchisor.…
Fly Ball: Make plans to fly in for a game in 30 MLB cities
By the time my husband, Lee, had turned 25, he had watched a game in just three Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums – Kansas City, Houston and Arlington, Texas. That makes it even more impressive that in the next 18 years he would manage to complete his goal of seeing a game in every city…
Volunteering While Vacationing: Tips for finding ways to give back
The first time we volunteered at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, the staff at the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals tasked me and my husband with socializing a litter of puppies that had recently been dumped. The goal was to show them some love and help get them comfortable being handled,…
Helping Friends and Neighbors – King Air pilot among founders of Pilots for Patients
When pilots Wayne Petrus and Philip Thomas flew missions for Angel Flight South Central in the early 2000s, they noticed the tremendous need for flights originating from their home state of Louisiana. Angel Flight was doing an admiral job, but with the organization based in the Dallas metro area, many of their pilots were also…
On the Shoulders of Giants: Building on the Beechcraft and Cessna legacies inspire Textron Aviation leader Ron Draper
Five years ago, Ron Draper became president and chief executive officer of Textron Aviation at the age of 50. Earlier this year, Draper talked to King Air magazine about what he calls his “not normal” career path from farmer to the C-suite, the importance of faith and family in his life and his enthusiastic return…
Wearing It Well – Master pilot celebrates 25 years of owning his Beechcraft King Air F90
Jim Kirvida proudly reached 25 years of ownership of N911CF, a 1980 Beechcraft King Air F90, earlier this year. The president of Custom Fire Apparatus, Inc. in Osceola, Wisconsin, has previously owned and operated a King Air 200 (BB-843) and a King Air C90A (LJ-1198) as well as two Cessna 425 Conquest twin turboprop aircraft.…