The expanded, first-flight-of-the-day checklist procedures in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) include a somewhat lengthy and hard-to-understand series of steps for confirming that the electrical system is fit for duty with all its safety devices operating properly. My guess is that this procedure is executed quite rarely and, when it is done, the pilot is…
Last month in my article regarding how to configure your King Air for in-flight icing encounters, I started reviewing the number of switches or push-pull controls that must be activated in icing conditions according to your POM/POH. To review, there are two or four switches to the left of the pilot’s control wheel: Two Engine…
This article is written in hopes that it will serve as a useful reminder about how to configure your King Air for in-flight icing encounters. If you have any significant amount of flight time in a King Air, I suppose that you have become quite comfortable with flying and handling the airplane in icing conditions.…
Have you ever seen this procedure described? I hope your answer is “Yes,” since it is the title of a procedure presented in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). Quiz time: In what POH section will you find it? Section 3, Emergency Procedure? Section 3A, Abnormal Procedures? Or Section 4, Normal Procedures? I will wager that…
I sometimes get questions along the lines of “Why doesn’t my King Air have the rudder boost system?” Many pilots flying an E90 or C90 receive a demo flight in a newer C90GTx and observe that the newer model has rudder boost whereas their airplanes do not. “It must be due to the higher power…
Last month’s article described the King Air’s reversing propellers and made the statement: A pilot cannot force the propeller to reverse; he can only allow it to do so. Reversing is accomplished by repositioning the propeller’s Low Pitch Stop (LPS). Therefore, unless the propeller’s blade angle is being determined by the LPS, then the blades…
Reversing propellers made their appearance on the King Air A90 that ushered in the 1966 model year. The Straight 90 model of 1964 and 1965 utilized non-reversing propellers similar to those that were installed on the Lycoming-powered Queen Airs being concurrently produced. As one would expect, reversing propellers were a big hit and although they…
If you are not currently flying a member of the 200-series family, up to serial number BB-1459, then this article is not for you. You won’t hurt my feelings if you immediately jump to the next article in this magazine. But since this quite important topic applies to well over 1,000 airplanes, I think it…
A student who was going through initial King Air training once said to me, “I felt comfortable flying the King Air in an hour, but it took about a month to learn how to start the SOB!” I think we would all agree that the King Air – all the various models – are delightful…
This article first appeared in the January 2012 issue of this magazine. It is also a chapter in The King Air Book – Volume II. It is significant enough to merit reprinting here both to enlighten newer readers, as well as to provide a review for seasoned King Air veterans. The original King Air, the…