LifeFlight of Maine has been providing critical care transport to patients across its state since 1998, taking requests for its services directly from hospitals, physicians and first responders at a scene of an accident. The nonprofit service is jointly owned by Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems and Central Maine Healthcare Corporation, with a steering committee from…
EC Source Aviation builds flight department with distinctive aircraft Just a few months after taking a chief pilot position flying helicopters for EC Source, Tim Brown was promoted to director of aviation. This new title meant that not only would he fly the aircraft in support of the construction of new power lines, he also would…
Complying with Mandatory Cold Temperature Altitude Corrections The alarm jolts me awake at 4:30 a.m. and I fumble in the dark to stifle its intrusive wailing. Dreading the scene, I stumble to the hotel room window, pull the curtains, and confirm the accuracy of last night’s forecast. Fresh snow blankets everything outside and gently falling…
Winter is upon us. If you live in the Snow Belt, it’s likely you have the shovels and snow blowers out of storage. We all want to keep our sidewalks and driveways clear of ice and snow for our safety, as well as for those who may visit. This same desire holds true for the…
In Part 1 of this article, we left off after completing the 53-mile drive across Glacier National Park (GNP) via the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. We pick up the story along the final stretch of that most picturesque of drives. The final 10 miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road follows the north shore of St. Mary Lake…
The debut and announcement of new airplane models often dominate the headlines at the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention & Exhibition, but this year there was also plenty of news regarding Beechcraft King Airs at the Nov. 17-19 event in Las Vegas. Among the estimated 26,000 attendees, 1,100 exhibits and 100 aircraft on…
In cruise flight, we had reached the halfway point across the expansive width of Montana. The smoke that had been looming ahead, obscuring the western horizon in a thick and dingy haze, was now upon us and reduced forward visibility to almost nil. Peering out the side window and downward, the terrain features were visible…
Unlike many relatively incomprehensible FARs, the one dealing with alcohol use is reasonably clear. FAR 91.17 prohibits any person from acting or attempting to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft: 1) Within eight hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage; 2) While under the influence of alcohol; 3) While using any drug…
Lifetime Pilot Considers King Air the Perfect Airplane for his Missions Simon Hayot has spent a lifetime accumulating over 12,000 flight hours in a variety of aircraft models as a Caribbean aviation pioneer, business owner and published author. According to Hayot, there aren’t many King Airs operating in the French Caribbean, but his King Air…
King Air B200 owner creates King Air Academy Ron McAlister is a guy who should be retired, but he’s working two jobs and loving it. “I gotta tell ya,” the 62-year-old said, “I’m having a ball.” One of the main reasons he’s having too much fun to stop is that he’s the owner-operator of a…