As we approached the summit of the High Peaks Trail, menacing Turkey Vultures circled overhead. Their inky black feathers and scarlet heads contrasted sharply against the pale blue sky as they effortlessly soared over the cliffs surrounding us. Riding thermals between and around the craggy spires, then crossing the valleys again to repeat each circuit,…
Registration is now open for King Air Gathering 2023 being held at the World Golf Village (WGV) in St. Augustine, Florida, Wednesday, April 12 through Friday, April 14. It is expected to be a sold-out event, so register soon! After flying into Jacksonville Executive (Craig) Airport (KCRG) in Jacksonville, complimentary transportation will take attendees to…
Aviation, like most activities, requires a certain level of expertise. However, it can also be pursued at a wide variety of levels, from recreational for a few dozen flight hours a year, to professional for a thousand flight hours (or more) per year. Thus, “expert” is a loaded term that can mean a variety of…
Plans are coming together for King Air Gathering 2023 being held at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. Attendees will fly into Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport (JAXEX) in Jacksonville, Florida, and utilizing the FBO services of Sky Harbor Aviation. From there complimentary transportation (during designated times) will take attendees to the World…
Robert Johnson saw a Facebook post in August 2017 from friend Doug Jackson asking fellow general aviation pilots in the Dallas area to help in an effort he was leading to fly critically-needed relief supplies to small airports in coastal Texas. While ground transportation was unsafe due to catastrophic flooding, aircraft could land with basic…
John Glidewell likes to imagine having been a fly on the wall in the early 1960s at Beech Aircraft Corporation during conversations between company president Olive Ann Beech, her engineering executives and engine supplier Pratt & Whitney as they were considering combining the proven airframe of the Model 80 series Queen Air with the gas…
Mark your calendars now for King Air Gathering 2023 being held at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The upcoming Gathering will be a bit different from others in the past, as all seminars and exhibits will be held at the World Golf Village. The resort not only features two championship golf courses…
As Air France’s Airbus A330-200 engines whined to a stop, sand patterns twirled on the aircraft’s windows and moments later, an all-encompassing “brown out” rampaged into N’Djamena, Chad, and closed the central African airport (FTTJ). Somewhere near the wind-blasted terminal, Beechcraft King Air 200 (N22071) waited patiently. Based in the country’s capital city, the airplane…
I fly some version of a Piper PA-46, a Daher TBM or a Beechcraft King Air five to six days a week. I’m either instructing, examining or sometimes I get to fly those beauties all by my lonesome. Not a bad gig, eh? I love my job and would not choose to do anything else. My…
Circling the globe in a Beechcraft King Air on an extended five-month mission is a profound and addictive pursuit. Talking with Inuit people living in the stunning remoteness of Canada’s massive but sparsely populated northern territory of Nunavut. The happy greeting with smiles visible through hazmat suits in Bangkok, Thailand, after getting the sense an…