Page 14 - Volume 11 Number 4

to the stability of the King Air in flight. Think of the number of King Airs that have been converted to jump planes.
this list was “cracked Royalite panels on the cabin door interior surface.” Really? This makes my blood boil. Royalite is a lightweight fire-rated plastic used extensively in aircraft interiors. Some King Air doors have carpet in this area (on either side of the steps), and many have Royalite panels. This is part of the aircraft decor! It is totally cosmetic, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the airworthiness of the aircraft.
(such as what’s shown in the photo on page 11) an airworthy item is only done by a shop hell-bent on gouging the seller and/or buyer in every way possible.
The tendency to turn a pre-buy inspection into a full-on restoration project has gotten out of hand. A pre- buy is supposed to give the buyer a clear picture of the condition of the aircraft so that he/she and the seller can come to an agreement on price and terms. It’s not supposed to take a 30-year-old aircraft and make it brand spanking new!
Airworthy items (actual safety- of-flight items) are typically addressed by the seller before the buyer takes possession, or the buyer pays a reduced price to the seller and has them addressed post-purchase. Either way, the shop doing the pre-buy inspection can’t sign off an aircraft with a known airworthiness issue. Sadly, unscrupulous shops hold buyers and sellers over a barrel by labeling every squawk, quirk and minuscule flaw as airworthy. Fortunately, a knowledgeable King Air mechanic can advise buyers and sellers on which squawks are truly airworthy and which are not.
With respect to King Airs, in particular, their resilience is one of their most desirable qualities. With proper maintenance, they’ll go on and on. May your King Air be no exception to this rule; and may no one touch the door handle in flight. Happy flying! KA
Dean Benedict is a certified A&P,
AI with over 40 years of maintaining King Airs. He’s the founder and former owner of Honest Air
Inc., a maintenance shop that specialized in Beech aircraft with an emphasis on King Airs. In his new venture, BeechMedic LLC, Dean consults with King Air owners and operators on maintenance management, troubleshooting, pre-buy inspections, etc. He can be reached at drdean@BeechMedic.
I mention this because I’m still
fuming over a pre-buy inspection
done on a 300 that was brought to
my attention by the seller of the
aircraft. The shop chosen by the
buyer had squawked a long list
of things as airworthy items that
weren’t the least bit. On the top of Calling a crack in the Royalite com or (702) 773-1800.
12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
APRIL 2017