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position, even if parked inside the hangar! Always leave the cabin windows in the non-polarized position whether parked inside or out.” Doing so will prolong the life of the polarized panes immensely.
Really damaged King Air panes not only look burned out but can look bubbled (delaminated) or even cracked! I can’t tell you how many times an anxious owner or pilot has called me about a cracked window, only to find after closer inspection (and me telling them what to look for) that the problem was with the stationary pane of the polarizing set, and not the exterior aircraft window.
Pane Remedies
Back when I had my shop, I always squawked a burned- out pane if I found one, but in my discussion with the customer I would suggest they wait until several windows need replacement before addressing the issue. It’s not an airworthy item.
Most aircraft owners shudder at the prospect of window replacement. It is a labor-intensive project in addition to the cost of parts. In 2011, when I first wrote about King Air cabin windows, a set of polarized panes for a King Air (the fixed, middle pane and the rotating interior pane for one window) ran about $600. Today it’s more than double that. A King Air 200 has 11 windows, including
the window over the potty. If you figure in one-to-two hours of labor per window ... you get the idea.
One way to save a little bit of money on pane replacement is to change only the middle, stationary pane. Rarely, if ever, have I seen the interior rotating pane go bad. The source of burn out is the middle pane. Your rotating panes can get scratched by exuberant children or wayward ski poles, but if they are not scratched too badly, why not keep them and just have the middle panes changed? The labor is the same, but this way you can reduce the cost of parts by up to half and still fix the unsightly burn out.
I am pleased to report that the company providing PMA polarizing panes for King Air windows is still going strong. I chatted with them recently. In these inflationary times, they are about to review their pricing for 2023, but even so, it’s probably a better deal than ordering from the factory.
Changing Panes – A Painstaking Job
Changing windowpanes on an aircraft requires great attention to detail. If the slightest amount of dust or lint is left on the new stationary pane, it will show up like fluorescent dandruff when the rotating pane is turned to max polarization. If this happens, the new pane must be removed and cleaned carefully, then reinstalled.
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18 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2023