Page 10 - May 2022

Giles has used Textron Aviation’s Tampa Service Center since buying his first King Air in 2017, so when he needed a pre-purchase inspection for FL-586, a one-owner aircraft with 1,800 hours based in Ohio, he reached out to the Indianapolis Service Center. The Indy team coordinated the modifications on the airplane, sending it to the Tampa facility for the ground cooling add- on before handing it over to Giles in December 2021.
“One of our first trips when we got the King Air from the Indianapolis Service Center was a trip with 10 people to Las Vegas for a furnishings show,” Giles said. “There was room for nine passengers, the pilot and all of our bags. We stopped for fuel on the way out there and flew home nonstop.”
Besides the range, he’s been impressed with the improved climb rate and speed compared to his 1992 King Air.
“The engines have been fantastic,” he said. “On our way back from Colorado to Destin, I looked at the moving map and we were at 33,000 feet and going 499 miles per hour. Even with the tailwind, that’s pretty speedy for a King Air, even a new one. It’s also quieter. I have a friend who flies Wheels Up all the time and he said he could tell a huge difference in how much quieter it is when he flew on our King Air with the 5-blade props.”
Ben chose the exterior accent colors of orange and blue, a nod to the Auburn school colors; Christel was in charge of the interior, which has a beige colorway throughout, from new seats with double-stitched details to fresh carpet and cabinet facing.
“We were very involved with all the details; we went to Wichita a few times to meet with the design team,” Giles said. “It turned out the way we envisioned it. There’s not another King Air like it in the world at this point, with all the things that we’ve done to it.”
The aircraft has everything on his wish list ... for now. He admits he is eyeing the IS&S autothrottle for FL-586. KA
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MAY 2022
Giles upgraded the technology throughout the 2008 King Air 350, from moving maps in the cabin to Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion avionics suite in the cockpit. (Courtesy photo)
Christel Giles, who finishes and decorates the high-end vacation homes Ben Giles builds, managed FL-586’s interior refurbishment. (Photo courtesy Textron Aviation India- napolis Service Center)