Tag Archives: Beechcraft

689 Aircraft Type Club

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An aircraft type club executive director talks about training and air safety. In the news, a Boeing 737 MAX lands in Antarctica for the first time, mixed GA accident messages, business aviation continues to grow, a B-52 takes a 1,400-mile journey over the road, an F-35C crashes, and Qatar Airways goes after some employees.

Guest

Tom Turner, Executive Director of the aircraft type club American Bonanza Society’s Air Safety Foundation.
Tom Turner

Thomas P. Turner is Executive Director of the Air Safety Foundation, part of the aircraft type club American Bonanza Society (ABS). He also publishes the popular FLYING LESSONS Weekly blog and writes, lectures, and instructs from his home in Wichita, Kansas, the “Air Capital of the World.”

The ABS Air Safety Foundation is the education and technical support arm of the Beech Bonanza type club. It offers its 10,000 members the opportunity to communicate and share information. Tom describes the training products and services offered to pilots, mechanics, and flight instructors. That includes the service clinic program, online training courses, and the monthly webinar open to non-members. In general, aircraft type club members have been shown to have a better safety record.

Logo of the aircraft type club American Bonanza Society.

Tom has logged over 4900 hours, including over 2900 as an instructor. He holds ATP and Flight Instructor certificates with CFII and MEI ratings and a Master’s Degree in Aviation Safety. He was inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2015, he is also the 2021 Jack Eggspuhler Award recipient from the National Association of Flight Instructors, the 2010 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year, and the 2008 FAA Central Region Flight Instructor of the Year.

A three-time Master CFI, Tom has been Lead Instructor for Beech Bonanza pilot training at the Beech factory, turbo normalizer production test pilot, aviation insurance broker and underwriter, corporate flight department manager and safety officer, university aviation course developer, and a Captain in the United States Air Force.

For more type clubs, see the AOPA Aircraft Type Club Listing [PDF].

Aviation News

First Boeing 737 MAX jet lands in Antarctica

Czech carrier Smartwings flew a Boeing 737 MAX 8 into Troll Airfield (AT27) on January 26, 2022. The flight departed from Oslo, Norway, stopped over in Chad, proceeded to Cape Town, South Africa, and continued to Antarctica. The 737 stayed in Antarctica for just two hours before making the return flight. The Airfield opened in 2005 and is owned and operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute. It includes a 3,300 meter (10,830 foot) runway on glacial blue ice.

Wikipedia page: List of airports in Antarctica.

Flying Lessons Weekly for January 27, 2022 [PDF]

Mixed Messages on GA Accident Data: GA accidents and the accident rate have generally trended down, but AOPA Air Safety Institute’s numbers are up in 2019, while the NTSB says accidents are down in 2020, then AOPA said 2021 was the safest year in aviation ever, and then AOPA and the NBAA said an appreciable uptick in general aviation accidents.

Business Aviation Growth At a ‘Record High,’ Report Says

WingX reports that in January, U.S. bizjet traffic was up 26 percent over the previous January, and up 19 percent over January 2019. Most of the growth is from owned and managed aircraft.  seeing the most growth. Internationally, business traffic is up 25 percent compared to January 2021, and 16 percent more than reported in January 2020. WINGX Advance GmbH is a Hamburg-based company, founded in 2012, that provides aviation business and broader aviation market intelligence.

Road trip! Vietnam-era B-52 makes 1,400-mile highway journey for final mission

“Damage Inc. II” is a B-52H Stratofortress built in 1961 and retired to a boneyard in Arizona in 2008. Moved 1,407 miles in 19 days, the aircraft will serve as a mock-up at a Boeing facility near Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

Courtesy Tinker AFB @Team_Tinker

F-35 Crash Off Carl Vinson Is the Ship’s 5th Major Mishap in 2 Months

In what’s been called “a landing mishap,” an F-35C Lightning II “impacted the flight deck [of the USS Carl Vinson] during landing” and went into the South China Sea. The pilot safely ejected but seven sailors were injured. This was the first time the F-35C stealth fighter had been deployed aboard a carrier.

The Leaked F-35C Crash Photos Are Genuine, Confirmed the US Navy

The U.S. Navy is working to recover the jet. China’s Foreign Ministry said that China was aware but had no interest in the stealth fighter and added, “We advise [the US] to contribute more to regional peace and stability, rather than flexing force at every turn in [the South China Sea]”.

Video: Video Shows The Last Moments Of The Navy’s F-35C Before It Crashed Into The Sea

Human error, tech glitches and tape caused May 2020 F-22 crash

The Air Force Times previously reported that “the F-22 grew increasingly wobbly upon takeoff, then refused to turn left and barrel-rolled into the ground after the pilot safely ejected.” According to an Air Force investigation, the Florida crash was the result of an improper wash procedure, deficient pre-flight inspection, failure to notify the pilot of a new emergency procedure.

Qatar Airways Subpoenaed Google to Unmask Employees Who Anonymously Criticized Airline Online

Qatar Airways is said to have subpoenaed Google to find the identities of employees who have been critical of the airline. The two anonymous accounts in the Professional Pilots Rumour Network (PPRuNE) had revealed confidential information about the airline – specifically its recruitment and re-joining activities.

Mentioned

EAA Virtual Ultralight Days

State of Flight Training Survey

Thunderbirds Air Show Schedule

Air Force Heritage Flight flyover scheduled to support Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles

Air Force Facebook page

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, David Vanderhoof.

682 Organ Transplant Flights

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:55 — 41.6MB)

In this episode, we speak with the Founder and CEO of ParaFlight and OrganFlights about life-saving organ transplant flights. There’s a lot more to this than you might think, and it’s a conversation you’ll want to hear.

In the news, sustainable aviation fuel for British Airways, Captain Sully heads to ICAO, gender-neutral NOTAMs that also apply to drones, the Beech Denali first flight, commercial aviation and spreading viruses, and in-flight relief devices. In the Australia Desk, we hear about the history of the F/A-18 A and B Hornets in RAAF service.

Guest

Sim Shain is the Founder and CEO of ParaFlight EMS and OrganFlights.com, a lifesaving organ transplant aviation company with an on-call network of jets, helicopters, and emergency transport vehicles. These provide efficient transportation of organs and transplant teams nationwide.

Sim Shain, Founder and CEO of ParaFlight and OrganFlights providing organ transplant flights.
Sim Shain

The transplant process is regulated by the Federal government in the United States, and Sim explains the large number of participants and steps involved in getting an organ from donor to recipient. We learn about the role of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the transplant centers, and organ procurement organizations.

Sim provides a lot of detail about the complexities of matching organ transportation requests to available aircraft considering such factors as the type of organ, flight length, operating room schedule, size of the team, use of a transmetics pump, power and WiFi requirements, and even pilot duty time constraints.

We learn about how Part 135 operators can use the Organ Flights app to register, add aircraft, and receive flight requests via smartphone and the PC.

Over a twenty-eight-year career, Sim has worked in the pre-hospital emergency medical space leading corporate, medical, and charity flights and missions, specializing in organ transplants. He began his career working as a 911 medic and flight medic, and he continues to fly patients and organs around the world. He volunteers for local first aid squads and is a nationally certified paramedic, medical escort, and flight medic.

To learn more, visit OrganFlights.com and explore these other resources:

Aviation News

Airline signs historic deal to use recycled cooking oil to fuel its planes

British Airways signed a multi-year contract with Phillips 66 Limited to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beginning next year. Phillips becomes the first company to produce SAF at a commercial scale in the U.K. The SAF will be produced at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery in North Lincolnshire from sustainable waste feedstock. BA and Phillips 66 say SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by over 80 percent compared to traditional jet fuel.

Sully Named To ICAO

Capt. Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the U.S.  ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO was established in 1944 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention. Originally composed of 54 nations, now the Organization is funded and directed by 193 national governments.

Name change signifies a bigger mission for NOTAMs

The meaning of the acronym NOTAM has changed from “Notice to Airmen” to the gender-neutral “Notice to Air Missions.” The new acronym now easily applies to un-crewed flights of free balloons and drones.

Beech Denali Makes First Flight

The first flight of the Beechcraft Denali turboprop lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes, reaching an altitude of 15,600 feet and a top speed of 180 knots. The clean-sheet design uses the new 1,300-shp GE Aviation Catalyst engine.

How 2 Flights to Europe May Have Spurred Spread of New Variant

If air travel represents an opportunity for virus transmission, what does it mean for airlines and airports?

Air Force To Issue Pilots New In-Flight Relief Devices

A new in-flight bladder relief device is available for U.S. Air Force pilots. The Omni Gen. 3 Skydrate for men is hands-free and automatically collects urine at 2.25 LPM, “keeping the user dry and on-mission.” The Air Force hopes these devices will reduce the number of pilots who intentionally dehydrate before missions.

Australia News Desk

Steve and Grant are joined by aviation author and historian Stewart Wilson to discuss the history of the F/A-18 A & B Hornets in RAAF service, following the type’s withdrawal from service this week.

RAAF F/A-18A Hornet A21-8 (msn 306/AF-08 – delivered 28 Aug 1986) in 75SQN markings, departs RWY16 at Shellharbour Airport (NSW) for its final public display at the Wings Over Illawarra Airshow – 28 Nov 2021. Image by Jai Balmer.
Group Captain Jason Easthope – aka “Easty” – shuts down A21-8 after the final public display of the RAAF F/A-18A Hornet at WIngs Over Illawarra, 28 Nov 2021. Image by Jai Balmer.

Mentioned

A Flock Of U.S. Military Business Jets Has Descended On Southern California

What Happens When You Drop a Cell Phone From 13,200 Feet?

JetTip Alerts for AvGeeks – This app analyzes air traffic for unusual flights.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, and Rob Mark.

AirplaneGeeks 291 – What MH 370 Means to Aviation

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Theoretical Search Area MH 370

We talk with guest Henry Harteveldt about Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 and it’s impact on the airline, on Malaysia, and on the travel industry in general. Wo look at aircraft communications and speculation in the press in the face of changing facts that are really suppositions. Also, global security standards and the quality of the reporting.

In his research paper, Your Most Profitable Customer In 2020-2040: Today’s 18-23 Year Old Traveler, Henry looks at this travel segment. He offers insights into the wants and needs of this age group and how companies in the travel industry (including airlines and airports) need to respond.

We also consider the changing nature of airline alliances and partnerships, and the emerging importance of mobile, including wearables like Google Glass, and what that might mean for airlines and airports.

Guest Henry Harteveldt is an independent travel industry analyst. He’s worked with and advised hotel brands, airlines, online travel agencies, global distribution systems, and key industry associations.

Rob Mark and Megyn Kelly

Rob Mark and Megyn Kelly from FoxNews

The week’s aviation news:

David Vanderhoof’s Aircraft of the Week: the Cessna 150.

In this week’s Australia Desk:

Steve and Grant are back after recovering from the Tyabb Airshow last weekend. It was an amazing show with a great crowd and fantastic aircraft on display. PCDU are producing the airshow DVD! Meanwhile, in the news:

  • Allan Joyce still refusing to accept any responsibility for Qantas’ poor state of being.
  • Australian PM Tony Abbott commits to buying the MQ-4C Triton UAS to go with the P8A Poseidons but doesn’t specify how many and when they’ll arrive.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

Rob Mark’s Aviation Minute: The NTSB.

Fleet Air Arm Museum

Fleet Air Arm Museum in the UK (Copyright – Fleet Air Arm Museum)

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

Pieter records on the road this week, bringing news stories from the European Space Agency as well as suggesting a few more aviation museums worth visiting in the UK.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

Photos from EAA Chapter 190 Women in Aviation event at Huntsville, Alabama March 8, 2014. Five pilots flew fourty-four girls under the EAA Young Eagle’s program from KMDQ – Madison County Executive Airport – Huntsville / Meridianville. Local non-profit Fly Quest sponsored the event with generous support from KMDQ. Thanks to Jamie Dodson.

DSC_7334_400

DSC_7384_400

Mentioned:

  • Recommended reading from Tony Davis:

QF32 by Richard de Crespigny

Riding Rockets by Mike Mullan

Woodbine Red Leader by George Loving

Whistling Death: The Test Pilot’s Story of the F4U Corsair by Boone T. Guyton

Listen to the NBAA Flight Plan podcast from the National Business Aviation Association.

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

AirplaneGeeks 280 – OpenAirplane with Rod Rakic and Adam Fast

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Beechcraft King Air 350i

OpenAirplane co-founders Rod Rakic and Adam Fast talk about the platform that makes it easy for pilots away from home to rent airplanes. Pilots fly more, increase their proficiency, and aircraft utilization is higher.

Learn more about OpenAirplane with the handy online pilot’s guide and the operator’s guide.  See also the Support for Pilots FAQ and the Support for Operators FAQ. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Rod Rakic pioneered social media for aviation as the founder of myTransponder.com. Recently, Rob left his position as Director of the Digital Innovation for Sears Holdings, to concentrate full time on growing OpenAirplane. Rod started flight training when he was sixteen, and holds a FAA commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating. He flys for business and pleasure, and he’s an active Search and Rescue pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, where he serves as a Squadron Operations Officer, with the rank of Captain.

Adam Fast loves software coding and flying GA aircraft. He’s been a software developer and a software consultant, but he combines that interest with aviation by geographically indexing the world’s aviation museums, working on aircraft management software for his flying club, building a scheduling system to automatically create an itinerary for the world’s largest airshow, and his own implementation of a glass cockpit. He’s a ham radio guy, holds a private pilot certificate, and has flown solo round trip to Oshkosh. Adam has also spoken to the International Space Station via both voice and data modes, and stood three miles away on the final launch of all three Space Shuttle Orbiters.

We also look back on significant aviation stories from 2013, and ahead to what may make the news in 2014.

The week’s aviation news:

David Vanderhoof interviews Lieutenant Commander David Tickle, who joined the Blue Angels in September 2010 and served as the Narrator and VIP pilot in 2011, the Opposing Solo pilot in 2012 and the Lead Solo pilot in 2013. He has accumulated more than 2,450 flight hours and 261 carrier arrested landings. His decorations include two Strike Flight Air Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and various personal and unit awards.

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

Gulf Air

We return to the Middle East with Oussama Salah from Oussamas Take to look at new airlines starting in the Saudi market from Qatar and Saudi Gulf Air as well as the impact of a settling of political unrest in certain parts in now affecting aircraft orders. Will Airbus’s and Boeing’s keep raining down on MENA? Find Oussama Salah on Google Plus, and Facebook.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

Listener Recording:

Hangar 7 and The Flying Bulls

Launchpad Marzari interviews Raimund Riedmann, the Redbull Chief pilot and Flight Operations Manager. Hangar 7 and The Flying Bulls.

Mentioned:

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Episode 260 – AirVenture 2013 Debrief

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James Redmon under the wing of his gorgeous Berkut homebuilt

Guests Martt Clupper from the AirPigz blog and Martin Rottler, a faculty lecturer at The Ohio State University’s Center for Aviation Studies join Rob to tell us about the just completed EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh. We talk about the planes, the people, the airshows, and some of the innovations. We hear about the essence of what AirVenture is all about.

Also in this episode is Rob’s interview with Michimasa Fujino, President & CEO, Honda Aircraft Company.

Skip Stewart looking down the runway on his knife edge takeoff!

Skip Stewart looking down the runway on his knife edge takeoff!

The week’s aviation news:

NASA WB-57

NASA WB-57

David Vanderhoof’s Aircraft of the Week: the WB-57F Canberra.

In this week’s Australia Desk:

Bas Scheffers represented the PCDU team at Oshkosh. He caught up with Ryan Cambell, the 19 year old flying solo around the world.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net.

Emirates

Courtesy Emirates

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

We return to look at the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) this week with Oussama Salah our expert from the region. We discuss how the gulf carriers continue to grow and how air cargo fits into the plan. This is the first of a two part segment which will conclude next episode. See Oussama’s Take and circle Oussama on Google+

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

Sorrell SNS-7 Hiperbipe by Mike Butorac at the Boundary Bay Airshow

Sorrell SNS-7 Hiperbipe by Mike Butorac at the Boundary Bay Airshow

Mentioned:

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Episode 222 – Sporty’s John Zimmerman

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Frontier

Guest John Zimmerman is a Vice President at Sporty’s, one of the world’s oldest and largest pilot shops. They also offer gifts, memorabilia, apparel, models and other items for aviation enthusiasts through their Wright Brothers catalog. Sporty’s Flight Center includes Sporty’s Academy a Part 61 flight school that also provides a degree program in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati, Clermont College Professional Pilot Training Program.

We talk with John about last week’s National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting & Convention, iPad and tablet apps for aviators, flying the Robinson and R-44 helicopter, Air Facts journal, and more.

Follow Sporty’s on Twitter as @Sportys, the Air Facts journal as @airfacts, and John’s personal Twitter account, @JTZim.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report:

Its QANTAS Annual General Meeting time again and its just the same news as the last three years…so we didn’t pay much attention to it! The big news of the week is that Virgin Australia have purchased 60% of Tiger Airways, giving them a low cost carrier of their own. This after Singapore Airlines bought 10% of Virgin Australia. The three way deal also sees Virgin looking to buy out regional carrier Sky West. In similar fashion, Air New Zealand have formed an alliance with Cathay Pacific which see the latter taking ANZ passenger to Europe beyond Hong Kong. This frees up ANZ aircraft to operate more flights into the USA instead.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. Australia Desk archives can be found at www.australiadesk.net.

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

Etienne Maillard calls from Geneva in Switzerland to give us an update on GA and his progress as an Air Traffic Controller. Etienne can be found on Twitter as @Flightlevel150.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

The Matterhorn by Etienne Maillard on his cross country flight.

The Matterhorn by Etienne Maillard on his cross country flight.

Mentions:

Opening and closing music courtesy Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

This episode is sponsored by: the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.