Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine

Page created by Josephine Swanson
 
CONTINUE READING
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
A MAGAZINE FOR THE OWNER/PILOT OF KING AIR AIRCRAFT   MAY 2020 • VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5 • $6.50

                                   Long Haul
              Follow a King Air 200’s Trans-Atlantic Journey
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
2

                                                                                                                      KingAir            May 2020                Volume 14 / Number 5
                                                                                                                      A MAGAZINE FOR THE OWNER/PILOT OF KING AIR AIRCRAFT

                                                        Contents
                         EDITOR
                     Kim Blonigen
                  EDITORIAL OFFICE
               2779 Aero Park Dr.,
             Traverse City MI 49686
             Phone: (316) 652-9495
                                                                       2
                                                                       Going Solo
                                                                                                                                     24
                                                                                                                                     In History –
           E-mail: editor@blonigen.net
                                                                       Flying a King Air on my First                                 Cessna: The Postwar Years
                     PUBLISHERS
                     Dave Moore                                        Multi-Continent Crossing Alone                                Part Two
                Village Publications                                      by Deanna Wallace                                              by Edward H. Phillips
                  GRAPHIC DESIGN

                                                                       12
                    Rachel Wood                                                                                              24
              PRODUCTION MANAGER
                     Mike Revard
             PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR
                                                                       Insurance ­–
                     Jason Smith                                       Aircraft Insurance
              ADVERTISING DIRECTOR                                     and Pandemics
               John Shoemaker
                                                                          by Kyle P. White
               King Air Magazine
            2779 Aero Park Drive
           Traverse City, MI 49686
           Phone: 1-800-773-7798
             Fax: (231) 946-9588
        E-mail: johns@villagepress.com
        ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATIVE
      COORDINATOR AND REPRINT SALES
                Betsy Beaudoin
            Phone: 1-800-773-7798
    E-mail: betsybeaudoin@villagepress.com
               SUBSCRIBER SERVICES
                Rhonda Kelly, Mgr.
                  Kelly Adamson
                  Jessica Meek
                   Jamie Wilson                                                                                                      30
                  P.O. Box 1810                                        16

                                                                                                                                     30
             Traverse City, MI 49685

                                                                       16
                 1-800-447-7367
                  ONLINE ADDRESS
           www.kingairmagazine.com
                                                                                                                                     Technically...
                   SUBSCRIPTIONS                                       Ask The Expert –
       King Air is distributed at no charge to all
       registered owners of King Air aircraft. The
       mailing list is updated bi-monthly. All others
       may sub­scribe by writing to: King Air, P.O.
       Box 1810, Traverse City, MI 49685, or by
                                                                       Tips for Using the
                                                                       C90 Fuel System
                                                                          by Tom Clements
                                                                                                                                     32
                                                                                                                                     Advertiser Index
       calling 1-800-447-7367. Rates for one year,
       12 issues: United States $15.00, Canada
       $24.00 (U.S. funds), all other foreign $52.00
       (U.S. funds). Single copies: United States
                                                        King Air is wholly owned by Village Press, Inc. and is in no way associated with or a product of Textron Aviation.
       $6.50, Canada/Foreign $9.00.
                                                        King Air (ISSN 1938-9361), USPS 16694 is published monthly by Village Press, Inc., 2779 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City, Michigan
                    COVER PHOTO                         49686. Periodicals Postage Paid at Traverse City, MI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to King Air, Village Press Inc.,
                Courtesy of Textron Aviation            P.O. Box 1810, Traverse City, MI 49685. Telephone (231) 946-3712. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.
                                                        Copyright 2020, Village Publications.
                                                        ADVERTISING: Advertising in King Air does not necessarily imply endorsement. Queries, questions, and requests for media kits
                                                        should be directed to the Advertising Director, King Air, P.O. Box 1810, Traverse City, Michigan 49685. Telephone 1-800-773-7798.
                                                        MANUSCRIPTS: King Air assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or art work. While unsolicited
                                                        submissions are welcome, it is best to query first and ask for our Writer’s Guidelines. All unassigned submissions must be
                                                        accompanied by return postage. Address queries and requests for Writer’s Guidelines to the editor.

           MAY 2020                                                                                                                                              KING AIR MAGAZINE      ­• 1
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
G o i n g So l o
                                                                       Flying a King Air on my First
                                                                       Multi-Continent Crossing Alone
                                                                                                                                                     by Deanna Wallace

                                                                           E
                                                                                 very pilot remembers their first solo   sure you do everything correctly. Truth
                                                                                 flight. It’s a huge milestone where,    be told, no pilot does everything perfectly
                                                                                 after hours of training with a flight   on their first solo, second solo or any
                                                                           instructor, you are finally deemed ready      flight thereafter. The best pilots are those
                                                                           to take the aircraft up on your own with      who recognize there is always room for
                                                                           no one else on board. Those first few         improvement and are constantly striving
                                                                           moments, as your wheels leave the ground,     to make their next flight even better. I am
                                                                           are both exhilarating and terrifying as       more than 6,000 flight hours past that
                                                                           you realize you are completely on your        first solo flight milestone, but I recently
                                                                           own and there is no longer a more             had another first solo milestone that will
                                                                           experienced pilot next to you making          forever be etched in my memory.

                         The author piloting a King Air.

2 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                      MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                                             KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 3
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
Last summer, I made three trans-Atlantic crossings
                                                     GARMIN                               in private aircraft with experienced international ferry
                                                                                          pilots and mentors, Joe Casey and Margrit Waltz. Two
                                                   G1000 NXi                              of those crossings were in Beechcraft King Air 200
                                               www.DA.aero/G1000                          models and one in a smaller, piston-powered, multiengine
                                                                                          aircraft. Although each crossing had similarities, each
                                                                                          trip was unique in its own way and I gleaned more
                                                                                          information each time through slightly varied routing,
                                                                                          changing seasons and different aircraft capabilities.
                                                                                          Later, an opportunity arose for Joe and I to pick up two
                                                                                          separate King Airs from India and ferry them back to
                                                                                          the United States at the same time. This particular trip
                                                                                          was supposed to be my first “supervised solo” multi-
           FOR MORE INFO,           • New zero-time avionics                              continent crossing, as I would be the sole occupant in
           CONTACT:                 • Optional TAWS A, and TCAS II                        the aircraft but have a mentor nearby in another aircraft
                                    • Average weight savings of 250 lbs.                  watching and guiding when needed.
           Michael Kussatz          • New autopilot, WAAS LPV                                One of the first things I was taught on the initial
           Eastern U.S.                capability, and ADS-B compliant
                                                                                          crossing was not everything goes as planned and
           +1 531.207.3951
                                                                                          flexibility is the name of the game. In the case of the
           Michael.Kussatz@         Duncan Aviation Advantages:
                                                                                          “supervised solo,” only one of the aircraft was ready to
           DuncanAviation.com       • 28 Avionics locations across the U.S.
                                                                                          go, Joe was unable to make the trip himself, and I was
                                       AOG Support
           John Spellmeyer          • 5 year parts and labor warranty
                                                                                          sent to India to make the more than 9,000 nautical mile
           Western U.S.             • 5 years of North
                                                                                          trip back to the U.S. alone. In my head, just like when
           +1 316.214.8867             American databases
                                                                                          I flew my very first solo flight as a student pilot, I knew
           John.Spellmeyer@         PLATINUM PACKAGE PURCHASE                             the experience and training I’d received on the previous
           DuncanAviation.com       REQUIRED TO OBTAIN 5 YEAR                             crossings was sufficient and I was ready to make this
                                    WARRANTY AND DATABASES                                trip, but until you’re in the aircraft alone and doing it
                                    (Limited Available)                                   yourself it simply doesn’t seem real.

                                                                                                           The Mission Begins

            KING AIR
King Air Magazine_DA_Due May_FINAL.indd 1                         3/30/2020 10:32:31 AM
                                                                                             I left the United States late on a Sunday night and
                                                                                          arrived in Ahmedabad, India, early Tuesday morning.
                                                                                          After a sufficient rest period, I was escorted to the

         WINDOW INSERTS       STC’D-PMA /FAA APPROVED
                                                                                          aircraft for the first leg of the trip. My preflight inspection
                                                                                          found an airworthy, but very dusty, aircraft that had
                                                                                          been parked outside after months flying in India. The
                                                                                          makings of a large, grass nest were found and removed
                         What Is the Difference                                           from the nose wheel well (luckily, whatever made the
             Between the G & D Aero Tinted Window Insert                                  nest was not discovered with it) and the aircraft was
                and the Polaroid Interior Window Insert?                                  ready to be fueled before departure. In the U.S., most
                              The $$$$$ Cost                                              airports are well equipped with tugs to move general
                                                                                          aviation aircraft without the engines being started. This
                                                                                          was not the case at this particular airport.
                                                                                             Not only was there no available equipment to move
                                                                                          the aircraft from the parking area to the fueling area,
                                                                                          I was prohibited from starting the engines and taxiing
                                                                                          the aircraft under its own power to the needed spot due
                                                                                          to ongoing construction around the movement area.
                                                                                          Although most of the traveling public would consider
                                                                                          this King Air a small aircraft (compared to a Boeing
             With the G & D Aero tinted window you have full                              or Airbus), it is still an aircraft of considerable size,
             time protection against the sun and the ability to                           weighing in at up to 11,500 pounds. I was asked to sit
             keep your passengers cool and comfortable. No                                in the cockpit and watch from that vantage point as four
             need to make any adjustments to the windows                                  Indian men pushed and pulled the aircraft more than
             because the inserts work full time.                                          100 yards to the fueling station in 80-degree weather.
                                                                                          This was no small feat, as the aircraft has no good points
                  G & D AERO PRODUCTS                                                     against which to push or pull and it took considerable
                                                                                          time with several starts and stops as the men rested
                                951-443-1224
                                                                                          between segments.                                                 ›
        4 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                                  MAY 2020
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
Short final at Al Alamain International in Egypt (HEAL). It has an 11,500-foot                     A ForeFlight screenshot of the route between VAAH
  runway providing access to a part-time passenger terminal.                                         and OMAL, which included crossing into Pakistan and
                                                                                                     avoiding Iran by crossing 400 miles over the Gulf of
                                                                                                     Oman, then following its coastline into UAE.

        Day One: Mentally Working Ahead
   After fueling, I was ready to start the aircraft and
get on the way to my first stop at Al Ain (OMAL) in
the United Arab Emirates. It was an almost six-hour
                                                                                   trip, Joe was automatically deferred to for fuel orders
flight from Ahmedabad (VAAH) overflying a portion of
                                                                                   and operational questions. As this is not uncommon,
Pakistan and crossing the Gulf of Oman. I requested my
                                                                                   even in the U.S., I was not bothered by the practice,
clearance and engine start and was feeling pretty good
                                                                                   but did take note that I did not stand out as an equal
about everything until I taxied up to the runway and
                                                                                   co-captain of the aircraft.
realized the onboard GPS unit still had not acquired a
signal and was unusable in guiding me along the very                                  Because of limited general aviation activity in that
specific track I would need to fly. I reluctantly admitted                         part of the world, another issue we had run into was
to the tower controller I would need to return to the                              explaining to security and customs officials that we
parking area to sort out my issue, but did not expect to                           were pilots of a small aircraft and gaining access to the
shut down the engines or delay long. Holding my breath,                            aircraft after overnight stays. Uniforms carry a lot of
I powered down and restarted the GPS, double-checked                               weight and while our standard “uniform” is a polo shirt
the data cards and breathed a big sigh of relief when it                           and a pair of slacks, this time I brought my traditional
powered back up and soon after acquired the satellite                              pilot uniform of white shirt, black pants and gold-striped
signals it needed. Within minutes I was airborne and                               epaulets identifying me as the captain, even though
on my way in the late afternoon hours.                                             there was no one else on board. Wearing this, I had
                                                                                   virtually no issues, despite the language barriers, getting
  As I settled in at my cruising altitude of 28,000 feet,
                                                                                   through security measures to and from the aircraft
with six hours of flight time ahead of me, the reality
                                                                                   in a much more efficient and timely manner than the
of this long, solo trek set in and I busied myself by
                                                                                   previous trip. As a female pilot, I also chose to wear a
mentally getting ahead of the aircraft, considering all
                                                                                   scarf over my hair at some of the Middle Eastern fuel
routes, charts and potential contingencies I might run
                                                                                   stops as a sign of respect for their customs and to make
into prior to my destination. Satisfied all bases were
                                                                                   male ground crews more comfortable interacting with
covered, I enjoyed the view out the window as the sun set
                                                                                   me. Surprisingly, the question asked the most was how
and darkness set in as I was leaving Pakistan’s airspace
                                                                                   I was allowed to fly the aircraft by myself, as all King
for the 250-nautical mile leg over the Gulf of Oman to
                                                                                   Air models are flown by two pilots in those countries.
Muscat. Shortly after landfall, I began my descent into
the UAE feeling good about the start of the trip.
  Six months earlier, Joe and I had made this same trip                              Day Two: Terrific Endurance and Range
heading the opposite direction, delivering an aircraft                               Day two had me leaving OMAL, flying up the Persian
to India. One of the things I remembered most about                                Gulf, stopping for fuel at airports in Saudi Arabia (OEGS)
that trip was the novelty of a female pilot at most of our                         and Egypt (HEAL), crossing the Mediterranean Sea,
stops through Asia and Egypt, particularly in the Middle                           and landing at my final destination for the evening,
Eastern countries. At almost every stop on the prior                               Brindisi, Italy (LIBR). My greeter in Saudi graciously took              ›
6 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                                           MAY 2020
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
A street in Brindisi, Italy.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Wearing a scarf on Middle Eastern stops to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           follow tradition and help the ground crews feel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           a little more comfortable interacting with me.

                                                                                                                                                                                          The route between LIBR and EBLG went across the Swiss Alps, very close to the Switzerland/
                                                                                                                                                                                          France border. Even though the flight was at FL260, the mountain peaks felt close, as they
                                                                                                                                                                                          topped out to nearly 16,000 feet MSL along the passage.

    Getting fueled in Al Alamain, Egypt. The entire fuel crew came
    out for what they reported as their only fueling for the day.

                                                                                                    and range, even against moderate       push toward your destination in as     Liege, in my limited experience, is                   about life in our respective countries
                                                                                                    headwinds, as on this day I was able   few days as is safely possible.        always an efficient tech stop where                   and actively encouraging each other
                                                                                                    to cover more than 2,500 nautical                                             fuelers are quick to turn you and                     to visit and stay longer. Although I
                                                                                                    miles in 12.5 hours of flight time.                                           customer service reps pump you                        was only five flight hours into my
                                                                                                    Much of that time was at a reduced
                                                                                                                                                    Day Three:                    full of espresso and fill your pockets                day, the sun was beginning to set.
                                                                                                    power setting designed to stretch            Handling Weather                 with snacks for the next leg. If you’ve               December days across the northern
                                                                                                    the fuel range on two of the legs        The third flying day saw weather     never had a Belgium stroopwafel,                      latitudes are short and darkness
the time to bring hot water, tea and                       hot tea after the plane was fueled       that clocked in at just under five     reports of overcast skies, scattered   you are missing out on a great treat!                 prevails. I enjoyed a brief sunset on
accompaniments to the aircraft for                         and then tried to send me on my          hours each. Although I had received    showers and a few icing reports           My second leg of the day took me                   departure, before the darkness set
me before my departure and helped                          way with a stray cat, which I politely   great dinner recommendations from      along the route – nothing that a       from Liege to one of my favorite                      in to follow me the next three hours
me explain fueling instructions to                         refused. This was one of the longer      my ground handlers, I was too tired    King Air can’t easily handle. The      stops, Belfast, Ireland (EGAA).                       to Keflavik, Iceland (BIKF).
a trainee fueler unfamiliar with the                       days of the trip because once you        from the long day to do much more      skies started to clear as I made       I’ve found the fuelers there to be                      Thankfully, the ride was smooth
King Air. The next stop in Egypt gave                      leave the UAE, there are no great        than shower and climb into bed,        my way north from southern Italy,      as equally fascinated by my thick,                    and uneventful, leading to a typical,
me equally accommodating ground                            overnight stops until you hit Europe.    a common reality of single-pilot,      affording me great views of the        southern, Texas accent as I am by                     moderately high wind landing
personnel and security guards that                           The King Air 200 proved to             international ferry flying. Days are   Swiss Alps on my way to my next        their Irish talk. Fuel stops always                   in Keflavik, ahead of predicted
insisted I sit with them for a cup of                      be a great aircraft for endurance        long and nights are short, as you      fuel stop in Liege, Belgium (EBLG).    feel short as we have fun talking                     overnight snow showers. The ground
8 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                          MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                                                                                KING AIR MAGAZINE     ­• 9
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
crews at SouthAir know their job and weather well and          my Texas heat-loving-self eagerly signed for the airport
marshaled me to my parking stand pointed into the              fees and called CANPASS to alert them of my expected
wind, so the likelihood of snow piling up on the airframe      arrival in Canada. After departure, I continued my trek
overnight would be somewhat mitigated. I made my               southeast toward Goose Bay, Canada (CYYR), finally
way to a local waterfront hotel, also home to one of my        encountering some welcome daylight halfway across
favorite restaurants in Keflavik, Cafe Duus, and enjoyed       the Davis Strait.
a fresh seafood dinner before retiring for the night.            Goose Bay is a small town located on the eastern
I’ll admit to a somewhat restless night, as high winds         shoreline of Newfoundland and Labrador. It boasts a
howled across the harbor shoreline and I kept rising to        population of just over 8,000, half of that being indigenous
check on the snow accumulation outside my window.              Canadian groups like the Inuit and Metis people. With
                                                               an airport used since the early days of North Atlantic
              Day Four: Dark and Frigid                        crossings and made famous by Earnest Gann’s book
                                                               “Fate is the Hunter,” the town is a common starting and
   The snow showers passed before my scheduled                 stopping point for aviators making the North Atlantic
departure time the next morning and I arrived at an            crossing to and from Europe, and for those travelers
aircraft completely devoid of any snow accumulation or         catching smaller flights out to remote fishing and hunting
frost on the wings. I was very thankful for marshallers        camps in the neighboring Canadian territories.
who knew their job and for high winds that kept
moisture and snow from settling on my aircraft for
long. It was still fully dark, as the sun doesn’t rise until                       Day Five:
almost 11:30 a.m. at that time of year, and I took off                      Crossing North America
toward my next tech stop in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland              The next day, my final one, had me on the home
(BGSF) (or Sondrestrom, the much easier to pronounce           stretch. One more stop in Montreal (CYMX) for fuel
Scandinavian name for BGSF).                                   launched me onto my final leg to Fargo, North Dakota
  In December, the sun doesn’t even attempt to rise            (KFAR), the new home for this King Air. Even with only
that far north, so my full leg and stop was entirely in        two legs, crossing half of Canada and the United States        A view of flying over Greenland on a previous trip when it was light.
the dark. The temperature was a chilly 16 degrees and          from east to west is no short day, clocking in at eight

                                                                                                                              hours of flight time. I took the time on the ground in
                                                                                                                              Montreal to gather all the requisite paperwork I would
                                                                                                                              need to clear U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and to
                                                                                                                              start corralling all the gear I had out for the trip.

                                   De-icing Never Looked This Good                                                               As I was making my way across the snow covered
                                                                                                                              Canadian and northern U.S. landscape, I was allowed
                                                                                                                              ample time to reflect back on my newest “first solo.”
                                                                                                                              Crossing India, the Middle East, Egypt, Europe and the
                                                                                                                              North Atlantic single pilot is no small feat. But while I
                                                                                                                              was alone in the aircraft, this trip would not have been
                                                                                                                              possible without the amazing support services provided
                                                                                                                                                                                                      A view of the Irish coast, on the way to a favorite stop in Belfast (EGAA).
                                                                                                                              by Shepherd Aero, based in Bellingham, Washington.
                                                                                                                              Their dispatchers provided daily weather reports, knew
                                                                                                                              preferred routes, filed international flight plans, pre-                reduced power setting for range. Final trip stats showed
                                                                                                                              arranged fuel services and had my hotel room booked                     five flying days, 41 flight hours, four continents, stops in
                                                                                                                              by the time I landed at the final stop each night. They                 12 countries, over 9,200 nautical miles flown and more
                                                                                                                              tracked me each step of the way and constantly ensured                  than 22,000 pounds of jet fuel turned into noise! KA
                                                                                                                              that everything was going well with me and the aircraft.
                                                                                                                              If anyone is attempting an international flight, I cannot
                                                                                                                              recommend their expertise more. With planners and
                                                                                                                              dispatchers available through every time zone for any
                                                                                                                              unplanned events that might arise, they have the whole                  Deanna Wallace has amassed over 6,000 flight hours since she
                                                                                                                              planet covered.                                                         started flying in 1997 and is a 20-year Gold Seal CFI/CFII/MEI with
                                                                                                                                                                                                      more than 2,000 hours dual given. She holds a Bachelor of Aviation
                                                                                                                                I also cannot say enough good things about how well
                                                                                                                                                                                                      Management from Auburn University and a Master of Aeronautical
     Ice Shield De-icing Systems offers wing boots, propeller boots, wire harnesses, and much more.                           the King Air 200 flew this mission. It may not be the
                                                                                                                                                                                                      Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Deanna is single
                  Offering guaranteed 48-hour delivery and first class customer service.                                      fastest way to cross that distance, but it performed                    pilot typed in the King Air 300/350 and flies all King Air variants
                                                                                                                              admirably and there was no environment in which it did                  regularly, including the B100 with TPE-331 engines. Through her East
        Ice Shield is a Faster, Better Smarter way to protect your aircraft from icing conditions.                            not do well. The 200 consistently offered me an average                 Texas employer, Casey Aviation, she flies Part 91 managed King Airs,
              For more information please visit our website www.iceshield.com or 800.767.6899                                 true airspeed of 260 knots and a fuel flow of 260 pounds                ferries aircraft worldwide and actively instructs owner-pilots in the
                                                                                                                              per side, with at least four segments of the route at a                 PA46 piston and turbine series aircraft.

10 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                            MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                                                                                         KING AIR MAGAZINE    ­• 11
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
INSURANCE
                                                                                                                             management strategies, but when our management              expanded and defined: “bodily injury caused by your
                                                                                                                             of risk fails us, we turn to the insurance policy. What     aircraft, including sickness, disease, mental anguish,
                                                                                                                             coverage do we have?                                        personal injury or death.”
                                                                                                                                Insurance policies for King Airs are typically very         “Sickness” is the key word in the definition and would
                                                                                                                             broad. Below is specific wording from an actual             lead one to believe there is coverage in the event a third-
                                                                                                                             King Air policy and the endorsements that clarify           party contracts a “sickness” onboard your aircraft. The
                                                                                                                             coverage. Remember, endorsements modify the policy to       difficulty will be the burden this places on the legal
                                                                                                                             add or remove coverage to the policy. Near the beginning    interpretation of the policy. The insurance policy is a
                                                                                                                             of every aircraft policy there is a statement: “When and    legal contract and coverage is triggered upon determining
                                                                                                                             where you are covered.”                                     an “occurrence” has happened. It is also worth noting,
                                                                                                                               In the particular policy we reviewed, it reads:           aircraft insurance policies are not designed to cover
                                                                                                                                                                                         King Air owners and operators from perils covered
                                                                                                                               “You are covered for occurrences that take place          under workers’ compensation. The policy specifically
                                                                                                                             during your policy period while your aircraft described     addresses this with the following:
                                                                                                                             on the Coverage Summary Page is anywhere in the
                                                                                                                             world. By an occurrence we mean any accident                  “EXCLUSIONS, unless otherwise provided in the
                                                                                                                             or continuous or repeated exposure to conditions            policy of insurance, the liability insurance afforded
                                                                                                                             which you don’t expect to happen resulting in bodily        under this policy shall not apply to: Bodily injury,
                                                                                                                             injury, property damage or loss of or damage to your        sickness, disease, mental anguish or death of any
                                                                                                                             aircraft. All injuries or damage resulting from generally   employee of the Named Insured while engaged in the
                                                                                                                             the same conditions will be considered one occurrence.”     duties of employment, or any obligation for which the
                                                                                                                               The policy starts with a very broad attitude toward       Named Insured or any company as Insurer may be

                          Aircraft Insurance
                                                                                                                             expansive coverage. That coverage becomes more              held liable under any workmen’s compensation or
                                                                                                                             restrictive when the term “bodily injury,” is further       occupational disease law.”

                           and Pandemics                                                                by Kyle P. White

U
        nprecedented times are upon us. In the past,            You will find the term “sickness” used within your
        King Air magazine has published dozens of            aircraft policy, so for the purpose of this article we will
        articles on a variety of insurance topics. The       refer to COVID-19 as a “sickness.” Like all risks, you
content has revolved around experiences your fellow          should first focus on managing the exposure, in this
King Air operators have endured and we all have been         case the risk of “sickness.” As we have learned, social
able to learn from. Currently, the world is grappling to     distancing is the backbone of the strategy to limit the
navigate COVID-19, which has sent the entire aviation        spread of the “sickness.” Staying 6 feet apart in any
community scrambling to protect our health, as well as       aircraft is difficult, particularly in business aircraft such
our business. This virus is challenging each of us and       as the King Air. Currently, some operators, particularly
providing no answers about how long this battle will         those who fly Part 135, are not flying because their
last or what our “new normal” may look like. As we           clients or owners are staying close to home. However,
consider life “post COVID-19,” we should also prepare        many operators also want to be ready for a trip, should
ourselves for possible legal issues that may arise from      the need arise. Part of being prepared for a trip is
this pandemic. While the aviation insurance industry         making sure the necessary precautions are in place
may not have anticipated such a global challenge, there      to protect both crew and passenger health. To ensure
are hints of what may or may not be covered within           they are healthy and ready to fly, some crews are self-
your aircraft policy.                                        isolating. Other operators have explored operating single
                                                             pilot to protect themselves, as well as their second
                                                             pilot, to avoid inadvertently spreading the “sickness.”
                  Third-party Liability                      For operators flying fellow employee passengers, many
   It doesn’t hurt to look into potential third-party        have implemented a self-imposed restriction of only
liability, how to manage it and ultimately, if your policy   carrying a 50% passenger load to maintain proper
provides coverage.                                           social distancing. Each of these options are good risk

12 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                          MAY 2020    MAY 2020                                                                                           KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 13
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
Upon reviewing the policy word­      have to wonder how the legal system       received prior written approval
ing as outlined above, an insured       may or may not apply “… and Other         from the Aviation Managers, we
is certainly entitled to file a claim   Perils Exclusion.” The following are      will suspend the in-flight portions
should they feel a third-party          a few excerpts from the policy that       of your Coverage and refund
passenger was harmed due to a           includes “sickness”:                      premiums for the period the aircraft
“sickness.” If a claim like this does      “This insurance does not apply         is out of service, computed at
arise, it is possible the standard      to any liability … including bodily       fifty percent (50%) of the pro-rata
exclusion that is in all aircraft       injury, fear of bodily injury, damage     premium which applied to the
policies: “Noise and Pollution and      or fear of damage, personal injury,       aircraft. You also agree to advise
Other Perils Exclusion” could come      advertising injury, sickness,             the Aviation Managers, in writing,
up for debate, specifically with        disease … directly or indirectly          as soon as the aircraft is returned to
focus on “other perils.” While the      arising out of, resulting from,           service. However, no refund will be
exclusion is a lengthy and wordy        caused or occasioned by, happening        made for any lay-up period of less
endorsement, I encourage you to         through, in consequence of, or in         than thirty (30) consecutive days.”
review it in your policy. Before the    any way involving: Pollution or              The lay-up credit is causing the
COVID-19 pandemic, my personal          Contamination.”                           insurance underwriters a great
interpretation of the need for this                                               deal of pain, both financially and
exclusion was to avoid covering           How the policy defines “con­
                                        tamination” could be worrisome            administratively. The actuaries
claims for things such as an angry                                                most likely did not anticipate their
homeowner next to the airport           as it specifically uses the words
                                        “…‘Waste’ of any kind whatsoever,         entire portfolio of clients would be
accusing an aircraft operator of                                                  seeking a portion of their premium
being too loud. Or a King Air with      including solid waste, waste water,
                                        waste oil, infectious medical waste,      back, due to the effects of a global
an aging and cracked fuel bladder                                                 shutdown of travel. These refunds
that seeped fuel onto the hangar        and human.”
                                                                                  could further exacerbate the need
floor that then flows to the drain         This is a new peril for all of us to   for the insurance underwriters to
leading to the sewer system. Now,       consider and should be reviewed           seek even higher premiums at your
reading the exclusion with the          with your broker, underwriter and         renewal and pushing to eliminate
thought of “sickness” in mind, you      legal counsel to see how your policy      the lay-up credit endorsement in
                                        may or may not respond to a claim         the future. Talk to your broker
                                        involving COVID-19.                       about what you may be entitled
                                                                                  to if you currently have this
                                                Possible Credit                   endorsement. If you don’t, it may
                                                                                  be something to inquire about in
                                                 Endorsement                      the future. Especially if you have
                                           Despite aviation coming to a           a lengthy phase inspection on the
                                        screeching halt amid this pandemic,       horizon or other time-consuming
                                        we continue to see the insurance          maintenance scheduled.
                                        market hand out substantial                 Again, these are unprecedented
                                        increases. One way to reduce your         times. There has been both social
                                        outlay for the aircraft insurance         and political pressure on the
                                        policy is to look for the “lay-up”        insurance companies to cover
                                        credit endorsement. The intention of      COVID-19 related claims and
                                        a lay-up credit is to return premium      provide premium relief. While this
                                        dollars to the insured during periods     sounds enticing initially, if these
                                        of reduced exposure. Typically, this      payouts become precedence, we will
                                        reduced exposure resulted from            continue to see eyebrow raising rates
                                        the aircraft being out of service for     continue into 2021, with potentially
                                        extended maintenance. There are           fewer carriers competing for your
                                        many variations of the formula used       business. KA
                                        in calculating the lay-up credit. A
                                        typical endorsement could look
                                        something like this:
                                                                                  Kyle P. White is an aviation insurance
                                          “In the event an aircraft described     specialist for a global insurance brokerage
                                        on the Coverage Summary Page is           company. He has professionally flown
                                        laid-up and out of service for any        King Air 90s and B200s and holds an ATP
                                        reason other than loss or damage          and multi-engine instrument instructor
                                        covered by ‘Your Aircraft Physical        license. You can reach Kyle at kpwhite816@
                                        Damage Coverage,’ and you have            gmail.com

14 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                              MAY 2020   MAY 2020   KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 15
Long Haul Follow a King Air 200's Trans-Atlantic Journey - King Air Magazine
ASK THE EXPERT
                                                                                                                           in a C90, there is a nasty “gotcha”                   Gravity Flow

                           Tips for Using the
                                                                                                                           waiting for you on that fuel panel.
                                                                                                                                                                         Since liquid “seeks its own level”
                                                                                                                           You are used to using a switch – not
                                                                                                                                                                      the nacelle level must drop before
                                                                                                                           a two-position toggle, but rather a
                                                                                                                                                                      any wing fuel flows into the nacelle.
                                                                                                                           two-position switch spring-loaded
                                                                                                                                                                      When one looks at the location of
                                                                                                                           to the upper position – that reads

                           C90 Fuel System
                                                                                                                                                                      the two fuel filler caps – one about
                                                                                                                           the main tank quantity in its
                                                                                                                                                                      half-way out on the outboard wing
                                                                                                                           normal, “Up” position and reads
                                                                                                                                                                      and the other atop the nacelle – it
                                                                                                                           aux tank quantity when held down
                                                                                                                                                                      seems that the nacelle level is only
                                                                                                                           against the spring force that holds it
                                                                                                                                                                      marginally above the top of the
                                                                                                                           up. There is no “total” reading. Of
                                                                                                                                                                      wing fuel. In regard to height, that
                                                                                                                           course, most of the time the auxes
                                                   by Tom Clements                                                                                                    is correct. But in regard to volume,
                                                                                                                           are empty, so the main reading is
                                                                                                                                                                      it’s not even close. Realize that the
                                                                                                                           the total reading.
                                                                                                                                                                      nacelle tank becomes quite narrow
                                                                                                                             There is a possibility that a fuel       near its bottom. Why? To allow
                                                                                                                           exhaustion accident that put a C90         room for the main wheel and tire
                                                                                                                           into the Caribbean was caused by           to retract. Most of the nacelle tank’s
                                                                                                                           the pilot’s misunderstanding of the        volume is in the upper half. Before
                                                                                                                           gauges. It would be easy to think          gravity flow moves fuel from the
                                                                                                                           that the 800 pounds showing with           wings into the nacelle, the nacelle
                                                                                                                           the switch in the “Up” position was        tank must decrease to about 150
                                                                                                                           main quantity and the 400 pounds           pounds, or 3/8 full.
                                                                                                                           showing with the switch in the
                                                                                                                                                                         Think again of the 200- or
                                                                                                                           “Down” position was aux. Hmmm
                                                                                                                                                                      350-experienced pilot filling in
                                                                                                                           … 800 plus 400 is 1,200. Yeah, I
                                                                                                                                                                      on a C90. In the bigger models,
                                                                                                                           have close to full fuel on board,
                                                                                                                                                                      fuel transfer from aux to main is
                                                                                                                           good to go. But no! The 800 pounds
                                                                                                                                                                      automated, usually requiring no
                                                                                                                           being read was the total on that side.
                                                                                                                                                                      pilot action at all. If this pilot forgets
                                                                                                                           Instead of 2,400 pounds the plane
                                                                                                                                                                      that the C90 is different, he or she
Photo credit: Banyan Air Service                                                                                           departed with 1,600 pounds … not
                                                                                                                                                                      may take off without turning the
                                                                                                                           quite enough to complete the long
                                                                                                                                                                      transfer pump switches on. When

T
                                                                                                                           overwater leg.
                                                                                                                                                                      will the mistake manifest itself?
      he fuel system on the new C90GTx models that           of four gauges. There were marks on the face of the             Please read the labels on the            Probably not for a long, long time.
      are being delivered in the year 2020 is nearly         gauge showing Empty and Full as well as quarter, half         selector switch carefully and
      identical to the fuel system that first appeared       and three-quarter quantity; no numbers for gallons nor                                                     First, the no fuel transfer ann­
                                                                                                                           remember that in the C90 system
on the King Air A90 when it made its appearance in           pounds were presented. The gauges received information                                                   unciator(s) receive no power with
                                                                                                                           the nacelle reading is already
1966 … a “mere” 54 years ago. The A90’s predecessor          from float-type sensors in the tanks. As is true for most                                                the transfer pump switch(es) off, so
                                                                                                                           included in the total reading.
– the Straight 90, the first King Air model of all – had a   float-style gauges, their accuracy and reliability were                                                  no warning light will advise of the
similar but different system, one that had two electric      rather horrid. Starting with LJ-529, the gauging system         Why do we even have a reading            error. Looking at the total or nacelle
boost pumps per side instead of one. Yes, from the A90       was changed to one that used capacitance probes instead       for nacelle quantity? So long as           quantity on the gauge will show no
to the C90GTx there are some significant differences         of floats. (Note: LJ-502, the very first C90, was the         we know the total per side, that’s         problems for at least 30 minutes.
– many of which will be presented in this article – but      prototype test airplane for this system so it, too, has the   enough, right? Never let the total         In fact, if the pilot is not quite
overall, the system remains the same. Whether you fly        newer style system.) The two separate gauges per side         reach zero and we will never run           familiar with normal readings
an A90, B90, C90, C90-1, C90A, C90SE, C90B, C90GT,           were replaced with a single gauge per side that reads         out of fuel, right?                        on the gauge, he/she could go for
C90GTi or C90GTx (did I forget any?), this article is        in pounds of fuel. The scale went up to 1,400 pounds.           Wrong! Realize that every bit            over two hours without noticing
for you. Other King Air models? Feel free to read these      Since one side’s full fuel would be 1,286 pounds – using      of fuel the engine ever consumes           anything amiss. So, what would/
pages, but they will not be directly addressing the fuel     the common conversion factor of 6.7 pounds per gallon         comes from a nacelle tank. If that         should be noticed? This: That the
system of other models.                                      of Jet A fuel – there should never be a situation in which    tank reaches zero, we are either           nacelle tank level is not staying
                                                             1,400 would be insufficient to display the side’s total       going to lose engine power or we           between 300 and 400 pounds.
  I will begin by reviewing the tanks, all of which are
rubberized bladders. For most of these models the POM        quantity, even when the fuel is very cold and hence           must use crossfeed to supply the             Without the transfer pump
or POH lists the nacelle tank quantity as 61 gallons         very dense. A two-position toggle switch lies between         fuel from the other nacelle tank.          keeping the nacelle relatively
and the wing tank quantity as 131 gallons. That yields       the two gauges. Its top position is labeled “Total” and          Since wing tank fuel is useless until   full, its quantity will drop to the
192 usable fuel gallons per side or 384 gallons total.       its bottom position is labeled “Nacelle.”                     it gets transferred into the nacelle       150 -pound figure mentioned
All A90s and B90s, and C90s up until LJ-529, had               I want to divert for a moment to insert a critical          tank, how is that accomplished?            previously. A rule-of-thumb is that a
individual gauges that displayed left and right nacelle      warning. For you pilots who perhaps fly a 200 or 350          Two ways: (1) The electric transfer        PT6A-20 or -21-powered 90 will use
quantity and left and right wing tank quantity – a total     on a regular basis and only do occasional fill-in duty        pump; (2) Gravity flow.                    about 600 pounds the first hour,
16 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                         MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                                                KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 17
total – 300 pounds per side (closer to 700 pounds for                          quantity also. That step should be done at least every            you tell the difference – the difference   (PCB) that activates a 30-second           a large cabin load – it is expected
the -135As of the GTs). Thus, within the first hour it                         half-hour. I tend to combine it with a deliberate check           of a couple of gallons? Of course not!     timer. Anytime within the next             and normal to have the left and
should be obvious that something is wrong since the                            of the loadmeters and voltmeter.                                  But here’s what’s important: Every         30 seconds, if the pressure rises          right “No Transfer” annunciators
nacelle will have decreased to about 150 pounds. “Gee,                                                                                           time you check the nacelle fuel level      above 2.5 psi the system resets and        illuminate when the total fuel
the nacelle is going to be empty in less than another                                                                                            it should be between about 300 and         returns to normal. This allows for         quantity gets down to just nacelle
hour if it keeps decreasing at the rate I’ve observed!”                                                Transfer Pumps                            400 pounds. If ever it drops below         the momentary lack of pressure due         fuel. With the main tanks empty
No, it won’t. Remember that the 150-pound figure                                  These impeller-type pumps (one per side) are located           300, be aware that something is            to sloshing fuel when the tank is          and the low-level switch activated,
represents the point at which gravity flow will begin.                         at the low spot of the center section tank … the lowest           probably wrong … either the gauge          approaching empty but is not yet           the pumping of air obviously takes
As the nacelle level decreases further, the wing fuel                          spot in the wing tank complex of bladders. In normal              is in error or the transfer pump is        totally there.                             place. It is fun to see how much time
will seek its own level and start to be used. You might                        operation the pump cycles on and off so as to keep the            not working. (As discussed, the               When the output pressure drops          passes between when the first side’s
say that we are now drawing fuel out of a very large                           nacelle tank within about 10 gallons full. Since full             inoperative transfer pump may be           below 2.5 psi and stays low for the full   and second side’s light appear. How
tank since all five bladders contain fuel at the same                          nacelle fuel is 61 gallons or 409 pounds, when it drops           because we forgot to turn it on!)          30 seconds, then the printed circuit       close was the consumption rate of
level. What’s wrong with this?                                                 to about 51 gallons or 342 pounds the pump should                 Similarly, there is a problem if the       board does two things. First, it turns     the two engines? How even was the
   Actually, not much. Rarely do we land with less than                        automatically activate to refill the tank. The pump has           nacelle is always reading 400 pounds       off the pump to prevent possible           left and right fuel quantity when the
300 pounds of fuel remaining per side and usually it is                        a 550 pounds per hour (pph) flow rate so even with                … the transfer pump seems to be            damage caused by the pump spinning         fueler finished doing his task?
quite a bit more. But here is the important fact to know:                      the engine at a high power setting the pump will be               running continuously.                      too fast and creating excessive heat.         When the first “No Transfer”
When the nacelle tank goes empty, reading zero, the                            able to supply more fuel into the nacelle tank than the              The C90A and after models               Second, it activates the “No Transfer”     light appears – as was expected; no
total quantity should still be reading about 200 pounds.                       engine is taking out. There are actually two high-level           use three-position transfer pump           annunciator. In my opinion, this light     surprise – the proper action is to
This 200 pounds – actually, 28 gallons or 188 pounds –                         shutoff switches in the nacelle. If we had only one and it        switches – override, auto and off.         does not warrant the warning, red          turn off the transfer pump switch.
is sitting too low in the center section wing tank to flow                     failed, the pump would run continuously, decreasing its           The previous models had only two           status, yet in all models up to the        This does two good things: First,
by gravity feed to the nacelle. The legal and comfortable                      expected lifetime. (There are vent lines at the top of the        positions – on and off. The “On”           C90B it is indeed a warning light.         it assures that the pump is indeed
fuel reserve for which you planned has been significantly                      nacelle that allow extra fuel to return to the wing tanks         position is exactly like the “Auto”        In the C90B and later models it was        no longer running and perhaps
compromised, hasn’t it?                                                        so no pressurizing of the tanks nor venting overboard of          position … that the pump cycles            changed to a caution, yellow light.        shortening its life. Second, it kills the
                                                                               fuel would occur.) One high-level switch should activate          on and off as required to keep the         Good move, Beech!                          annunciator. No need for that light
   What is the takeaway here? In addition to not making
                                                                               a tad below 60 gallons and the other a tad above.                 nacelle within about 10 gallons of            As all of you have probably             to stay on, burning out the bulbs
the mistake of forgetting to activate the transfer pumps,
I am trying to emphasize the importance of regularly                             Let’s be realistic. With the typically not-too-stellar          full. The “Override” position keeps        experienced near the end of a long         and making the passengers nervous.
checking not just the total fuel quantity but the nacelle                      accuracy of even the capacitance type fuel gauges, can            the pump running 100% of the time,         flight – or even a short one if you have   (Remember what I wrote earlier?
                                                                                                                                                 keeping the nacelle 100% full and
                                                                                                                                                 returning the excess back where
                                                                                                                                                 it came from via the vent lines.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Short - N- Numbers.com
                                                                                                                                                 (More about the usefulness of this

     ONE STOP, for all your King Air needs.                                                                                                      is to come.)
                                                                                                                                                    If we did indeed turn the transfer
     Yingling, the premier full service MRO/FBO in                 Interiors                                                                     pump switches to “On” or “Auto”
     the Southern Plains. Everything you need in one                                                                     Exterior Paint          after starting as we should, then here
     stop to make your King Air beautiful, current on                                                                                            is how the system should operate.                  We specialize in US aircraft registration numbers
     technology, and wheels-up ready when you are.                                                                                               Unless one of the high-level switches                             with 3-digits or less
                                                                                                                                                 in the nacelle is activated, then the
                                                                                                                                                 pump will begin immediately. It                    Examples: 1K, 3C, 22W, 50G, 8MG, 3CC, 1VM, 4GS, 400, 510
     Comprehensive support for all                                                                                                               does not wait for the low-level switch
     areas of your King Air                                                                                                                      to be hit; it starts now unless it is                     Over 1,800 N-numbers to choose from
         Paint and interior: Total and                                                                 Avionics                                  broken or the nacelle is full. Once
         Partial Refurbishment.
                                                                                                                                                 the nacelle is full – one of the two
         Avionics: G1000 upgrades, Wi-Fi,                                                                                          Winglets      high-level switches activated – then
         Text, and Cabin Entertainment
                                                                                                                                                 the pump stops until triggered by
         Service Department: Phase
         Inspections, Component Overhaul,                                                                                                        the low-level switch.
         Mods and Upgrades from Advent,                                                                                                             In the line connecting the
         Blackhawk, BLR, and Raisbeck.
                                                                                                                                                 transfer pump to the nacelle tank
         Prop Shop: Overhauls, Exchanges,                                                                             Prop Sales                 is a pressure switch. The switch’s
         Repairs, STC Conversions                            Service                                                   & Service
                                                    (Airframe and Engines)                                                                       setting is at about 2.5 psi, not that
                                                                                                                                                 it matters very much. The pump
     Contact us for Equally Comprehensive support for Citations                                                                                  typically puts out about 25 psi of
                                                                                                                                                 pressure. When the pump begins
                                                                                                                                                 pumping air instead of fuel – as the
                                            316.943.3246             or toll free:   800.835.0083 [ FBO OPEN 24/7 ]                              wing tank complex of bladders is
                                            ht t p : / / w w w. y i n gl i n ga v i a ti o n . c o m                                             finally empty – the pressure drops
                                            LOCATED AT THE DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER NATIONAL AIRPORT2010 AIRPORT ROAD, WICHITA, KS 67209
                                                                                                                                                 below 2.5 psi. A signal is sent to
                                                                                                                                                 an electrical printed circuit board
18 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                               MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                                                                  KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 19
If we never turn on the transfer          we will know that the nacelle tanks are totally full so        what has been previously written in this article, the same
                          pump switch the annunciator               all the lineperson must do is top off the wing fillers.        outcome could be achieved by cycling the transfer pump
                          cannot operate, cannot give us a          There’ll be no need to drag the hose on the nacelle’s          switch to “Off” and then back to “On.”) Second, the
                          reminder of our mistake.)                 nice new paint job.                                            transfer test switch changes the operation of the “No
                             Another thing to do when that             Almost the same thing can be accomplished in the            Transfer” light. The 30-second delay and the 30-second
                          first “No Transfer” light illuminates     earlier models that have just the “On” and “Off” transfer      shutting off the pump are eliminated entirely. Instead
                          is to start a timer. If you are shut      pump switch positions. Here’s how: Leave the switches          – and quite simply – the “No Transfer” light will be
                          down on the ramp within no more           in the ON position and tap the transfer test switch out        on if the pump’s output pressure is less than 2.5 psi
                          than one hour from now, you will          of its spring-loaded, center position to both the left         and it will be off if the pressure is above that 2.5 psi
                          never run out of fuel. Yes, “never”       and right sides. I will talk more about this test switch       switch’s setting.
                          is a powerful word and if the nacelle     in the remaining paragraphs, but for now what this                Based on this insight into what the switch
                          bladder sprang a big leak now, I          action does is to start the transfer pump immediately,         accomplishes, there are three different scenarios that
                          reckon we could still run out of          without waiting for the low-level switch to be activated.      may be encountered when the switch is tapped to the
                          fuel. As we have presented, the           Once activated, the pump won’t stop until the high-level       side of interest. (1) Nothing noticeable takes place; no
                          nacelle should contain at least 51        switch is hit. Since there is no way to accurately know        illumination of the “No Transfer” annunciator. (2) The
                          gallons of fuel when the transfer         if the nacelle tank is totally full or just relatively close   “No Transfer” annunciator blinks on for a moment then
                          pump started pumping air due to the       to being full, tap that switch again a couple or three         goes back off. (3) The “No Transfer” annunciator comes
                          wing tanks being empty. Even the          times during the approach and landing before you stop          on and remains on with steady illumination.
                          powerful -135A engines won’t burn         on the ramp. By doing so you can guarantee the nacelle
                          that much fuel in an hour, especially     tank will be darn close to full.                                  The explanation for scenario No. 1 is that the pump
                          since some of this time will be at                                                                       was already in the process of filling the nacelle tank. The
                                                                      Now about that transfer test switch …                        light never came on because the pressure was already
                          the lower powers associated with
                          the descent, approach, and landing          Somewhat like the “No Transfer” annunciator, the             above 2.5 psi. Situation No. 2 indicates that the pump
                          phases of the flight.                     transfer pump switch must be “On” for this switch to           was still in a “waiting” state, waiting for the low-level
                                                                    have any function. What exactly does it do? Two things.        switch to tell it to start resupplying the nacelle. Without
                             What about the times when              First – as was taught in a previous paragraph – it starts      the pump running, there was less than 2.5 psi at the
                          we have more total than nacelle           the pump running immediately, without waiting for the          sensor switch so the annunciator came on. Immediately
C90 Fuel Panel
                          fuel so we are not expecting the          low-level switch to be activated. (If you read carefully       however, the pump began operation, output pressure rose
                          “No Transfer” annunciator yet it
                          illuminates? This indicates failure of
                          that side’s transfer pump. Expect the
                          nacelle level to drop significantly so
                          that gravity feed begins and keep a
                          careful eye on nacelle tank quantity.
                          You need to be shutdown well
                          before it reads zero, even though
                          the total will still be reading about
                          200 pounds when the nacelle goes
                          empty. (Reading the 28 gallons that
                          won’t flow uphill.)
                             To desire an absolutely full fuel
                          load is somewhat rare unless we
                          have a max gross takeoff weight
                          limit at or near 10,500 pounds or we
                          have a light cabin load. But presume
                          that we do indeed desire to top the
                          tanks entirely on our next flight.
                          There is a neat little trick that saves
                          the fuelers’ time – and perhaps our
                          nacelle’s paint – that works when
                          we start the descent for landing if
                          the “No Transfer” lights had not
                          previously illuminated. If you have
                          a C90A or after, just place the left
                          and right transfer pump switches
                          up to “Override.” Doing that will
                          force the transfer pumps to run
                          continually until we complete the
                          shutdown checklist. By doing this,
20 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                 MAY 2020    MAY 2020                                                                                              KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 21
Your Source for King Air Landing Gear                        above 2.5 psi, and the light extinguished. No. 3 indicates
                                                              one of two things – try to figure out the reasons before
                                                              I present them …
                                                                The first reason is that the pump is inoperative. Its
                                                              motor gave up the ghost or perhaps its impeller is jammed
                                                              and cannot rotate – time to have maintenance do some
                                                              troubleshooting. The second reason is that the wing
                                                              tanks are still empty from a previous flight or from some
                                                              maintenance that involved draining the wing tanks. How
                                                              did you do on this pop quiz?
                                                                 Here’s another quick quiz. Why is scenario No. 2 – the
                                                              blink of the annunciator when the switch is tapped – so
                                                              often followed by scenario No. 1 – no light at all – when
                                                              you hit the test switch more than once? Answer: The
                                                              first tap of the test switch took place when the pump
                                                              was waiting to operate because the low-level switch had
                                                              not yet been reached. Remember that once the pump
                                                              starts operating, it doesn’t stop until the high-level switch
              Inspect • Overhaul • Exchange • Install
              •
                                                              is hit. So, the pump was already running, putting out
       • Complete Ship Sets • King Air Aircraft Maintenance
                                                              positive discharge pressure, when the subsequent taps
                                                              of the switch were made.

                                                                          A couple of closing thoughts:
                                                                 The first-flight-of-the-day test of the transfer pumps
                                                              is more satisfying and instructive by doing it in this
                                                              manner: Take one hand and hold the transfer test switch
                  601-936-3599 • www.traceaviation.com        to one side and use the other hand to now turn that
                                                              side’s transfer pump switch to “On” or “Auto.” Unless the
                                                              wing tanks are still empty, it should always result in a
                                                              blink of the annunciator to verify that the pump is OK.
                                                                The second closing comment is to understand the
                                                              danger inherent in the use of auto crossfeed. If you
                                                              have not already done so, read “The Crossfeed Trap,”
                                                              an article in the Clements’ Corner section of the King
                                                              Air Academy’s website and view the King Air Academy’s
                                                              YouTube video channel about that topic. I strongly
                                                              encourage your standard operating practice be to leave
                                                              the crossfeed switch in the bottom, closed position. KA

                                                              King Air expert Tom Clements has been flying and instructing in King
                                                              Airs for over 46 years and is the author of “The King Air Book” and
                                                              “The King Air Book II.” He is a Gold Seal CFI and has over 23,000 total
                                                              hours with more than 15,000 in King Airs. For information on ordering
                                                              his books, contact Tom direct at twcaz@msn.com. Tom is actively
                                                              mentoring the instructors at King Air Academy in Phoenix.

                                                              If you have a question you’d like Tom to answer, please send it to Editor
                                                              Kim Blonigen at editor@blonigen.net.

22 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                      MAY 2020     APRIL 2020   KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 23
IN HISTORY

                            Cessna: The Postwar Years –
                                                                                                                                                                       Part Two
                                                                                                                                                           The two-place Model 120/140 were modern,
                                                                                                                                                           all-metal designs that established Wichita’s
                                                                                                                                                            Cessna Aircraft Company as a leader in
                                                                                                                                                            the highly competitive personal, training
                                                                                                                                                                 and business aviation markets.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  by Edward H. Philips

                                                                                                                                                           A
                                                                                                                                                                  fter five years of massive bloodshed, incalculable
                                                                                                                                                                  destruction and indescribable human suffering, World
                                                                                                                                                                  War II had ended in victory for the allied nations.
                                                                                                                                                           During that terrible time the aircraft had come of age as a
                                                                                                                                                           lethal weapon and contributed heavily to bringing the Axis
                                                                                                                                                           powers to their knees.
       The model 140 prototype reveals the new Cessna’s simplistic design that favored functionality and economy of operation over
       performance. The tail stand was installed to facilitate adjusting the magnetic compass. (Textron Aviation)

24 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                              MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                    KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 25
IN HISTORY

                                                                                                                                                    Priced at only $3,385, the Model 140 was a lot of airplane for the money.
                                                                                                                                                    (Robert J. Pickett Collection, Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives)

Dwane Wallace (left) and his famous uncle Clyde V. Cessna were photographed in the early 1950s shortly
before Mr. Cessna’s death. In 1933 Dwane and his brother Dwight resurrected their uncle’s defunct company   in 1945, such possibilities boggled
and set it on a path to success. (Textron Aviation)
                                                                                                            the mind and conjured up fanciful
                                                                                                            visions of overflowing corporate
   In the wake of that hard-won                         service personnel in winning their                  coffers awash in cash. There was,
triumph, many officials within                          civilian wings, Congress enacted                    however, one serious problem: the       and potentially devastating threat:                                            airplane than it was to buy an au-      his management team were quick
America’s light aircraft industry                       legislation, known as the GI bill, to               law of supply and demand. When          If demand failed to materialize,                                               tomobile!                               to realize that demand for training
hoped that thousands of bomber,                         provide financial assistance to men                 the United States government finally    small manufacturers could be                                                      By contrast with today’s pro-        aircraft would likely skyrocket
fighter and transport pilots would be                   and women seeking a pilot’s license.                began releasing stocks of strategic     facing financial ruin.                                                         duction levels, it seems almost in-     to unimaginable levels. The chief
eager to swap their Boeing B-17, North                                                                      materials to the nation’s industries,      Fortunately, the aviation opti-                                             credible that during the months of      challenge facing Cessna, however,
                                                          Almost overnight the GI bill
American Mustang and Grumman                                                                                Wichita’s airframe manufacturers        mists of 1945 proved to be correct                                             August and September 1946, air-         was to design and build an entry-
                                                        would spawn hundreds of new flight
Hellcat for Beechcraft, Cessna, Piper,                                                                      found themselves pitted against         – the light airplane industry had                                              frame manufacturers reported de-        level airplane that was more
                                                        schools that would, in turn, need
Aeronca and Taylorcraft airplanes (to                                                                       other companies in a bidding war for    more business than it could cope                                               livering more than 4,000 aircraft       attractive, modern and appealing
                                                        thousands of new airplanes. For
                                                                                                            their share of the steel, aluminum                                                                                     per month, not including hundreds       than the competition but at an
name only a few). To assist return­ing                  America’s general aviation industry                                                         with and anticipated a bright fu-
                                                                                                            alloy, wood, rubber and chemicals                                                                                      of large, transport category airlin-    affordable price. It did not take the
                                                                                                                                                    ture. A multitude of flight schools
                                                                                                            that were available.                                                                                                   ers rolling off assembly lines at the   engineering department long to
                                                                                                                                                    were operating from coast-to-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Boeing and Douglas factories. Post-     come up with an airplane that fit
                                                                                                              The result caught small airframe      coast, many operated by former
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   war flying fever in America was so      those requirements – the Model 140.
                                                                                                            manufacturers unprepared to deal        pilots of the United States Army
                                                                                                            with suppliers who, well aware          Air Forces and the U.S. Navy and                                               pervasive that one aviation leader        Designed around the small,
                                                                                                            that when wartime contracts             Marine Corps. Factories were op-                                               predicted that flying “… is the most    reliable and economical Continental
                                                                                                            evaporated so would their profits,      erating at full capacity and could                                             flexible means of transportation the    four-cylinder, opposed engine rated
                                                                                                            demanded that huge quantities be        not meet demand. It is interesting                                             world has ever seen. You can travel     at 85 horsepower, the prototype
                                                                                                            ordered or they would get none          to note that in 1946 there were                                                by boat only where there is water, by   Model 140 was a blend of the old
                                                                                                            at all. For example, piston engine      more than 30 different types of                                                automobile only where the highway       and the new. Although it featured
                                                                                                            suppliers wanted each lightplane        light aircraft available (including                                            leads, by train only where the tracks   an all-metal fuselage but retained
                                                                                                            manufacturer to buy hundreds of         helicopters) for the private owners                                            are. The air is everywhere.”            a fabric-covered wing of semi-
                                                                                                            engines, as did companies selling       to consider when buying a flying                                                 Into this economic boom stepped       cantilever construction to save
                                                                                                            propellers, tires, wheels, brakes,      machine. At least 17 manufactur-                                               the Cessna Aircraft Company. As         weight, the wing was built around
                                                                                                            fabric and instruments. To buy in       ers were competing for sales, and                                              with other aviation executives          aluminum main spars and stamped
                                                                                                            such large quantities posed a serious   it was actually easier to buy an                                               after the war, Dwane Wallace and        aluminum ribs that significantly

26 • ­KING AIR MAGAZINE                                                                                                                  MAY 2020   MAY 2020                                                                                                                                KING AIR MAGAZINE   ­• 27
You can also read