Turbine Pilot: Mods to an end

A host of modifications transform the once dowdy Beechcraft King Air 200 into a twenty-first century keeper nearly 50 years after the first King Air took flight. Faster, further, sexier. Hawker Beechcraft seems bent on assuring its line of twin turboprops maintains its position of dominance in the market. Editor at Large Tom Horne puts the primped airplane through its paces in “ King Air 250: Power Up, Temps Down” and comes away impressed by the capabilities of this enduring model. The predictions a few years ago of the death of the twin turboprop seem like some has-been politician’s campaign slogan at this point.

Meanwhile, Master CFI and writer Neil Singer peels back the layers of today’s highly capable GPS navigators to reveal a potential gotcha that may be particularly challenging for those flying approaches in single-pilot turbines. The Vectors to Final button may seem like a time saver, but there are times when it can lead to confusion in a fast-paced cockpit. Learn the secrets in “ Mentoring Matters: Where’s That Fix?” .

August 2011
Turbine Pilot Contents

• Turbine Intro: Mods to An End
• Power Up, Temps Down: So long, B200GT. Say hello to the new King Air 250
• Mentoring Matters: Where’s that fix?

If you’re someone who has recently made the transition from pistons to turbines or likes to think such a transition might be in your future, read on. These special edition pages are for you.

Only a small subset of the AOPA membership gets this special Turbine Edition—those whom we believe have an interest in reading about higher-end aircraft. In this monthly special edition you get all of the content in the standard editions, plus these extra pages. If you would rather not receive this edition, just let us know at: [email protected]. We’re happy to switch you back to the standard edition.

I hope you learn some new advanced flying techniques and a little about turbine operations in these pages. Let us know what you think at [email protected].

—Tom Haines, Editor in Chief