There is more than one meaning or situation that can be addressed by the term “Windmilling in Reverse” and I hope to cover all of them in this article. First, why would the feathered propeller of a PT6 engine that has been shut down in flight rotate backward – turn counterclockwise (CCW) as viewed from…
A reader recently asked me some questions about the procedure for restoring the air conditioner (AC) back into working order in a B200, following a shutdown caused by too low or too high system pressure. I came to believe that this would be a worthwhile topic for discussion, so here we go. Before I discuss…
Are you using ECTM? You should be. Engine Condition Trend Monitoring (ECTM) is a Pratt and Whitney-endorsed program by which PT6 Hot Section Inspection (HSI) intervals may be accomplished on an “as needed” basis instead of on an hourly basis. The first step in ECTM is recording all engine parameters when steady in cruise flight.…
Reader Ron Randall recently sent me an email requesting that I review the E90’s fuel system. Ron has experience operating a King Air 100, a 200 and two E90s. He wrote that he experienced problems with the E90’s fuel system and requested my review/input. I am happy to oblige. Step back in time with me…
At the fourth King Air Gathering – KAG IV, the sold-out event held in September 2019, at the classic Hangar Hotel complex at the Fredericksburg, Texas airport (T82) – a question was asked about engine ice vane usage on the ground. Specifically, a concern was expressed about a temperature restriction stated in the Pilot’s Operating…
Years ago, I was conducting recurrent King Air 200 training with the two experienced and professional pilots of a Midwest corporation. As part of their takeoff briefing, they used the phrase, “We’ll use big numbers.” “What did you say?” I asked. “What does that mean?” Their explanation made a lot of sense to me then,…
I’d like to tell you a few interesting things that I have experienced over the years involving flaps. I hope you will find them interesting and educational. Let me begin by reviewing the basic flap system design in King Airs and, with minor changes, in most other Beechcraft airplanes. The semi-fowler flaps – ones that…
The delay caused by the need to build new ferry tanks – to replace the ones that had been crushed when subjected to the 6 psi differential pressure when tested with the original venting system – put the delivery of the Super King Air 200 to its buyer in Malaysia behind schedule. Sabah, the Malaysian…
In 1977 I had left Beech Aircraft Corporation’s Training Center in Wichita and transferred to the factory-owned Beechcraft West retail facility in Hayward and Fresno, California, as an aircraft salesman. Although Hayward would be my home for the next 10 years, my first months were mostly spent in Fresno. Why? Because Larry Hall, the head…
It’s going to do it anyway, right? Since the feathering springs and blade counterweights are always trying to move the propeller blades to high pitch – and the extreme of high pitch is the feathered position – and propeller oil pressure is what prevents the springs and counterweights from succeeding in their job, then as…