Page 4 - Volume 16 Number 9

2 • TWIN & TURBINE
SEPTEMBER 2012
editor’sbriefing
Great Times, Great Airplanes
Anoted aeronautical engineer, who had parti- cipated in the creation of many significant aircraft, once said, near the end of his career, “There will be no more GREAT airplanes. There will be good airplanes, airplanes capable of getting the
job done, but no truly great ones.” His point was that developing a great airplane requires the insight of a single, inspired individual who can assemble a team to execute his dream. Corporate committees choose safe, middle-ground paths, adequately satisfying most parameters, but never aspiring to the ultimate.
Today, aviation’s visionary risk-takers are largely gone – Walter Beech, Dwane Wallace, Marcel Dassault, Al Mooney, Bill Lear, Bill Piper, Ted Smith – even though the aircraft they brought to us live on in various forms. Aircraft companies are now owned and managed by non-aviation entities, investors and corporate parents who control decisions , with the exception of the Maule family.
In truth, aviation’s founding fathers probably couldn’t succeed in today’s world. Dealing with government roadblocks and a rapacious legal system wasn’t their forte. It takes a village of committee heads and advisors to get any product through a maze of well-meaning barriers. Airplanes are now just a product, no longer the result of one person’s dream.
Enough already. Thanks to the grandfathering of type certificates, we still have glipses of greatness in our aerial chariots. The concept of a Beechcraft King Air was laid down over a half-century ago, and we can see the genius behind it in the modern King Air C90GTx and its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A engines. The King Air retains its crown despite all
the pretenders to the throne. In this issue, we took time to review just some of the smallest King Air’s attributes, a reminder of the heritage we enjoy.
At this point in history, Hawker Beechcraft is in a state of change, but by all accounts it’s too good to go away. The best products in its line will likely survive, and even thrive, under new ownership, and a leaner, healthier company can continue. We wish all our friends at Beechcraft the best of the possible outcomes. There are a lot of C90s out there to keep flying.
The four-decade history of Covington Engines, which has supported Pratt & Whitney powerplants for longer than most of us can remember, is also spotlighted in this issue. That Covington is still around is due to people, not just a product. Meeting a need, standing behind a service, and maintaining a reputation for answering when called, are a recipe for success.
Engine problems kept columnist Kevin Dingman from getting to his beloved Oshkosh show this year, a tale of woe related in his monthly dissertation. As I’ve always said, it’s not fuel that keeps airplanes aloft; it’s a continuing flow of AMU’s (Aviation Monetary Units), supplied by the owner. Every custodian of an airplane will face such a challenge now and then, our repayment for past privileges.
Our resident guru, Tom Turner, reveals what he’s learned from a career of instructing twin owners, and tells what you can do to avoid the pitfalls uncovered in NTSB accident reports. Breaking the chain of events leading to a mishap simply takes understanding and dedication.
We have some GREAT airplanes; let’s take care of them.
LeRoy Cook, Editor