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Pilots N Paws®
is an online meeting place for
pilots and other volunteers
who help to transport rescue animals by air.
The mission of the site is to provide a user-
friendly communication venue between those
that rescue, shelter, and foster animals; and pilots and plane owners willing to assist with the transportation of these animals.
Pilots Paws
Joining is easy and takes just a minute of your time.
www.pilotsnpaws.org
®
basically paying for the engines and the airplane was included for free. Done deal! About three weeks later, after a thorough pre-buy and subsequent annual inspection, I flew it home to Winchester (KOKV). We were now proud owners of a “cabin- class” twin and new members of the Twin & Turbine family.
Our Navajo was and is the perfect airplane for us. We could pack all five of our children in it comfortably. Flights are usually Dixie, me and a dog or five (three Labs and two Yorkies). Our children and their families are scattered along the East coast within easy striking distance for the Navajo. Our neighbors recently joined us for a long weekend in Bar Harbor, Maine – an easy mission for the Navajo. We removed the two back seats (it takes five minutes to re-install them) for additional cargo and dog space. The airplane is stable and a joy to fly. The systems are simple and straightforward. I spent several years as a new hire flight engineer and first officer on the Lockheed L-1011 with TWA. The L-1011 was known as an “old man’s airplane” because it was so easy to operate and fly. The Navajo is an old man’s airplane. The airplane burns 36 gallons per hour in cruise (10,000 to 12,000 feet MSL) at 65 percent power, 190 to 195 knots TAS. The airplane has a built- in oxygen system, but we rarely use it. Although the Navajo burns more fuel per hour than the Aztec, we more than make up for it with the extra speed, not to mention the increase in available payload.
Since the purchase, we have added a Garmin 430W GPS/Nav/Com, JPI 760 engine analyzer, Garmin G600 instrument panel and ADS-B In and Out. We are getting ready to replace the original autopilot, which still works, with the new Garmin GFC- 600. We have been waiting for Garmin to get the STC for the Navajo fleet and now they have it.
I started my airline career flying the Navajo and hope to spend the rest of my general aviation years doing the same. The thought just makes me smile!
AEA
September 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 29