JANUARY 2015 • VOLUME FIFTEEN • NUMBER ONE AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY The Official Publication for Bonanza, Debonair, Baron & Travel Air Operators and Enthusiasts Contents JANUARY 2015 • VOLUME FIFTEEN • NUMBER ONE ABS 2 President’s Comments: AMERICAN BONANZA Why We Did It SOCIETY AMERICA N by Bob Goff 4 Operations BONANZA by J. Whitney Hickman & Thomas P. Turner SOCIETY The Official Publication for Bonanza, Debonair, Baron & Travel Air Operators and Enthusiasts January 2015 • Volume 15 • Number 1 FLYING ABS Executive Director J. Whitney Hickman 10 On the Cover: A Very Rare Breed Indeed! ABS-ASF Executive Director & Editor N2941V 1947 35R Thomas P. Turner by Charles Freese Managing Editor Jillian LaCross 14 Baron Pilot: Technical Review Committee The Propeller Unfeathering Trap Tom Rosen, Stuart Spindel, Bob Butt and the ABS Technical Advisors by Thomas P. Turner Graphic Design 22 Can You Read the Wave? Joe McGurn and Ellen Weeks by Jim Herd Printer Village Press, Traverse City, Michigan 30 Safety Pilot: Night Distraction by Thomas P. Turner American Bonanza Society magazine (ISSN BPPP: Cold Weather Checklist from the BPPP Instructors 1538-9960) is published monthly by the 34 American Bonanza Society (ABS), 1922 Midfield A Gypsy Road Trip in NC3255V Road, Wichita, KS 67209. The price of a yearly 50 subscription is included in the annual dues of by Timothy Acker Society members. Periodicals postage paid at Wichita, Kansas, and at additional mailing offices. 58 Beechcraft Heritage Museum: The Year in Review No part of this publication may be reprinted or duplicated without the written permission of by Wade McNabb the Executive Director. The Society and Publisher cannot accept 70 Flightseeing: responsibility for the correctness or accuracy VFR Texas to California and of the matters printed herein or for any opinions expressed. Opinions of the Editor or contributors Return Below 10,000 Feet do not necessarily represent the position of by Bill Hoglan the Society. Articles or other materials by and about organizations other than ABS are printed in the American Bonanza Society magazine OWNERSHIP/MAINTENANCE as a courtesy and member service. Except as expressly stated, their appearance in this Beech on a Budget: magazine does not constitute an endorsement 18 by ABS of the products, services or events of Low Cost Fuel Storage/Transfer System such organization. Publisher reserves the right by Mike Caban to reject any material submitted for publication. Annual Membership Dues: 42 Insurance: How BPPP Training Affects Your Insurance • Domestic (US/Canada/Mexico) — $65 (US) by John Allen • Two Year Domestic (US/Canada/Mexico) — $124 (US) • International — $103 (US) Bonanza Ailerons by Jake Bartholow • International (online magazine only) — $65 (US) 44 • Two Year International (online magazine only) — $124 (US) Those Magical, Mystical Approach Flap Limit Switches • Additional Family Members — $27 each 46 • Life membership — $1200 by Al Aitken Contact ABS Headquarters for details. Postmaster: Send address changes to American Bonanza Society magazine, P.O. Box 12888, Wichita, DEPARTMENTS KS 67277-2888. © Copyright 2013. 6 ABS Aviators 62 Tech Tips 78 ABS Board Send Articles/Letters To: American Bonanza Society Magazine Publication Office, P.O. Box 29 New Life Members 66 Member News 79 Events Calendar 12888, Wichita, KS 67277, Tel: 316-945-1700, 38 New Airworthiness 66 Surly Bonds 80 ABS Contacts Fax: 316-945-1710, E-mail: [email protected], Issues Website: http://www.bonanza.org. Please note: 68 Forum 80 Display Advertising Copy & photos submitted for publication become 54 Regional News Index the property of the Society and shall not be 73 Classified Ads returned. Articles submitted with pictures receive publication preference. The American Bonanza Society serves Beechcraft enthusiasts by sharing valuable safety, technical, and educational resources, and by promoting interaction among and advocacy on behalf of its members. 1 A big concern at ABS is that even with this very low-cost training, only about five percent of our members are participating in this excellent program. By lowering the cost as much as pos- sible, we hope that more of our mem- bers will participate in our training programs. Statistics show that pilots who train in qualified programs like BPPP on a yearly schedule have 41 per- cent fewer accidents. If you participate in a program like BPPP, your insurance premiums may be reduced by up to Why We Did It 10 percent. To get the best rates and coverage many insurance companies By Bob Goff insist on yearly training. Your discount may actually cover the entire cost of his past December the ABS Board of Directors announced that BPPP your training, making you a safer pilot Online will be available to all ABS members at no cost. This is a direct at little to no cost at all. T savings to our members of $100 per year. ABS members can now do the ow does ABS pay for this? We complete BPPP program, including approximately four hours of flight training Hestimate it will cost the ASF about with a BPPP instructor, for $395. Of this, $375 goes directly to pay our highly $35,000 a year to offer this new mem- ber benefit, including the portion of qualified instructors, with the rest going toward ABS’s administrative costs. ABS’s insurance that covers flight train- Why did the ABS Board make this Director Tom Turner took the BPPP ing operations. Many of our members decision? Because we’re serious about classroom syllabus and developed have stepped up and made significant the ABS Air Safety Foundation’s mis- an online ground school program, financial contributions to the Air Safety sion: “To protect lives, and preserve with review and input by a few BPPP Foundation to underwrite the cost. As the Beechcraft fleet.” The best way to instructors. The BPPP Online+Flight of this writing, one of the aircraft insur- achieve these goals is to ensure all ABS program was the direct result of a long ance underwriters has made a multi- members receive regular, expert flight series of Board and member meetings year commitment to sponsor free BPPP instruction. The best way to do that is dating back to the first ABS Technical courses for our members, and several to make BPPP training as convenient Conference in 2003, which identified others indicate they’ll do so soon. as possible to members, at the lowest the need for lower cost, more conve- We want you to fly with one of these possible cost. As a not-for-profit, avia- nient BPPP programs to encourage expert BPPP instructors, but even if tion safety charitable organization, it’s greater participation. Moving to an you only take some of the free BPPP ABS/ASF’s responsibility to do this. online ground school format and local, online courses, you’ll learn more about Several years ago our BPPP training individually scheduled flight instruc- your Beechcraft and be a safer pilot program cost about $1,500 for a two- tion dramatically reduced costs and as a result. day weekend, plus travel and hotel/ turned a $1,500-tuition money-loser We have heard that pilots are some- meal expenses for three to four days. into a $495 package that recovered times intimidated when doing flight Many of our members said that this its development costs in the first nine training. They feel it is a test. Our BPPP was just too expensive and the time months and has operated in the black instructors are there to help you be a commitment was just too much. Since ever since. Over the past several years better, safer pilot. Feedback from our about 2008, enrollments in our week- the programs have been updated and members who complete BPPP tell us end programs were falling. We were are becoming more model-specific. that our instructors are the best they losing money (about $160,000 in the Now with this latest move members have ever flown with. first six months of 2012) and something can take the online ground school By offering this additional member needed to be done quickly. at their convenience, fly with a BPPP benefit, we hope you will fully partici- Over a several months in 2012, certified instructor in their area, and pate in BPPP. It’s truly a win-win for you. ABS Air Safety Foundation Executive complete the program for $395. That’s why we did it. 2 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY JANUARY 2015 www.bonanza.org Operations ABS Lawrence, instructors and owners of by J. Whitney Hickman Lattimer’s Flight Training LLC. Mary was very polite and acted as though she’d known me all my life. Twenty minutes into our con- Flight Training versation she had answered every question I had without me having with Mary and to ask one… with the exception of “where would I stay?” Mary offered Lawrence lodging at a small house on the airport property. It’s reserved on a Lattimer first-come, first-served basis and available at no charge – I couldn’t appy New Year! I find it only fitting (and somewhat embarrassing) believe it! I knew I would have few that I only recently completed some tasks on my last year’s distractions as the town was six miles away from the cottage. resolutions. After a very busy spring and summer with many ABS H I showed up one Wednesday eve- events successfully completed, I wanted to focus on a few personal goals ning in November to begin training and get back on track with my flight training. First and foremost, I wanted early Thursday morning. There was not a soul around – the cottage light to complete my Private Pilot written test. Goal two was to meet with a local was on and the house unlocked.