NBAA2010 Online News Bureau
The Advantages of Moving up to a Turbine Aircraft
October 14, 2010
From greater power in a lighter package to higher cruising speeds, turbine engines offer tremendous advantages over piston powerplants. "Moving up to turbine is a significant decision," says industry expert Tom Haines. "It impacts everything about your mission. For some pilots, the safety enhancements are top-of-mind.
"At night, in weather, over terrain and water, sometimes a piston just isn't high enough," he adds. "Business owners who fly themselves rely on the ability to fly non-stop and be more efficient and productive. Corporate pilots tell us that guests prefer the additional comforts of pressurization. The smooth transition from piston to turbine begins with defining your mission and knowing what questions to ask," Haines concludes.
In this session, four pilots who have recently moved up to turbine aircraft will share personal accounts of their decisions and successful transitions to the more capable airplane. Haines, who owns a Beech Bonanza and holds a type-rating for the Eclipse 500, will moderate the decision- oriented discussion. Topics include:
- Who moves up, and why? Is your mission right for turbine?
- What prompted these pilot-panelists to move up? What issues did they encounter – and what surprised them?
- What do turbine's advantages in performance, productivity, and safety mean for you?
- From budgeting for maintenance to fuel considerations, what's different about owning a turbine?
The session, which takes place on Wednesday, October 20, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., will be part of the LBA Conference at the NBAA 63rd Annual Meeting & Convention in Atlanta, GA, on October 19 to 21, at the Georgia World Congress Center. His second presentation will occur at the joint LBA Conference in conjunction with the AOPA Aviation Summit, November 11 to 13, in Long Beach, CA.
Tom Haines is AOPA's Senior Vice President of Media, and Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher of AOPA Pilot, the world's largest aviation magazine. You can follow him on AOPA's pilot blog Reporting Points – and on Twitter where he is known as tomhaines29.
