Texas Top Aviation at the AOPA Fly-In

Matching the Airplane with Your Mission

ByHank Gibson February 5, 2019February 18, 2019

Has it come time to buy your first airplane?  Have the skies been calling your name?  Or are you just tired of standing in the airport security line then getting shoved in a long metal tube with no leg room?  Or, maybe you are a businessman who does business in remote areas that have local airports but are hard to get to commercially.

Wherever your need is, you have decided it’s time to make a purchase.  If you are familiar with aviation, you may have an airplane in mind that you would like to have, but is that the right airplane for your mission?  If you are new to aviation, you may have no idea what airplane to go for.  Here are some helpful hints in narrowing down the different airplane options out there to fit your specific mission.

Flying For Enjoyment, but Not Going Far Fast

If you’re just a weekend flyer who is tired of dealing with flight school rentals, but you don’t need to carry a lot of people or go very far, your options are pretty numerous.  Anything from a Cessna 152 to a Piper Cherokee, maybe a Beech Sundowner, or a Bellanca Viking, or anything in between.  If you are content with taking a weekend hop for a hamburger at 100-110 knots, you have limitless options for airplanes.  Tailwheels (Cubs, Citabrias, Huskies) are excellent birds for you well.

Getting Places Fast With Only You and Maybe One Passenger

Need to go 200-300 miles fast and not worried about weight?  A Cirrus SR22T, a Columbia 400, or Cessna Corvalis might be just what you need.  Cruise speeds on those are all around 180-190 knots at 10,000 feet. All are oxygen equipped if you want more speed higher up, as the service ceilings are 25,000 feet.  Payloads run in the range of 400-500 pounds with full fuel.  All these have air conditioning options, too.

Hauling More Weight, but Still Need the Speed?

A little slower (150-170 knots) but a little bit more payload options are A36 & B36 Bonanzas, Piper Saratogas, Cessna 206s, or Cessna 210s might suit your fancy.  All come in turbo models if you are a high elevation dweller.  The Cessna 206 has been used for many years as cargo and people haulers in remote regions like Alaska, South America, and Africa.  I’ve even seen pictures of snowmobiles being carried in a 206.

Tired of Oxygen Cannulas?

The next step up from a Cirrus, Corvalis, or Saratoga is the Piper Malibu.  A bigger brother to the Saratoga, the different PA-46 models offer one of the best options for a single engine piston out there.  All except the Matrix (PA-46-350T) are pressurized, all the pistons cruise about 200 knots, and all are configured with club seating with plenty of leg room.  Useful loads range around 1200-1400 pounds (they hold 120 gallons of fuel, so payloads range from 480-680 pounds).  The original Malibu (PA-46-310P) only burns 16.5 GPH so that allows partial fuel to be carried to allow more people and bags.  All have 6 seats.

Need to Carry Even More Weight?

It’s time to get into the piston twin market, then.  A Cessna 414, a Cessna 421, a Cessna 340, a Beech Duke or a Beech Baron are all pretty good options here.  The 421 and the 414 have the largest cabins, while the Duke has the highest useful load.  Cruise speeds range from 200-220 knots, but the cabin is roomier and you get a few more pounds useful load than a piston single.  If you do get into a 421, get good training as they are equipped with Continental geared engines, which can be tricky to operate if you don’t know what you are doing.

Need to Carry a Lot of People and Go Fast?

Turboprops are the way to go for you.  King Airs have the most utility while  the Pilatus PC-12 is the cream of the single engine turboprop crop as you can put almost anything you want in it.  If you have 4-5 passengers, stay away from a Piper Meridian as you can’t carry a lot of weight.  Those are better for 2-3 passengers at the most (plus a pilot).  The TBM 900 is pricey, but fast (300-325 knots).  The original TBM 700 can be had for under a million bucks, you get 280 knots, and a very usable useful load.  You still can’t fill all 6 seats with full fuel, but you can do more with it then a Meridian.

Have a Boatload of Money Sitting Around?

A jet might be for you then.  Fuel, insurance, maintenance, and hangar costs are high, but jets will get you places real fast with room for all your friends and family.

Registration Now Open for the 2025 Texas Top Aviation Fly-In!

ByHank Gibson January 3, 2025July 14, 2026

Are you ready to take part in one of the most exciting Texas aviation events of the year? Registration is now open for the 2025 Texas Top Aviation Fly-In, happening March 26th-28th, 2025, at the stunning Lajitas Golf Resort in Lajitas, Texas.

Whether you’re a pilot looking for a getaway, wanting to make new pilot buddies, or just seeking a one-of-a-kind adventure, the 2025 Texas Top Aviation Fly-In promises an unparalleled blend of community, aviation instruction, and scenic Big Bend recreation. Not to mention, great golf!

Why You Should Register

As one of the top 2025 Texas aviation events, this Fly-In features:

• Two rounds of golf at the #1-ranked Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Course
• Aviation seminars from industry leaders
• Making new friends and seeing old ones at our group dinners
• Non-golfing activities, like Jeep rentals, exploring Big Bend, or relaxing at the Resort spa

Spaces are limited, so secure your spot now for our 6th Annual Fly-In!

Event Highlights

Fly-In Golf Tournament

Enjoy two rounds of golf at Black Jack’s Crossing Golf Course:

• Round 1: March 26th, 2025, 1:30 PM
• Round 2: March 27th, 2025, 1:30 PM

Aviation Seminars

Learn from top experts on Thursday morning, March 27th, 2025:

• Paul New: Cirrus and Cessna mechanic
• Scott Williams: Aviation attorney
• Travis Ulhorn: San Antonio Air Traffic Controller

Community and Connection

Relax and connect at evening group dinners starting at 7:30 PM.

Pricing

• $1,475 per person (2 nights + golf) + tax
• $1,100 per person (2 nights, no golf) + tax
• $475 for non-golfing spouse + tax

Registration includes lodging and golf; food and beverages will be billed directly to the attendee.

Key Details

• Golfers: Arrive by noon, March 26th, 2025
• Non-Golfers: Arrive by dinner on March 26th
• Complimentary shuttles provided from Lajitas International Airport (T89)

Register Today

Don’t miss out on one of the best Texas aviation events of the year. Register now and be part of the 2025 Texas Top Aviation Fly-In. Spaces are limited, so don’t wait!

2020 Texas Top Aviation Santa Fe Golf Fly In Rescheduled

ByHank Gibson June 17, 2020June 17, 2020

The 2020 Texas Top Aviation Santa Fe Golf Fly In has been re-scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. The new date is September 3rd-5th at the Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Resort and Towa Golf Club.

For more information on the event and to register, please click here.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Drones

ByAndrew Robinson June 7, 2016June 14, 2016

I’m surprised how often I’ve been asked about drones by concerned passengers as they load up for a charter flight. Most commonly I’m asked how many drones I’ve seen while I’m flying, or how many drones I’ve hit/ almost hit. Sadly, the media has made this drone crisis into something that it isn’t. I’ve never seen a drone while I was operating a full scale aircraft, and I’ve certainly never been put into a situation where I felt that a drone was a threat to my safety or the safety of the flight. In fact, I only personally know one pilot who has reportedly seen one around an airport and that was an isolated incident (and a non-event).

The reality is that while Unmanned Aerial Vehicles can be a real danger to full scale aircraft, incidents aren’t actually all that common and detailed information is often lacking or missing altogether. It is likely that some of the reported drone incidents were actually a case of a pilot confusing a loose balloon or a bird for a drone. This, combined with the media’s sensationalizing of every “close” encounter nationwide has led the public to believe that the problem is much bigger than it actually is.

In actuality, when the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics, the USA’s governing body for model aircraft) analyzed the data from the FAA’s 764 recorded Drone sightings, only 27 of them (3.5%) were actually recorded as “near misses” or “near collisions.” Additionally, only 10 of the records (1.3%) indicate that pilot was required to take evasive action.

The records also include reports of drone sightings at altitudes which would be impossible for civilian models to attain (19,000-24,000′). Finally, some of the sightings took place in areas which are specifically set aside for model aircraft and drones to operate.   In those cases, the person flying the drone when it was reported was actually doing so in a safe and legal manner in an area designated for that specific purpose. If you’re interested, the whole article is available here and has a lot of great information.

As pilots, it is important that we do our part in helping reduce the risk of drone strikes. The biggest thing that we can do to help is to report any activity that we see so that it can be investigated and hopefully the drone operator can be found and dealt with. Try to get as much detail as possible about the incident, such as the size, color, location, direction and altitude of any sighted UAVs and report it to the closest tower or controlling agency.

Recently, the people in Washington have come up with a bunch of new rules to regulate the operation of model aircraft. As of this year, every unmanned aerial vehicle between 0.5 and 55 lbs must be registered with the FAA and have an FAA issued registration number located on the model itself. The logic here is that if someone crashes a drone where it shouldn’t have been operated, the officials will be able to identify the owner of the model and take action.

Model manufacturers and vendors have also agreed to start providing information about a program called “Know Before You Fly” (KBYF) in the packaging of the drones.  This program seeks to help educate new hobbyists to the rules and responsibilities associated with model aviation. For more information on KBYF, here is a link to their website.

In the end, the sad reality is that it’s a combination of many factors: new technology making models cheaper and easier to fly, GPS navigation and automation, the media blowing the incidents out of proportion, and inexperienced and foolish operators which have caused the growing concern and required the FAA’s action. I think that it is important to understand that thousands of people have been flying radio controlled models for many years responsibly and this has never been a problem. The AMA has rules (which are the same ones now adopted by the FAA) regarding flying location, altitudes, speeds, and more which have kept both the modelers on the ground and the pilots in the air safe until now. Its a classic case of a few foolish individuals who have caused all modelers to be cast in a bad light.

There is no reason to fly in fear, though. A pilot should always be watching for hazards as he or she is flying, regardless of the variety. In fact, according to the FAA’s website, there were 142,000 wild life STRIKES with civil aircraft in the USA between 1990 and 2013. That seems like a much bigger concern to me than the 764 reported drone SIGHTINGS. As with any new technology, drones are suffering from growing pains. As the rules fall into place and new operators become better experienced, hopefully we will hear about fewer incidents on the evening news. Anyway, I’ll stop “droning” on. Fly safe.

Andrew Robinson is a 135 Charter Pilot and flight instructor who lives with his wife and 2 daughters in Pennsylvania.  He flies Pilatus PC-12s and instructs in Beechcraft Bonanzas.

Synthetic Vision Technology

ByHank Gibson December 5, 2014December 5, 2014

Let’s say you’re flying in the mountains of Colorado on a cloudy day.  There’s a solid layer from the surface all the way up to 14,000 feet.  You’re inbound to Eagle (KEGE) on the RNAV (GPS) D approach.  There are mountains next to you and below you, but you aren’t concerned since you can see them all.  The base of the last reported overcast layer was 3,000 feet, so you know you’ll break out before the MDA and land no problem.

At 11,100 over AWACC, you clearly see the top of the mountain below you.  You are comfortably above it. You already have the runway in sight as well.  You pop out of the clouds on the approach at 9,700 feet, spot the airport and follow the tower’s instructions to circle north of the runway for a left base for runway 7.

How could you see the mountains inside the clouds?  You have Synthetic Vision installed on your glass panel, that’s how.

Synthetic Vision, which has actually been around since the ’70s when NASA and the US Military first developed it, was first FAA certified for the Gulfstream PlaneView flight deck in 2009.  Garmin, Avidyne, and Aspen are the main general aviation manufacturers of synthetic vision these days.  All Garmin PFDs are now equipped with Synthetic Vision while Aspen gives you the option to upgrade to Synthetic Vision when you get one of their PFDs installed.  Avidyne gives you Synthetic Vision in their R9 upgrade for the Cirrus.

What is Synthetic Vision?  Basically, it’s a 3-D picture on the primary flight display showing terrain, obstacles, traffic, and runways.  It greatly enhances situation awareness in areas of terrain or high obstacles during IFR conditions or at night.

The goal behind the development of Synthetic Vision was to decrease the amount of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents.  A CFIT accident consists of a perfectly airworthy airplane flown by a pilot (or autopilot) unintentionally into terrain. These accidents can happen in low visibility conditions or at night, but the reason is mainly due to the pilot losing track of his position in relation to obstacles or terrain (or water as was the case with JFK Jr.).

With Synthetic Vision, the goal is to enhance pilot knowledge of what is around the airplane at all times. When you’re at altitude, the terrain below you looks flat.  When you start descending down amongst the rocks, the hills or mountains start to rise up on your screen.  For those used to the coloration with the 2-D terrain feature on a GPS unit, it translates very easily to the terrain coloration on a Synthetic Vision equipped PFD. Terrain that is between 100 and 500 feet below the aircraft is shown as yellow, while terrain closer than 100 feet is depicted as red.

One neat feature on Garmin units is the Highway in the Sky.  When a pilot puts a course or a flight plan in the GPS, the PFD displays magenta boxes at the altitude selected displaying the route.  It’s handy when hand flying to just “fly through the boxes.”  They also display descent angles on approaches.

Synthetic Vision is still optional on Garmin and Aspen units, but I highly recommend springing for it.  It will give you a higher level of safety and keep you out of the rocks.