Brian,
You may want to informally ask some of your company PR folks about your hypothetical involvement on BT. I can see you getting yourself in a bit of trouble by posting here as a company rep - even informally - without their knowledge/approval.

It's a little embarrassing (and weird) that Beech is not a site sponsor of BT. I'm not saying they have to pay for the site or even pay a lot, but they need to advertise here and be seen as sponsoring and encouraging owner participation on a FORMAL level.

While I appreciate the enthusiasm of a 5-year engineer asking for customer input (but, let's be honest, designing FAA-approved cupholders is your major concern right now... not informally soliciting feedback from grumpy pilots without a method for that feedback to go anywhere), I think it's time for Beech to embrace the owner community in a more official way. They need to partner with ABS and BT as they emerge from Bankruptcy.

Unlike other industries that enjoy a wide customer base, aviation caters to a relatively small community - a community of people with individualism, means and intellect. Using a traditional manufacturing business model doesn't work in Aviation due to the comparatively small customer base. It needs to be tweaked in order to leverage and cultivate the willingness and expertiese of the customer-base to "tinker." Take Apple's model for instance? They have basically recruited an ARMY of nerds to do their software programming FOR them by making a decent product with outstanding growth capability and MAKING THE SOFTWARE AVAILABLE.

The STCs that you poo-poo'd earlier based on your exclusive, 'proprietary' knowledge of the Beechcraft structural design are like the apps of the Apple world. Make the design specs readily, easily and cheaply available... collaborate with the STC guys (GAMI, D'Shannon, TAT, homebuilders, etc), hold design seminars at Osh Kosh and Sun'n'Fun, schedule airframe repair/mx clinics and flying events at your factory, and you will find that there is an ARMY (albeit smaller than the Apple army) of nerds willing to do your work for you in order to improve the product they purchased from you... and they will be FAR more willing to remain loyal to the Beechcraft brand because they will feel like they have a stake in the future of your company.

There is nothing so good for your company as a customer who says, "wouldn't it be cool if...." and knows the company will listen.

Oh, one other thing.

Don't assume that people outside of Beechcraft do not know a lot of what is thought to be proprietary.

There are thousands of years of experience here. When you have pilots who have up to 39,000 hours of flight logged in hundreds of different aircraft, and tens of thousands of hours of maintenance experience . . .

Well, if Beechcraft doesn't tap into that (formally, or informally, openly or quietly), it can only be thought of as just plain nuts. (Wanted to say arrogant, but we will keep the jury out on that one.)

Two things to keep in mind.

1. We want Beechcraft to succeed.

2. We are skeptical that Beechcraft understands us, our flying, or even cares about us as part of the market.

A smart company would know how to turn those two points to its advantage.

I do think a Beech version of the Lancair Evolution, with both engine options, would be excellent and well received.

I have found everybody at Beech to be highly receptive to any constructive input about their products. But Rome cannot be built in a day. And I myself would not take 250M and use it to build and sell a plane.

ditto....the margins are just not there.

Hmmm.

The "from Beechcraft" disappeared from the "Hello from Beechcraft."

Yup. Noticed that.

Word from "on high"?

All of his posts are blanked out, too... I hope he still has a job!

Thanks for starting this thread, Brian.

Lets hope so. He has good initiative... Management needs to provide a little guidance.

RUT ROW


Thanks for posting Brian. Funny, in the largest online Beechcraft owners forum with over 20,000 members, you were the only person from the factory who tried to talk to us. I hope those marketing geniuses in Wichita did not come down on you. They should have been on here two years ago. They (Beechcraft Marketing peeps) are the ones who should be trouble.

Hello? Beechcraft? Hello? Anybody out there in Wichita willing to talk to us???

I'm afraid that's the last we'll hear from him, unless he posts under a pseudonym. I'm guessing that between Marketing and Legal, he got in a LOT of trouble for asking customers what they wanted. Sad and unfortunately a depressing example of why Beech is in the shape it's in.

I'dunno, he does have a day job.
He hasn't become like many of us and put BT first.

Nope I know of another joined years ago.
I think the kitchen got hot rather fast.
Best to let things settle down to a dull roar.

While I have been that younger enthusiastic engineer, and thus feel for Brian, I have no issue with Beech coming down on him. There is a business process of risk management and strategy. And he had no business as a company guy posting something like ... there was this lawsuit and now you see no v-tails. That was when I stopped reading this thread knowing he was off the reservation. I think, in addition to business plans and ownership, a younger enthusiastic engineer also needs to learn that projects just do not always work out. It is usually do to something unforeseen but in hindsight totally obvious, or the sum is not as good as the parts. Engineering success and failure becomes part of risk management at the top level.

Brian and Beechcraft, wish you and the organization well.

BS! No one stops reading just when the gossip gets good. This thread was worth it just for that tidbit alone.