Hello Fellow Aviators,

I feel disgraced to say that I have only just discovered the Beechtalk website even though I have owned my Beech 76 Duchess since 1996.

I fly privately and chose the aircraft because of Beechcraft’s reputation for quality and durability. It is also a multi-engine aircraft that is affordable (just) for a private owner like myself and over the years my family and I have enjoyed around 1200 hours usage. Because it was designed as a trainer, the characteristic are benign rather than providing starling performance, but that is an important feature for a pilot like myself who does not have the opportunity to fly every week.

Certainly it has been a pleasure to own and I hope to continue to enjoy flying it as long as my medical and bank manager allow me to. If there are any UK BE76 owners – or for that matter anywhere else who would like to make contact, I will be delighted to share my aircraft owning experiences.

Martin Cundey

Welcome Martin.........

Welcome to BT Martin!!!

How about some pics of that Duchess.........

Welcome, always great to have voices from across the pond join in.

So how is it driving the Duchess of Kent? Well mannered and stately I presume.

Welcome to BT Martin!!

We love to see the pics.

When you get settled in... I'd like to ask a few questions.

Where do you most often fly? Is there any requirements (or special challenges) for getting around the different European countries? Do you have an instrument rating? Any additional user fees for twins vs. singles?

Martin,

Welcome to BT. Do Brits fly from the left seat?

I did about two years of constant trips into Manchester a couple of years ago. I'd drive down to Shropshire. It's a world away from London, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Nick

To Nick, Michael, Tyler, Keith and Mike,

Gentlemen, thanks a million for your warm welcome. Always proud to show pictures of the aircraft, attached are a few that were taken in Portugal a few years ago when I flew down to a small airfield near Lisbon to watch the Motogp at Estoril. A club member asked if I would like to have some air-to-air pictures taken a he was compiling a portfolio of aircraft images and the results were wonderful – I shall treasure them in the futuire when I can no longer take to the skies.

In answer to some of the enquiries:- The Duchess of Kent is impeccably behaved and has great manners for a pilot like myself who is at best average. I had a PA28RT for 14 years but as a lot of my flying is over water I sought comfort in a spare engine. The Beech uses no more runway, is better on grass than the Arrow and although the maintenance costs are much higher, I normally fly at 22/2200 getting just under 60 litres an hour which is quite economical. OK at that setting it’s not fast but then it does not take that much longer to reach the destination.

I said average pilot and that means that I do not have an I/R – because of the stringent syllabus for one in Europe which requires intimate knowledge about Mach numbers and other technicalities that apply to flying commercial jet aircraft only 5% of Private Pi lots in the UK hold one compared with about 50% in USA. But we have an IMC rating which allows us to fly under instrument conditions and fly instrument approaches in class D airspace but not class A – UK only. Because of this, a large number of UK pilots use this qualification which is unique to UK and our accident record for weather related accidents is much better than the rest of Europe.

My wife and I have a home in Alderney which is in the Channel Islands – see http://www.visitalderney.com/ so most journeys are from our base at Redhill EGKR – just in the London Gatwick CTR to Alderney of which half is over water and it can be hostile in bad weather – hence the comfort of having a twin. Alderney is known for strong winds as gales funnel in from the Atlantic and the Beech has good crosswind characteristics – when things get nasty there is a 490 metre grass strip there and if the wind direction favours it, the Beech gets in with plenty of room to spare.

Flying in other countries is far more straightforward than in USA. even though UK has not agreed to the “Open Frontiers” policy. From Redhill (which does not have customs) to anywhere in Europe we just notify them and land at an airfield on the Continent that has Customs. To return we are supposed to advise Redhill 2 hours ahead of our arrival just in case Customs would like to visit. If you are in France and you want to go to say Portugal or Spain, you just file a flight plan and go.

The longest trips I undertake are from the Channel Islands – either Alderney or its larger neighbour Guernsey direct to Portugal. A bit over 5 hours flying and 275 miles across the Bay of Biscay but it’s a great experience to see Spain appearing in the distance after one and three quarter hours over water.

In UK we are penalised by stupidly high landing fees for twins –(singles as well) and Avgas costing $12 a US gallon ($9 in the Channel Islands as the taxes are lower) If it were not for the water I would fly a Bonanza which is quicker and has a much larger cabin. But for now I shall continue to enjoy the pleasures of the BE76.

Best wishes to you all

Martin

Beautiful!!!!!

gorgeous !

Thanks very much Tim

best wishes

Martin

Welcome, Martin!

Excellent pictures and great introduction.

Martin, as another newby--welcome. Since I have one of the Oldest English names and my Mothers Father came from Scotland --we might be relatives ??

do you have an uncle Ronnie? short funny guy

Great pictures Martin, thanks for sharing. And again a very warm welcome.

One statement had me puzzled though: "... far more straightforward than in USA"
Was that a typo perhaps?

Welcome, Martin. As a ex-pat Brit living in the USA (for 30+ years now, and a naturalized US citizen), and fellow Beech flier, I offer my services as translator. I speak English, American and Texan. All I ask is a ride on the Duchess next time I'm in the UK.