Hey Tom,

Good to see you over here on this site. There are currently 5 Starships that are airworthy and flown regularly. There is a possibility of a 6th, and I suppose a 7th. We additionally own 1 of 2 remaining airframe that could be restored/refurb'd to airworthy status on the N registry. We are currently talking to a party who is interested in purchasing this airframe in order to restore and fly her for their business, but as yet they have not decided to purchase it. The 7th one that I speak of is located in Tampico, MX -- it was "misappropriated" and abandoned approximately 6 years ago. The Gulf weather and the sun hasn't been kind to this airframe. Recent pictures suggest that this airframe is beyond scrap condition. Despite this, it hasn't stopped an individual from attempting to procure it. Unfortunately, he is wrapped up in both Mexican and U.S. legal issues vis-a-vis this airframe.

Honestly, the Starship is one of the saddest stories in all of aviation. We are just happy to have ours -- a piece of aviation history that outperforms any KingAir and hangs with some of the Legacy Citations for lower DOC/hr. than all of them.

Have a wonderful day!

There is a Star Ship at the Beech Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, TN--think it was also one from Mexico--no engines--just a display but in nice shape--last year the Museum guys put a steel framework inside the engine necalles to mount props--as I recall Bob Seigfreid (ole Bob to most of us) was instrumental in getting it outfitted and inside the museum hangar.
Pat Byrne G35 Knoxville

I believe that there is a big fly in in the late summer or early fall out there. I don't know how many, if any at all, Starships would make that trip out there. It is possible that there is some bad blood there, but not sure between whom on both sides -- just what I have heard. The Beech community vis-a-vis the Starship seems somewhat divided. There are those who seem to love the aircraft, and then there are those who think negatively about the aircraft and just wish it would go away.

I will say this about the one in TN as well as the others that are in museums across the world -- at least those were spared, not ground up & incinerated.

Chris:

You are right. The Starship story is a sad one, and a low point for Beechcraft/Raytheon.

Yes, and while the upper management at HBC has written off the Starship (in all ways possible) and tries in vain to forget the Starship, the story of the Starship still continues. If the 5 owners of active flying Starships have anything to say about it, the story will continue to be written for some time to come.

The real shame of it is that the factory workers, the pilots, and even the tower controllers at Beech Field all love the Starship. Many speak about how it was their favorite plane to build. Yet, upper management wants nothing to do with us. They could all use a lesson from Donald Trump -- he is pretty incredible at turning negatives into positives; and, there are many ways that I can see turning the negatives associated with the Starship into positives. HBC for now has ignored that lesson and the sentiment of many of its workers -- such a shame!

Hi all,
I am a 200 hr pp just starting on my IR. I bought a Sundowner a year ago to build some time in and get my instrument rating. I love the beech quality and am looing forward to the bigger, better, and faster next one.

Great site!

Scott

My name is Roger Cole, and I'm currently a student pilot living in Lawrenceville, GA (northeastern suburb of Atlanta) and flying rental 172s from KLZU. My first flight in any airplane was back in high school in the late 70s, or possibly 1980. I grew up in Elizabethton, TN and had my ham license at age 13. In those days, you had to take radio license exams from the FCC, not volunteer examiners as later. My friend and fellow ham's father was the director of Moody Aviation, a part of Moody Bible Institute, at the local airport, and they were both hams. They were going to Atlanta to take license exams and offered to let me come along. I already had my Advanced license and certainly wasn't going to have the 20 wpm code required for the Extra in those days in time for the trip (I passed that later, in college,) so I hastily decided to take the Second Class Commercial Radiotelephone exam (to this day the only one I ever failed!) and rode along from 0A9 to PDK in a T-210. Some time later I was fortunate to make the same trip with them again, this time in an A-36. I knew as soon as we took off that I wanted to fly some day.

I made an abortive attempt in the early 80s, couldn't afford it, instructor left (a very different story from the usual) then got another one etc. The first had been ready to solo me at 13 hours or so, then there was the long lay off then the second was very, very different and I ended up quitting with 17.8 hours and no solo.

Fast forward to last year. I'm a network engineering working for a major ISP and can finally, with sacrifice, somewhat afford to fly, so I started again. Oddly enough it seemed to take me a lot longer to learn the manual aspects than it did when I was in my 20s. Imagine that. At any rate, after starting in September 06 I soloed in January and this fall completed everything I need except the...[drum roll] check ride. I work nights and the combination of limited daylight hours, the holidays, and even the fact we are finally getting much needed rain in Georgia has meant little flying. I resigned myself to that, and hope to simply fly a bit as I can, then take a week or two off work early in 08 and just fly my brains out until I'm ready for the checkride.

I guess I'm mainly here because I entertain probably insane but not altogether unrealizable thoughts of buying an airplane in the coming year. I'm a fairly large guy, 6'1" and about 255 lbs. I just feel cramped in a lot of airplanes, so the Musketeer series is very appealing from that point of view, and also fits my budget of <$50k or so. I'm also shopping several others including PA28s and the occasional Grumman so we'll see what, if anything, I end up with.

Welcome aboard Scott and Roger. I think that you will find this site pretty darned cool, and chock full of information. Scott, good luck on your IR, and Roger, good luck finishing your long held dream.

Happy New Year!

Alan Higgins here (a.k.a. Flying Aggie on other forums.) I started flying with the Texas A&M University Flying Club in 1975 as a senior in college. The club had two AA1A American Trainers that went for $12/hr and instructors charged $5/hr. I graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree before I completed my training and went to work for the utility company in Amarillo, TX. I resumed my training with Llano Aviation at Trade Winds airport (KTDW) and passed the private pilot's check ride in August 1976. Trained mostly in PA-28's, but sometime in 1976, I did an hour in a Beech Sundowner (N9256S.) That is my only Beech time to date.

I flew fairly regularly over the next couple of years and accumulated about 95 hrs. Then I meet the girl that I have been married to for the last thirty years and my flying hours decreased. Next we had three daughters and flying stopped all together while we raised a family and I pursued a career. The last entry in my logbook was a BFR on May 19th 1979. However, I never lost my love for flying and even though aviating was limited to Microsoft Flight Simulator. I promised myself that I would to get back into to flying “one of these days."

Fast forward to 2006, two of my daughters have graduated from college and the youngest daughter is on glide slope for a May 08 graduation. After 9/11, I decided to "cash in" on a severance package offered during utility company "right sizing" and moved to Northern VA to start a second career. I went to work for a government three letter agency doing my part to fight the war on terrorism. With our nest empty, my wife went back to teaching and we found ourselves in a good position financially.

One November afternoon, we are outside and a small plane flies over and I say something like "One of these days, I 'll get back up there." My wife startles me by saying "What's stopping you?" "Your 'One of these day' is here. Go fly! Go buy an airplane. Now is your time." No wonder I am still in love with that girl.

So, the next day, I schedule a visit with a AME and call a flight school. I am assigned a young (250 hr TT) instructor who is not sure what to do with someone who hasn't flown in 28 yrs. I find it amusing that when I started flying all my instructors were old enough to my father and the second time around all my instructors have been young enough to be my son. Nevertheless, we "bust the rust" on my flying skills and I catch up on 28 yrs of new government regulation and finally pass the BFR in Feb 2007. I have flown 30hrs since the BFR and have even started working on an instrument rating. I completed 2007 by passing the instrument exam even making a perfect score. My goal is to cram all the flying I missed into the next 15 to 20 years. I plan to become a CFI/II and instruct as a third career when I retire.

I am in the hunt to buy my first airplane and that is why I joined this forum. I have heeded the advice offered on the AOPA Forum to “buy my second plane first” and forgo the normal first plane (i.e. C-172’s/PA28's.) I have narrowed the candidates down to three: Mooney, Bellanca and Bonanza. I hope my participation on this forum and interaction with those who own planes will help me make the right decision.

I am Paul Mandel, a year resident of Knoxville, TN. I met Max Grogan on the tarmac at KDKX, my new home airport, the day his engine quit and, as they say, the rest is history. I fly a 1970 Baron, my 10th airplane in 35 years. My second Baron, but my favorite airplane that I have owned. Nothing flies like a beech and the 55 is a sports car in the air.

I learned to fly at St. Louis Flying Service at Lambert Airport in St. Louis; soloed in the morning of my 16th birthday at Alton, IL. Stage II radar service was just coming to be. Only one of the airplanes had a transponder so the call-up ended with 'negative Stage II.' Radar identification was 90 degree turns and then you heard 'Cessna 1234 Radar contact' sweet words back then.

A yearly OSH attendee so I hope to meet all of you this summer.

Wow Jeff! ...and I thought I was bad (only have made it 5 times in the last 19 years).
Isn't it a neighborhood rule?

Sorry. Been posting without telling everyone who I am. I am Jud Vance from Tupelo, MS. (Elvis birthplace). Got my private license in November, 1997 and instrument in July, 1998. Got my MEL instrument on December 24, 2001. Flew a 1996 Saratoga until 1999 when me and a non-pilot partner bought a new 1999 Bonanza. Beautiful plane. Turbonormalized it in March, 2004. Wanted a glass panel so I sold it and ordered a new 2005 Mooney Ovation GX. Didn't fly much so I sold it in 2006. Haven't flown much since then. Have a new grandson in Hattiesburg, MS (where I am originally from) and some business interests in Arkansas and Tennessee and so that is why I am TRYING to get either a B55 or B58 Baron. Have time in Baron 58, Seneca V and some king air time. Why a Baron... I just want one!! Have enjoyed the comments and information regarding my questions very much. Thanks.

Hello everyone, my name is Joe Christian and I live in Eldorado, Texas (45 miles south of San Angelo). I learned to fly in 1962. I'm a retired EE, a ham radio operator (K5HMD), and I also dabble in computers. I own a 1962 Beech P-35 which I purchased in January 1994. Prior to that I was a partner in a 1963 Beech P-35 (N8661M). I've been flying the P-35 for almost 20 years now. While I was in college, I also worked full time for a FBO, primarily in the shop. As a result, I was able to obtain my A&P and I do all the maintenance on my Bonanza. I live on a ranch near Eldorado, and I have a strip (7XS5) and hanger close to our house, but normally keep the Bonanza at the Eldorado airport (27R) because of insurance requirements. You can see more pictures of N61JC at my web site: http://www.uppercanyon.us/n61jc/

My wife and I primarily use the plane for trips to our cabin in Ruidoso, NM and to visit our kids and grandkids in Denver, Oklahoma City, and Dallas. Last summer we flew to Denver, then up to Wyoming and across to Washington and Oregon. We came back via Salt Lake City. What an awesome trip for a flatlander!

Here's a picture of N61JC.

Joe:

Beautiful plane, great pic!

Welcome Joe! I love your P35 -- truly a beauty. Whenever you make it up to Oklahoma City, stop by Sundance Airpark (KHSD) -- you'll get the best price on avgas and if we're there, I'll give ya the nickel tour.

Welcome again and clear skies & tailwinds to ya.

PS...if you fly up to San Angelo, stop in and say Hi to Dave and Mel at Skyline Aviation -- they are great people!