Key limes back in the news.

[Old Pete]

Key Lime would benefit from a media consultant and some local philanthropy.

Otherwise, whenever you type in Key Lime, all you're going to see are negative things.

With all due respect to media consultants, that would be like paying someone to put lipstick on a pig.

 

[Old Pete]

Seems like power lines may have caused the MX issue.

21-JAN-15 14:54:00Z N66906 GOODLAND KANSAS PIPER/PA31 ACCIDENT SUBSTANTIAL 0 N66906 KEY LIME FLIGHT LYM169 PIPER PA 31 AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWERLINES AND FORCE LANDED IN A FIELD, 10 MILES FROM GOODLAND, KS

and wet streets cause rain

 

[ppragman]

The -350 was a Panther. But neither had the BLR kit.

Yeah - I dunno, I always found it was fine light (on checkrides that is) - but at MGTOW with the BLR kit I was only seeing about 500 - 700fpm with both engines running on an 80 degree day at 7368...I know a guy who lost one out of Fairbanks when it was 85 degrees outside at MTOW and had to close the cowl on the dead engine to stop sinking...

Most of those airplanes have the gear doors removed too - which is a pretty huge amount of drag.

 

[cmhumphr]

According to my logbook I've got 22.6 hours in the accident airplane. Most of the KLA 31s have the BLR kit, however a Navajo bulked out with Amazon Prime, other UPS freight, etc, is going to be about 1,000 under gross. Having lost a motor in a KLA Navajo up around 9,000 feet before, I can tell you that I didn't need to descend until I was closer to an airport.

Running out of gas? Certainly possible. SOP was to top off all 4 tanks in the outstations, operate the evening flight back to DEN, then fly back out in the AM with the remaining fuel. Done right one had about a 90 min reserve on landing. Done wrong, well, who knows. As I recall, taxi, take off, and climb was inboards, cruise was outboards, descent and landing was inboards. Numbers escape me but the inboards are definitely the larger tanks.

If you weren't paying attention hitting the center stop on the fuel selector, the one that says "OFF" wouldn't be hard to do, and apparently the last one that KL put into a field was found with both selectors in that position. If one couldn't figure out how to look down at the fuel selector the moment something stopped running, well, maybe flying airplanes shouldn't be your thing. Or perhaps my 900 hours of PA31 in SE AK has just trained me well. Anyways, the rumor was one of the owners jacked up the airplane, dropped the gear, put on two new props, and flew it out.

The usual morning flight to western KS is DEN-GLD, which a truck from both Burlington, CO, and Colby, KS meeting the aircraft at GLD. If their was too much freight for one airplane the route would be split with one airplane going to Burlington, the other Colby. If I was doing Colby my usual MO was using the standard canned flight plan to GLD, then cancelling and continuing VFR. LYM169 is the canned flight plan DEN-GLD-DEN.

Good to see you still around man.

 

[TallFlyer]

Good to see you still around man.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I never really left, just lurked a lot. I did a lateral move before lateral moves were cool and got jumped on. Didn't really feel like sticking around. 6 months later they were all the rage.

I can't say that where I went initially was the greatest choice, but I can't complain about where I'm at now.

 

[Roger Roger]

Or perhaps my 900 hours of PA31 in SE AK has just trained me well.

Did we even have the PA31 up when you left? Or did you go to Harris? (Yes, I realize you probably just mistyped "PA32").

 

[TallFlyer]

Did we even have the PA31 up when you left? Or did you go to Harris? (Yes, I realize you probably just mistyped "PA32").

Nope, @Joepilot84 went to Harris. The 31 was coming online just when I left (still the biggest mistake I've made in the last 5 years).

I was specifically referring to managing 4 tanks in the PA31s. Not hard, but the airplane will definitely let you know if you forgot about it. Definite buzzkill when you have 4 old ladies from Iowa on a Glacier Bay Tour.

 

[Roger Roger]

Nope, @Joepilot84 went to Harris. The 31 was coming online just when I left (still the biggest mistake I've made in the last 5 years).

I was specifically referring to managing 4 tanks in the PA31s. Not hard, but the airplane will definitely let you know if you forgot about it. Definite buzzkill when you have 4 old ladies from Iowa on a Glacier Bay Tour.

You did it again . PA32.

 

[TallFlyer]

You did it again . PA32.

D'oh! I must be getting old or something. You're right. 900 hours of PA32. And 1,700 landings. Or something like that.

 

[cmhumphr]

D'oh! I must be getting old or something. You're right. 900 hours of PA32. And 1,700 landings. Or something like that.

In the end, the only thing that matters is that you are happy and progressing.

 

[Joepilot84]

I have just shy of 1000 hrs in a Chieftain. Did more than a few check rides, including my ATP in it. It does just fine on one.

I have well over 1000 hrs in Cheiftains, close to double that, and also did my ATP in one, and when they're full, they do terrible on one engine. I know this from experience. I do agree with you though, if you fly em around empty they're awesome!!

 

[Joepilot84]

By the way, was this guy in icing when this accident occurred?

 

[gne in prog]

Does key lime have a queen air or is this typical aviation reporting?

http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2015/10/05/key-lime-air-landing-gear-dia/73428676/

Denver International Airport runway had to close for a time Monday night after a plane had an "issue with its landing gear," DIA spokesperson Heath Montgomery said.

The Queen Air B-65 operated by Key Lime Air landed at DIA at 8:30 p.m. The only person inside the plane was the pilot, who wasn't hurt.

Crews had the clean up the runway before it could reopen. This did not affect operations at DIA.

A DIA spokesperson didn't offer further details on the nature of the landing gear problems.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

Last month, a small charter plane operated by Key Lime Air went off the runway at DIA. Officials attributed it to a steering issue.

Back in January, a pilot died after his twin-engine Cessna 404 crashed into a residential area during a flight from Centennial Airport to DIA. That flight was also operated by Key Lime Air.

 

[ppragman]

I thought Bemidji had put a Queen air in DIA.

 

[ScorpionStinger]

Geeez! What a History? People still go there to fly? ... Ok what am I missing? Great QOL & pay? Company paid super model feeds the pilot cake & milk every friday?

 

[Blackhawk]

What's amazing is that the FAA does not seem to exercise much over site of Key Lime and several other renowned 135 operators. Safety inspectors must be too busy violating pilots for left hand patterns.

 

[gotWXdagain]

I believe this one belongs to Bemidji Air. Them and Alpine have been seeing more work out of DEN because apparently the free market does have a rock bottom, and UPS found it with Key Lime.

 

[Groundpounder]

I'm starting an airline called Strawberry Rhubarb to compete with Key Lime.

 

[jskibo]

I'm starting an airline called Strawberry Rhubarb to compete with Key Lime.

And I'm going to undercut you with Pecan Air.....

 

[FloridaLarry]

And I'm going to undercut you with Pecan Air.....

Just think what the blue ice would be like.