Page 20 - Volume 16 Number 12

by Kevin R. Dingman Photos courtesy of Nick DeanAb and Wendy Fuoss, hosts of the Duke Flyers Convention.This past October, Ab and Wendy Fuoss hosted the annual, four-day Duke Flyers Convention in picturesque Brunswick, Maine. This yearly gathering of friends is as much a treasured social event as a technical one. The Association has a little over 300 members, including 24 that hail from foreign countries including Switzerland, Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, England, New Zealand, Guatemala, Italy, South Africa, Cyprus, and Canada. Over 50 members were in attendance and 15 Dukes flew in, two of which were Royal Turbines – the PT6A-converted fire breathers. Several members flew in commercially but one member who writes for Twin &Turbine was conspicuously absent, due to an engine issue; the fly-in host unable to persuade him to ride in the back of an airliner. Notwithstanding his absence, what sort of journalist would the coach- class intolerant writer be, if he didn’t eventually pen an article bragging on the other woman in his life, the Beechcraft Duke? Unlike most vehicles, machinery, and hurricanes, however, I like to refer to the Duke as a “He.” So, I suppose that makes it the other man in my life, not that there’s anything wrong with that, according to Jerry Seinfeld.18 • TWIN & TURBINEDuke FolkloreMost of the Duke’s maintenance and operational issues are now relegated to folklore, having been resolved over the years with a thicker engine case, carbide lifters and engine pre-oilers, vortex generators, lightweight starters, alternators; and a very helpful, intelligent, and persistent owner’s association: the Duke Flyers Association (DFA). The one anomaly that remains is unfortunately true of all high-performance, cabin-class piston twins, best explained here as it was to me 11 years ago. A fellow owner pointed out the simple reality of every fast, load- carrying airplane: It takes money. I can imagine some of you jumping to your feet over the perceived expense of owning a Duke, shaking your head in amazement. Surely, only a dim-witted airline pilot would own one instead of a another cabin-class twin. Truth be told, other than some parts having become as rare as proverbial hen’s teeth, the Duke’s total ownership costs are in-line with other cabin class piston twins. Nowadays, however, and often due to folklore, Dukes can be purchased at a very reasonable price. The money metric now suggests a close look at them when you consider a cabin-class twin.Beech employed royal titles for a line of twins: the King Air, Queen Air, Baron, Duchess, and Duke. Have you ever heard anyone bad mouth the workmanship and flying characteristics of a blue-blooded Beechcraft? Built in 1966 and flown for the first time in December of that year, the Duke was born not in Wichita, but in Salina (as was the Duchess). The story goes that Mrs. Piper and Mrs. Beech were close friends. The Director of Manufacturing at the Salina plant for the last fiveDECEMBER 2012Maine