QUEEN AIR TALES

In the early seventies Esquire Airways acquired a pre-owned Beechcraft Queen Air. This top of the range 8,800 lb MAUW model had nine forward facing commuter seats and I flew it as a single pilot operation for several months.

- JEFFERY KEMPSON

ONE NIGHT A NERVOUS passenger remarked that flames were being emitted from the augmenter tube exhausts, so I nicknamed the aircraft the Beech Belch-Fire.

This was appropriate, as the aircraft also had very small ashtrays, and being a chain smoker at the time I had several mini-in-flight cockpit emergencies sparked by ashtray fires.

The aircraft was easy to fly, but the 380 hp supercharged Lycoming engines could be temperamental. We had no cowl flaps for cooling on these engines, while the same engines fitted to the stretched Grand Aero Commanders had cowl flaps that made the engines less unpredictable.

One morning I was taking off from Gaborone without passengers. At about 70 knots the left engine started running rough, so I aborted the takeoff. Then the engine stopped and puffs of smoke came out of the top of the cowling.

I asked the control tower to advise the airport fire station of the situation. I turned around on the runway and managed to taxi back to the parking area near the fire station, shut down, and turned off the fuel selectors.

Grabbing my flight bag, I exited the aircraft, while shouting to the scurrying fireman to hurry. Thicker smoke was floating out of the left nacelle.

The firemen marched onto the apron carrying sections of thick fire hose. Once the sections had been joined the valve was opened. However, the extreme pressure generated by the gushing hose overcame the strength of the fireman holding it. He was lifted off his feet as thick white foam sprayed over the car park and terminal building, all well away from the aircraft.

A second firemen arrived and tried to redirect the hose toward the smoking engine nacelle.