By Ken Huffine, EAA 1171951
It was 1996, and my 1964 S-model Bonanza was just not doing the job I needed it to do anymore. I had restored it to greatness but had a longing for a Baron for its speed, handling, and load-carrying abilities. The Boeing 767 that I flew for American Airlines was nice, but I needed a jolt from my past where I grew up at the Beechcraft dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina. Trade-A-Plane pointed me toward a few interesting twins, but all I had to do was look in one T-hangar at Air Service in my own backyard for my dream airplane. A lonely and forgotten D55 Baron lived by itself, and a love affair began. It was purchased from two older gentlemen who had both lost their medicals. Homer Brendle, a renowned head of maintenance of the Beech dealership for 38 years and the man who gave me my first job in aviation as an airplane washer and waxer when I was 15 years old, looked at N433K with me in the hangar. His knowledge always gave me confidence in flying planes with his signature in the logbook. He examined the Baron and said, “She is in better shape than your Bonanza.” That’s all it took to make the offer to purchase. The two older gentlemen looked into my eyes, saw my excitement, and said, “Come and get her.” There I began a 22-year restoration to make it great again.
Homer and I began to fix up this 1968 bird to be sure we had a clean slate with its mechanical condition. I quickly dumped the old oil and changed the spark plugs and leads. The Continental IO-520Cs were factory remanufactured engines only one serial number apart. The three-bladed McCauley props had been overhauled but rarely flown, having only 11 hours on them. Homer removed the mags, and all four were brought up to new standards and checked for ADs. It hummed like a sewing machine and trued out at 200 knots!
Many trips to visit friends have been flown, and it has never given me a problem because we took good care of my baby. While camping at Oshkosh, I drained the sump and heard a tearing noise. It did not leak, but those 30-year-old fuel cells, BT-39s, had an AD, and I could not get home fast enough to change them all. They were replaced with new nitrile rubber bladders. The front windshield was replaced with a one-piece speed slope. The paint was in okay condition, but the color — well, a little too much of a jolt from the past! Pumpkin yellow with a chocolate brown stripe. Oh yes, you could see me coming. After a couple of years, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I took it to Harrington’s in Aiken, South Carolina, and had it stripped and painted with Jet Glo Matterhorn White and Ming Blue with titanium silver trim.
An Avidyne IFD-440 was added two years ago with a GDL 88, ADS-B, and Garmin GMX 200. Sirius XM weather shows on the IFD-440. This year, dual Garmin G5s were installed, giving me altitude alerts, a horizontal situation indicator, and GPS steering for the older Century III autopilot. As a retired older guy, I like having some of that Boeing 777 technology with mostly round gauges on the panel. Finally, I gave the interior a refresh this past winter. The original yellow leather and carpets were replaced with fire-tested material as well as a glare shield refurbish. The distressed leather is a silver gray and smells like a new baseball glove. A new black wing walk, and we were safe again.
Homer died more than 20 years ago, but his legacy remains. He would say, “Wings, engines, and props are what keep you up there. Do things right by the book because you will still make mistakes anyway.” Now in retirement at KSUT, Oak Island, North Carolina, I will be installing a new vortex generator kit purchased at Oshkosh. Keeping safe by lowering critical VMC and stall speeds makes perfect sense.
It is only fitting that this past year I was also awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. N433K just turned 50 years old in April 2018. We started in the air together, and I hope we have many more years together. I think this old antique needs a hangar mate. Maybe we can build it a new experimental friend.
I thank all who have helped me along the way. No one is successful using only themself as a role model. We are very proud to display my Lindy plaque for Contemporary (1956-1970) Outstanding Beech Multiengine in a place of prominence in our home, right next to the Wright Brothers Award. What a way to complete my 50th year in aviation! I can’t wait to fly it to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019. N433K loves seeing all its Beechcraft cousins at the family reunion.
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