Thanks for the Info. ============================================================ From: David Kaufman <samhoskins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 2004/03/24 Wed PM 02:20:47 EST To: <Skyone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [Sky-1] "Waiting for the incinerator"? > Why, as the Photographer states, "Waiting for the incinerator"? "Smelter" or "scrapper" would have been more accurate terms. Beech is completing a total buy-back of all the Starships from their owners. When the whole surviving fleet is on hand, they will be scrapped. The airplane, while being a noteworthy point in aircraft design, proved to be uneconomical for operators and very difficult to maintain and support. It wound up being way overweight due to certification requirements, and the composite structures and unusual controls are difficult for small operators to maintain. After production ceased due to lack of orders, Beech decided they didn't want the liability of those planes still flying around, and they didn't want to continue to consume resources on supporting the ~60 examples delivered. So they decided to notify all operators that support would terminate as of xx-xx date (further trashing the planes' values), and to offer fair terms for buying them back. I think they might have included some kind of discount guarantee for buying a new or pre-owned King Air. The owners are largely going along with it, having little hope of successfully operating the plane after OEM support is terminated. It's pretty sad, given the high hopes everyone had for the all-composite plane when it was announced in the 80's. ============================================================ Roger EWROPS