Jack Shannon and Larry Timmons look at aircraft performance and
safe flight planning

SEATTLE, June 29, 2010--A July 17 lecture at The Museum of Flight looks at how flight test programs are undertaken to develop aircraft flight manuals, and how the information in a flight manual is used to determine aircraft airfield performance and cross-country flight planning in a light, twin-engine aircraft-using the Beechcraft P58 Baron as an example. This 2 p.m. lecture is geared to aviators of all levels of experience, as well as those who have an interest in aircraft performance. This unique program features Larry Timmons, President of Aircraft Engineering Specialists, Inc., and engineering aerodynamicist and author Jack Shannon. During this lecture, Timmons describes how aircraft performance is determined, then Shannon describes a typical flight from Boeing Field to San Diego--a flight he has flown many times in his Beechcraft 58P Baron-and shares his best techniques for a safe and efficient flight. Shannon and Timmons will field audience questions after the presentation, and follow with a book signing. The program is in the William M. Allen Theater, and free with Museum admission.

Shannon is an aircraft owner with commercial, instrument and multiengine ratings, and he is the author of a book about the Beechcraft Baron, "The 58P."  Aircraft Engineering Specialists determines aircraft performance through flight test and data analysis.

The trip scenario in the presentation will be a flight under instrument flight rules. Shannon will review the factors one must consider in the preparation and planning this type of trip in a P58, including takeoff weight, field lengths, planned altitude, en-route speed, weather, fuel burn and options for the flight. Pilots will see how it is important to fully understand the published flight manual performance data, and to see how they relate to individual skills as a pilot.
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The non-profit Museum of Flight is one of the largest independent air and space museums in the world. The Museum's collection includes more than 150 historically significant air- and spacecraft, as well as the William E. Boeing Red Barn® - the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Co. The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing displays 28 World War I and World War II aircraft from the United States and other countries including Germany, Russia, and Japan. Over 30 aircraft representing the first century of aviation are displayed in the all-glass T.A. Wilson Great Gallery. The evolution of space flight and a look into the future are presented in the exhibit, Space: Exploring the New Frontier. The Airpark includes outdoor displays including the first jet Air Force One, a supersonic Concorde airliner and the prototype Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Interactive displays in The Flight Zone provide educational and entertaining activities for young children. The Museum's aeronautical library and archival holdings are the largest on the West Coast. More than 140,000 students are served annually by the Museum's on-site and outreach educational programs--the most extensive museum-based youth aviation and space education program in the country. The Museum is the only air and space museum in Washington State that is both nationally accredited with the American Association of Museums and a Smithsonian affiliate.
 
The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle, Exit 158 off Interstate 5 on Boeing Field half-way between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for active military, $8 for youth 5 to 17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. Admission on the first Thursday of the month is free from 5 to 9 p.m. courtesy of Wells Fargo. For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org.
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