AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012 - 30

BRIEFING

AOPA SWEEPSTAKES

THE DEBONAIR SWEEPS: PROGRESS REPORT

D’Shannon do-over
Kicking off the upgrades
BY THOMAS A. HORNE THE DEBONAIR SWEEPSTAKES is off to a running start. A mere four days after the 1963 B33 Beech Debonair was flown from its former home to AOPA headquarters, the airplane was headed to Buffalo, Minnesota. That’s where D’Shannon Aviation calls home. D’Shannon is the world’s biggest modifier of stock Debonair, Bonanza, and Baron airframes. The company holds an amazing 98 supplemental type certificates for everything from custom engine baffling to “stinger” (elongated and streamlined) tailcones. Scott Erickson, president of D’Shannon since 2008, says he sees a steady stream of business, even in these tough economic times. Most of D’Shannon’s mods are completed in the field, at authorized FBOs and repair stations, but we took AOPA’s Debonair straight to the head shed. In Buffalo, the Debonair’s old, beat-up windshield and windows were yanked, tossed, and then replaced VIEW THE with brand-new, 3/8-inch-thick plexiglass. The new VIDEO windshield—D’Shannon calls it the “speed slope” windshield—is longer and more aerodynamically correct than the standardissue, bubble-shaped version. It’s perhaps the most popular of all D’Shannon’s mods. The new glass is tinted gray, which is a welcome change from the original greenish hue. D’Shannon also installed another of its top mods: tip tanks. Each tank holds a whopping 20 gallons and includes both digital, in-cockpit readouts and transparent slots for determining fuel levels. The Debonair already has the 74-gallon long-range fuel tank option, so add 40 more gallons to the tips and you’ve got a 114-gallon long-range cruiser capable of seven- to eight-hour endurances. Sure, payload is compromised but it’s not that bad: at its last weigh-in, the Debonair’s useful load with full fuel was 488 pounds. Thank the tip-tank STC’s 200 pound addition to the airplane’s standard, 3,000-pound max takeoff weight for much of that. Aileron and flap gap seals were also installed in Buffalo. And we’re still not done. During a second visit, D’Shannon will install a three-blade Hartzell scimitar propeller, a new nose bowl, and a bigger baggage compartment and baggage door.
EMAIL tom.horne@aopa.org
WEB

SHOWING OFF THE NEW TIP TANKS, and here

the ailerons are removed to plumb the tanks and install gap seals.

THE TIP TANKS ARE FILLED with avgas to

test the fuel transfer pumps.

D’SHANNON’S “SPEED SLOPE” windshield

is larger and more aerodynamic than the original.

Visit the website (www.aopa.org/sweeps) for more updates.

AOPA center to accentuate flying clubs

ON THE

AOPA will create a national network of flying clubs as part of its long-term initiative to facilitate flying club growth, said Adam Smith, senior vice president of AOPA’s new Center to Advance the Pilot Community. The association has rolled out an online flying club finder and Facebook group. A monthly newsletter will start this month.

WEB

CAPCOMM NEWS. Find the

VIEW THE

VIDEO

“There is no way I could have learned to fly without my flying club experience.” —Adam Smith

latest information on the activities and progress of the Center to Advance the Pilot Community (www.aopa.org/ CAPComm).

30 | AOPA PILOT December 2012

http://www.aopa.org/sweeps http://www.aopa.org/CAPComm http://www.aopa.org/CAPComm http://www.aopa.org/CAPComm

AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2012