Clowes Estates Limited is a group of 20 companies based in Derby, UK. Charles W. Clowes, president of the group, talked to EBAN about the Beech 200 that arrived at Derby in November last year, and gave an insight into the continuing popularity of the aeroplane. \r"We have had numerous telephone calls from various people around the world trying to buy it," Clowes confided. "We had a firm offer from a UK company for more than we paid, on the day that the Beech 200 came to Clowes Estates. However, we will not be parting company because it took nearly a year to buy this one."\rClowes stepped in to purchase the Beech 200 from Plymouth Executive; the aircraft was on its way to America. "The 200 was collected in November; we've zeroed pretty much everything on it: Engines, props, the flight deck has been updated. It's running well," Clowes said. The aircraft is registered on an AOC with Eastern Air Executive Aviation. \rSo far, the aircraft has shuttled Clowes to destinations in the UK, Spain and Germany. "We take clients onboard not so much for the impression a business aircraft gives as for the practicality of it. I was sitting in the Edinburgh office one day at midday, and was in Derby two hours later. We concluded a deal in Edinburgh, and came back and concluded a deal in Derby during the same day. It's that sort of thing that you can't value." \rConfigured in an eight-seat vip formation with space for two crew, Clowes reports that usually no more than four passengers fly in the Beech 200. Journeys from East Midlands airport to Barcelona, where Clowes Estates has development interests, take just two and a half hours.\rClowes himself has been flying for over 30 years, but has not yet flown the Beech 200. "When you have been in meetings for most of the day, the last thing you want to do is climb in an aeroplane late at night, in the rain and the wind. I will fly it, but I haven't physically had time," he said. \rThe aircraft is registered G-CLOW: "This was the suggestion of the maintenance people in Plymouth. We haven't registered the aircraft like this for 30 years. These days it is far better to go in and out of airfields without any name on at all," Clowes told EBAN. \r"We have had a Seneca, I flew a 500 Hughes from here for three years which had a cargo hook and cameras onboard. And small stuff as well like Navajos. We still do photographic work, but find we can get it done cheaper by going to a national charter company, so the Beech 200 hasn't got all that equipment aboard.\r"The 200 is the most versatile aircraft I have ever owned; we can get onto grass strips as well as airports, which obviously you can't do with a jet. We did have an arrangement with a Citation II operator, but we were limited with where we could go," Clowes explained.