Beechcraft King Air

King Air
King Air 350
Type:	Business jet
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Beech Aircraft Corporation Hawker Beechcraft
First flight:	May 15, 1963
Commissioning:	1964
Production time:	In series production since 1964
Number of pieces:	> 7000

Beechcraft King Air B200

Instrument panel of a Beechcraft King Air 100

Cockpit of a Hawker Beechcraft 350 King Air (B300)

The King Air from the Beechcraft Family of the Beech Aircraft Corporation is a twin-engine, high-performance turboprop aircraft with a pressurized cabin . It is a business jet and is approved for up to 17 people, but usually only has 7 to 11 seats.

history

King Air 200

King Air 90 of the US Air Force (now in the USAF Museum)

The Beech Aircraft Corporation (now Hawker Beechcraft ), owned by the Textron conglomerate from 2012 , began test flights of its new aircraft model, the King Air, on May 15, 1963. In May 1964, the C90 received clearance from the FAA . On September 9, 1964, the first series model of the King Air 90 type was produced and by the end of 1968 more than 400 aircraft of this type had been delivered. Purchase price then: $ 320,000 .

In the fall of 1966, the US Army ordered 48 King Airs valued at US $ 10 million as training aircraft.

The 90s series

On May 23, 1969, the upgraded model King Air 100 was introduced. In the course of time, the King Air was further improved and so the variants, which were further improved compared to its predecessor versions, were created: A90 , B90 , C90 , A100 (as the only one in the entire series with Garrett engines instead of the engines from Pratt & Whitney), E90 , F90 -I , F90-II , C90A , C90B , later C90GT and C90GTi (from then on with Pro Line 21 avionics). In contrast to the rest of the King Air 90 series, the F90 version has a T-tail .

Since the beginning of 2010, the C90GTx has replaced the previous model , the C90GTi . In the new GTx version, the maximum take-off weight has been increased by 175 kg, which enables a significant increase in payload. The C90GTx is also supplied with winglets as standard , which increases the span from 15.32 m to 16.36 m. The list price of a C90GTx is $ 3.9 million.

On August 12, 1970, the 500th King Air was delivered to a Canadian dealer. Another major order from the US Army for $ 12 million followed in April 1972. Among other things, the training company of the Lufthansa that Lufthansa Flight Training in Bremen , machinery maintained this type of pilot training before the end of the nineties of the Piper PA-42 Cheyenne was replaced.

Military versions of the King Air 90

Various military variants of the King Air 90 were used by the USA. These include the VC-6A (later VC-6B), the T-44 Pegasus and, above all, the U-21 Ute . Japan operated 27 TC-90s, five of which were taken over by the Philippines.

The 200 series and higher

On October 27, 1972, the significantly larger and more powerful version King Air 200 was introduced, which was replaced in 1984 by the B200 model (PT6A-42 engine), which was improved in details . A more powerful model, the King Air 300 , made its maiden flight on September 3, 1983 and was replaced in 1988 by the largest and most powerful model of the King Air family to date, the King Air 350 (PT6A-60A turbine). By 1996, 5000 King Air aircraft had been delivered, more than 1000 to governments. Aircraft of this type in all variants can be found around the globe. The King Air C90GTx, 250, B200GT and 350i are currently in production .

From the Super King Air also were naval reconnaissance variants Model 200T (23 machines) and Model B200T produced (8 units). The French Institut Géographique National took over two copies of the 200T in 1977 and used them as survey aircraft .

At the end of 2007, the improved versions King Air B200GT (new and more powerful PT6A-52 engine, price 5.3 million US dollars) and King Air 350ER (range increased to 4760 km) received their approval by the FAA. At the beginning of 2010, the King Air 350i was approved by the EASA and FAA. The King Air 350i differs from the basic version in that it has improved cabin equipment (multimedia, refreshment and flexible seating options).

Military versions of the King Air 200

Several military versions with the basic designation C-12 "Huron" are based on the King Air 200 and were procured by the various US armed forces . In the Canadian armed forces two rented machines were used under the designation CT-145.

MC-12 Liberty

Military versions of the King Air 350

The larger King Air 350 is also used by the US armed forces. Mention should be made here of the C-12S and UC-12W, liaison aircraft of the US Army and US Navy, and the MC-12W, a reconnaissance aircraft that was also used extensively in Afghanistan.

On June 10, 2009, the military version MC-12W of the King Air 350 was used for the first time in Iraq. The machine is a manned surveillance aircraft with Sigint electronics, a Wescam-MX-15 sensor container under the fuselage and two control consoles in the cabin. A total of 37 pieces were to be purchased for the US armed forces.

Further development

In autumn 2010, the manufacturer presented the King Air 250 at the NBAA (also the PT6A-52 engine), the latest model from the King Air 200 series: It is particularly optimized for high altitudes and high temperatures ( Hot & High ). The technical innovations of the King Air 250 include winglets , composite propellers and a Ram Air Recovery System from Raisbeck (for improving the take-off distance, climbing performance and maximum speed). At the same time, the B200GT is still available.

On November 11, 2010, the 2000th King Air C90 (a C90GTx) rolled out of the manufacturing facility in Wichita.

The US Federal Aviation Administration approved in 2016 and the European EASA in 2018 with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion, a new glass cockpit with three screens for machines for B200 and B33 previously equipped with the Pro Line 21, which means that more information is displayed more clearly in the cockpit leave than before.

RC-12P

Military users

 Argentina

 Algeria

 Barbados

 Bolivia

 Chile

 Ecuador

 Ivory Coast

 France

 Greece

 Guatemala

 Israel

 Jamaica

 Japan

 Canada

 Colombia

 Malta ( Air Wing )

 Morocco

 Mexico

 New Zealand

 Panama ( Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (Naval Aviation) )

 Peru

 Philippines

 Switzerland

 Sri Lanka

 Spain

 Uruguay

 United Kingdom

 United States

 Venezuela

Incidents

• In 1967 Harald Quandt was killed in an accident with a Beechcraft King Air A90.

• On December 22nd, 2000, the investment banker Edson Mitchell was killed in the accident of his private Beechcraft King Air B200 ( aircraft registration N30EM ), as was the pilot. The aircraft was registered for the Mountain Air Service company. According to the investigation report, the accident 13 kilometers south of Rangeley Municipal Airport near Rangeley, Maine , was caused by a pilot's error; it was a CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ).

• On February 14, 2002, a King Air 300 from the Austrian company Kronospan (D-ICBC) flew into a mountain near the Sarsura glacier . The machine was approaching the Swiss airfield Samedan . However, the pilots lost their spatial orientation in critical visibility conditions; the plane collided with the terrain. Both pilots, the only occupants, were killed.

• On February 26, 2004, a Super King Air 200 (Z3-BAB) with the Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski and his companions were flown into a mountain near Stolac during the approach to Mostar Airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina in bad weather due to pilot errors . None of the 9 people on board survived this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ).

• On June 30, 2019, in the Texan city of Addison, a private King Air 350 crashed into an empty airport hangar after starting problems - none of the 10 people on board survived.

Technical specifications

Parameter	King Air C90GTx	Super King Air B200	Super King Air 350i
Manufacturer	Hawker Beechcraft
Years of construction	1988 – today
crew	1-2
Passengers	7-8	8-10	9-11
length	10.82 m	13.36 m	14.22 m
span	16.36 m	16.61 m	17.65 m
height	4.34 m	4.52 m	4.37 m
Cabin length	3.84 m	5.08 m	5.94 m
Cabin width	1.37 m
Cabin height	1.45 m
Empty mass	3282 kg	3983 kg	4536 kg
Max. payload	0972 kg	1007 kg	1134 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	4756 kg	5670 kg	6804 kg
Cruising speed	504 km / h	570 km / h	580 km / h
Max. Range	2426 km	2954 km	3343 km
Service ceiling	9144 m	10,668 m
Engines	2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6

See also

• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Beechcraft King Air  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Beechcraft - official website
• Type certification of the C90A, C90GT and C90GTi (King Air) - EASA-TCDS-A.503 (PDF; 208 kB)
• Type certification of the B200, B200C, B200GT, B200CGT, B300, B300C (King Air) - EASA-TCDS-A.277 (PDF; 226 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ flightglobal.com: Hawker Beechcraft delivers 7,000th King Air , November 8, 2012
2. ↑ The King Air VC-6A in the Museum of the United States Air Force
3. ↑ http://www.flightrun.com/beechcraft-king-air-c90gtx/price
4. ↑ Expensive hobby . In: Der Spiegel . No. 18 , 1994, p. 73-77 ( online ).
5. ↑ Philippines to lease five Japanese King Airs for maritime patrol , Flightglobal, March 10, 2016
6. ↑ AJ Pelletier: Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors , Putnam Aeronautical, 1995, pp. 155-157, 202
7. ↑ FlugRevue August 2009, p. 16, MC-12W flies in Iraq
8. ^ Kate Sarsfield: Europe approves Fusion upgrade on King Airs. In: Flight International. 2018, accessed September 21, 2018 . 
9. ^ French Air Force to receive two new ISR aircraft, Janes, June 24, 2016 ( Memento from June 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
10. ↑ Canada to acquire trio of MAISR King Air 350ER aircraft , Janes, October 5, 2018
11. ↑ Panama receives King Air 350 aircraft , Janes, December 12, 2018
12. ↑ accident report King Air 200 N30EM , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 17 2020th
13. ↑ Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau: Final Report No. 1874 of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Retrieved August 29, 2016 . 
14. ^ Accident report King Air 300 D-ICBC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 27, 2019.
15. ^ Accident report King Air 200 Z3-BAB , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on April 7, 2020.
16. ↑ T-Online.de: Tragic incident in Texas - ten dead in the crash of a small plane , from July 1, 2019
17. ↑ Beechcraft - King Air C90GTx: Specifications (English) accessed on December 25, 2015
18. ↑ Beechcraft - King Air B200: Specifications ( Memento from July 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (German) accessed on January 12, 2012
19. ↑ Beechcraft - King Air 350i: Specifications (English) accessed on December 25, 2015