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King Air is the name for a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation (now the Beechcraft Division of Raytheon Aircraft). The King Air has been in continuous production since 1964, the longest production run of any civilian turboprop aircraft. It has outlasted all of its previous competitors and as of 2006 is one of only two twin-turboprop business airplanes in production (the other is the Piaggio Avanti).
The King Air family comprises three models: the small, conventional-tail C90GT; the mid-sized, T-tail B200; and the large, T-tail 350. Prices for new aircraft in 2006 range from $3M to $7M USD.
History
In May of 1963 Beechcraft began test flights of the first King Air. On September 9, 1964 the first production Model 90 rolled off the line. By the end of 1968 more than 400 had been delivered with the original Pratt and Whitney PT-6A turboprop engines, rated at 500 shaft horsepower (shp).
On May 23, 1969 the Model 100 was introduced, offering a larger cabin than the Model 90. Later 100-series models included the A100, a military version, and the B100, which featured 715 shp Garrett TFE331 engines as a result of Pratt and Whitneys inability to provide engines. The 100 series was discontinued in 1984.
Further refinement of the 90-series resulted in the A90, B90, C90, C90-1, C90A, C90B, C90SE, C90GT, E90, F90, and F90-1. The F-models featured the T-tail of the Model 200 King Air, while differences among the other 90-series models are confined primarily to the engines used.
In July 2005, during the Oshkosh Airshow, Beechcraft introduced the C90GT. This is a more powerful version of the C90B, which it replaces. The C90GT uses PT6A-135A engines of 750 shp, but flat-rated to same 550 shp as in the C90B. This engine change increases performance due to lower operating temperatures, improving both cruise speed and climb rate. With a 275 knot cruise speed, the C90GT is highly competitive with the new generation of Very Light Jets over short to medium distances, while providing a larger and more luxurious cabin.
Demand for a King Air with greater capacity than the Model 90 or 100 led to development of the Super King Air 200, certificated in 1973 with PT-6A-41 engines rated at 850 shp. The improved B200 model, with PT-6A-42 engines (a more efficient variant of the earlier -41), entered production in 1980, and is still produced today as the King Air B200 (the "Super" name was dropped in 1996). In addition to being longer than either the 90- or 100-series, the 200-series features a T-tail and increased wing area and span.
The 200-series proved so popular that Beechcraft began work on a successor, initially called the Super King Air 300. The B200's aerodynamic form was cleaned up dramatically and even more powerful engines (PT-6A-60A, rated at 1050 shp) installed, with the aircraft beginning flight testing in 1982. By 1988, Beechcraft had begun work on the replacement for the 300. The fuselage of the 300 was stretched by nearly three feet and winglets were added to create the Super King Air 350, introduced in 1989 and still sold today (also without the "Super" name).
The Beechcraft 1900 airliner is derived from the King Air.
On June 24, 1996, the 5000th King Air was delivered. Thousands of King Airs are in service around the world.
On October 25, 2002, a King Air A100 carrying US Senator Paul Wellstone, his wife and daughter, and several others, crashed near Eveleth, Minnesota. All aboard were killed.
The King Air's intended replacement was the Starship, a very advanced aircraft that proved to be too far ahead of its time, although many of its design concepts can be seen in the current Piaggio Avanti. While the Starship fleet has been largely decomissioned, the King Air continues into its fifth decade.
Air Force One
During the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, the United States Air Force acquired a B90 to transport Johnson between Bergstrom Air Force Base (near Austin, Texas) and the Johnson family ranch near Johnson City, Texas. When Johnson was aboard, the aircraft used the callsign Air Force One. The military designation of the B90 used for executive transport was VC-6A. This aircraft is now on display, with other presidential aircraft, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
Military operators
- Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia (Army, Air Force), Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom (Royal Air Force), United States (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy), Uruguay, Venezuela.
Other information
The ICAO designator, such as might be used in a PIREP or a flight plan, for the various King Airs are BE90 (various model 90s), BE10 (model 100), BE20 (model 200), BE30 (model 300), and B350 (model 350).
Specifications (King Air B200)
References
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft
- Airliners.net
External links
Related content
Active United Kingdom military aircraft | Raytheon products | U.S. civil utility aircraft 1960-1969
"Beechcraft King Air"