The very f irst King
Air, N5690K, takes
to the air from Beech
Field, Wichita,
Kansas at the start of
its maiden f light on
January 14, 1964.
H
B The very f irst King
Air, N5690K, takes
to the air from Beech
Field, Wichita,
Kansas at the start of
its maiden f light on
January 14, 1964.
H
B W
hen it comes to the world of turboprops,
particularly in the business genre, one
type springs to mind – Beechcraft’s highly
successful King Air. More than fifty years
on from its inception, the type is still the backbone of the small
commuter airline market.
Considered to be the most successful turboprop series in the
history of aviation, the number of King Airs delivered around
the world (in all variants) exceeds the 7,000 mark, operating in
an astounding 94 countries around the world. Since the type’s
introduction in 1964, the King Air has amassed in excess of a
staggering 60,000,000 flying hours in both civilian and military
applications. As it stands around 50 percent of the business
turboprop market is taken by the Beechcraft twin-engined
design, beating off all of its competitors combined, including
Piaggio’s P180 Avanti and Mitsubishi’s MU2.
Now part of Textron Aviation (which bought Beechcraft back
in 2014), the company currently offers the King Air C90GTx
250, 350ER and the 350i.
K I NG
of
THE AIR
In 1964 Beechcraft launched an aircraft that would bridge the gap
between piston and jet powered aircraft. Jamie Ewan reveals why the
King Air is still a world beaterBeechcraft’s King Air
Seen aloft on its
maiden f light the
prototype King Air
was soon put through
an accelerated test
programme. Just 17
weeks after its maiden
f light Beechcraft
gained the Type
Certificate from
the FA A.
H
B 78 AIRLINER Classics 2018