JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018 73
‘The King Air
has always
had a proud
stance.’
the aircraft to safely continue the take-
off in the event of an engine failure
within required performance margins
and obstacle clearances. Like jet
transport aircraft, the King Air 350i
must have a nominated decision speed
before which it can reject the takeoff
with adequate runway to stop and
from which it can continue a single-
engined takeoff.
Breaking that down into basic
numbers it means that the aircraft
needs 1,006 metres to takeoff at
maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) at
sea level in ISA conditions and 820m
to land and maximum landing weight
(MLW). Furthermore, the MTOW and
MLW are both 6,800kg meaning that
an immediate return to land is not an
issue for the King Air.
Possibly the most attractive aspect
of the aeroplane’s performance is its
ability to ‘gas up and go’. For so many
aircraft, operations are a continual
compromise between the uplift of fuel
and the uplift of people and payload.
The 350i has a range of over 1,500nm,
yet when a single pilot seats eight
passengers in the cabin, allowing
90kg for each person, the range is stillgreater than 1,400nm – that’s Sydney
to Cairns.
The legs are even longer on the
Extended Range (ER) version as it can
carry an additional 717kg (1,580lb) of
fuel in its nacelle tanks, which in turn
increases the MTOW. Accordingly, the
ER model has heavyweight landing
gear to compensate, but in return
there is 700nm of additional range
which is particularly useful in search
and rescue and special mission roles.
On paper the King Air 350i is
impressive and it is no less so in the
flesh.