Slight Diversion
As if four variants (the C90, E90, A100 and Model 200)
on the market weren’t enough, in 1974 Beech announced the
B100. Powered by the GarrettAi Research TPE-331 engines,
the aircraft flew for the first time on March 20, 1975.
Part of the reason for the use of the 331s – apart from being
more fuel efficient and having greater power at higher altitudes
- was due to unrest in the workforce at Pratt and Whitney’s
factory in Canada. This made Beechcraft realise that it was
dependant on just one company to supply its powerplants.
Despite the efficiency of the Garrett, the engine was never
really accepted into the King Air’s world as well as those from
Pratt &Whitney.
Back on Track
Arriving on the market in 1979, the F90 took the number of
available variants of the type on the market to six.
The aircraft itself was a bit of a mismatch. It combined
various elements from the C90, A100 and the 200 models,
featuring the fuselage, wings and T-tail from each respectfully.
Powered by two 750shp PT6A-135 engines, the F90 was
fitted with four-bladed propellers. This delivered performance
well above Beech's expectations, placing the model just below
the King Air 200 when it came to the available marketed
variants. Eventually though, with the smaller F90 pretty much
matching the capability of the larger 200, many customers
went directly for the larger aircraft, leading the manufacturer to
drop the F90 from production in 1986.
With the 200 becoming the baseline variant for any
development work within Beechcraft, the next addition to the
stable came in the form of the 200T.
Incorporating optional 50 US Gal (189lit) tip tanks, the
aircraft’s range was massively extended, opening up another
market for the King Air as a Coastal and Maritime Patrol asset.
Optional dome-shaped windows in the rear fuselage were also
offered as well as a modified belly to allow aerial photography
equipment, search radars and sensors, and as well as a hatch
capable of opening in flight to drop various items of survival
equipment such as life rafts.
Economising
Towards the end of the Seventies, with product overlapping
becoming apparent and an impending downturn looming,
production runs of both the E90 and the A100 were brought
to a rapid end.
In the early 1980s the FAA stipulated that any increases in an
aircraft’s weight past the limit set by the type certificate would
be allowed as long as the aircraft in question met some of the
transport category stipulations set in FAR part 25. This nowN4 4K A is a
1980-vintage King
Air F90 that now f lies
in South Africa as
ZS-NFO.This C90B was the
f iftieth Beech aircraft
delivered to Japan
Airlines' training
facility in Napa,
California.The King Air line
comprises of two
distinct families; the
Model 90 and 100
series became known
as King Airs, while the
t-tailed Model 200
and 300 series were
originally marketed as
Super King Airs.
H
B 82 AIRLINER Classics 2018