Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Beechcraft
Aircraft Model: 300
Aircraft Nickname: King Air
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Turboprop
Category: Airplane
Class: Multi Engine Land
Engine Description: Turbine
First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown:
Date First Flown: 09/10/2002
Location First Flown: Beech Field, Wichita, KS
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Beech flight test, Randy Reynolds
Aircraft Experience
As of: 07/29/2020
Number of Hours Flown: 26
Number of Times Flown: 19
Other Aircraft Models Associated: Beech 350 (Marketing name), other King Airs
Recollections: This is the biggest of the “normal” King Airs (90, 100, 200, 300) and I was privileged to get to do some test on an unusually heavy version, a Special Mission aircraft with significantly increased gross weight. Field performance, rejected takeoffs and the like, it was very interesting.
The King Air has had a long and enviable production run, first flying in the early 1960’s it continues in production 60 years later. One experience I had illustrated to me the reason why it’s had such a successful run. I was flying a Hawker 4000 business jet, doing crosswind landing tests at the Topeka, KS airport. We had a King Air 350 with us, providing support (wind station to precisely measure the winds; a mechanic, etc). As the wind died down, we all shutdown at Topeka to discuss the plan. It was decided we’d all head back to Beech Field in Wichita, about 110 nm as the crow flies. We started up our airplanes and taxied to the runway. Being in our “fast bizjet”, we decided we’d takeoff first, so we didn’t “run down” the “slow King Air”. Off we blasted, climbing to something like 30,000 ft. We flew close to Mmo in the cruise and descent and soon landed at Beech’s home airport. As we were shutting down and unstrapping, in taxied that King Air. “How’d he do that?” we all thought. The answer was the airplane is the perfect short-haul machine and gives up little in terms of time. If you don’t need to go a long way, and you want to haul a bunch of stuff, it’s hard to beat the King Air family.
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