Ramp Appeal: King Air C90B
Still in demand
One of the most popular and distinctive King Air models is the C90B, or “baby King Air,” which was manufactured from 1982 until 2005. Like most King Airs, the C90B is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop engines. The C90B also has four-blade propellers to reduce cabin noise and vibration.
When King Air pilots want to land short, they pull the throttles back as soon as the wheels touch down, then lift the levers over a gate on the throttle quadrant and pull them back to the reverse thrust position. Doing so enables a fully loaded C90B to decelerate from an initial touchdown at about 90 knots to a stop in less than 1,000 feet. They can carry large and sometimes bulky loads and have superlative short-field performance. The main reason they can get into short runways so well is their reversible propellers.
For takeoff, acceleration from two 550-horsepower engines is rapid, and the airplanes are easily capable of using short, high-elevation runways that would be totally off limits to corporate jets.
A variety of airplanes were supposed to put an end to the King Air reign, starting with Beech’s very own Starship. The futuristic canard design couldn’t match the King Air’s performance, however, and production soon ended.
The single-engine Pilatus PC–12 has the same cabin size as some King Air models and all the cost and efficiency advantages that come with one engine, but King Air customers are willing to pay for the redundancy of a second engine. Piper and Cessna created their own twin turboprops—the Cheyenne and Conquest—but both programs were relatively short lived. A variety of light jets that fly at higher altitudes and faster speeds than turboprops were supposed to cut into King Air turf, but none can match the load-carrying ability or higher fuel efficiency.
Some King Airs have autofeather and rudder boost. Should an engine fail, these features kick in automatically to reduce drag by feathering the failed engine’s propeller and applying rudder to overcome asymmetric thrust forces. Even on one engine, climb rates can be as much as 500 fpm.
Several aftermarket firms, most notably Blackhawk Modifications and Raisbeck Engineering, offer engine, avionics, and interior upgrades for King Airs that increase performance and extend their lifespans. Don’t expect them to go away in your lifetime.
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