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News & Media It’s official: King Air 360 certified

It’s official: King Air 360 certified

Features autothrottles, digital pressurization

October 7, 2020 By Thomas A. Horne

Textron Aviation’s latest King Air—the King Air 360/360ER—has earned FAA type certification. Deliveries should begin in a few weeks.

Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.
Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.

The King Air 360 is distinguished by two big new cockpit features: autothrottles and a digital pressurization system.

The autothrottles, from Innovative Solutions & Support, can set takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and go-around power automatically. The pilot commands a desired airspeed or descent rate on an integrated flight control system, and the power levers respond to meet the targets.

The digital pressurization system does away with the King Air’s traditional round gauges and manual controls, replacing them with automatic cabin controls. It, too, is integrated with the airplane’s Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.

Cabin altitudes run 10 percent lower than previous King Air models, maintaining 5,960 feet at a typical cruising altitude of 27,000 feet.

Thomas A. Horne
Thomas A. Horne
AOPA Pilot Editor at Large
AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Tom Horne has worked at AOPA since the early 1980s. He began flying in 1975 and has an airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates. He’s flown everything from ultralights to Gulfstreams and ferried numerous piston airplanes across the Atlantic.
Go to Thomas A. Horne's Profile
Topics: Technology, Jet

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