James D. Raisbeck’s innovative modifications to the Beechcraft King Air product line provide owners and operators with a series of upgrades that improve the airplane’s capability, utility and overall value.
“Mr. Raisbeck has made our aircraft faster, given the owners of our airplanes the usage of more airports through lowered calculated landing speeds, and provided the aircraft with more operational flexibility. A staggering percentage of our King Air fleet flies with Raisbeck modifications,” said a former Beechcraft sales executive. He added, “Mr. Raisbeck should be lauded for his work to improve the safety of the business aviation fleet,” and his “work in the area of stability and control has led to an easier aircraft to fly and less reliance on complicated systems to maintain controlled flight.”1
For more than 40 years Raisbeck Engineering, Inc. has provided performance improvements across the entire King Air product line, beginning in the early 1980s with the Model 200/B200 series King Air, and eventually filtering down to the Model 90 series and the C90GTX, as well as the Model 250 and 350. In terms of basic airframe design, the twin-engine turboprop Beechcrafts are similar to one another and have provided Raisbeck Engineering with opportunities to improve performance. These systems have made positive contributions to improving the King Air’s range, speed, access to airports, reducing operating costs, as well as improving the aesthetics of the airplane itself.
Raisbeck currently offers a wide range of upgrades that includes both aluminum and composite swept-blade propellers, known as the “Raisbeck Swept Blade Turbofan Propeller System.” In 2014 the composite blades were developed in concert with Hartzell Propellers. Constructed of carbon fiber, the propellers have a diameter of 96 inches and save an average of 48 pounds compared with a standard, four-blade propeller installation. Raisbeck claims cabin noise is reduced by up to one-third and single-engine climb (flaps retracted) is increased by 25.8% compared to the OEM four-blade propeller installation. Composite propellers for the Model 350 are 106 inches in diameter and save an average of 54 pounds compared to the standard propeller.
As of May 2021, Raisbeck Engineering had sold 1,686 shipsets of the swept-blade propellers, including 1,276 sets of aluminum and 410 sets of the composite version. Of these, 589 have been installed on 90-series Kings Airs, 83 on the Model 100, 1,043 on the 200-series King Air and 63 on the Model 300. The blades were standard equipment on Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft King Air C90GTX.
Other upgrades include new inboard leading edges, high flotation gear doors (for airplanes equipped with larger wheels and tires), ram air recovery system, dual aft body strakes and crown wing lockers. Collectively, these items are known as EPIC Performance Packages and are available for installation on the Model C90, E90, Model 200/B200/B200GT; Model 250 and Model 350. Among Raisbeck Engineering’s earliest projects to improve performance was a redesign of the inboard leading edge of the Model 200 King Air. Originally fabricated from a combination of aluminum and honeycomb sandwiched materials, the leading edges would slowly deteriorate and separate over time due to the effects of temperature and moisture. “We aerodynamically reshaped (changed the contour) the inboard section using a composite material,” Raisbeck said. These changes resulted in reduced drag and fuel consumption while increasing payload.
(Raisbeck Engineering, Inc.)
The EPIC Platinum Performance package for the Model 200/B200 King Air includes either five-blade aluminum or five-blade composite swept propellers that reduce noise while providing more thrust; new inboard leading edges, high-flotation gear doors to restore climb and cruise performance of 8-12 knots compared with the standard main gear installation. According to the company, the Ram Air Recovery System (RARS) improves airflow to the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-42 engines and can reduce ITT by as much as 18˚C.
According to Raisbeck Engineering, the package also includes dual aft body strakes that provide enhanced directional stability and reduces drag to allow for better climb and cruise performance. In addition, the strakes can eliminate altitude limitations regarding an inoperative yaw damp system. In 2001 the strakes were adopted as standard equipment on the Model 350 King Air and became optional on the B200 and C90. The wing lockers are an optional item that add 17 cubic feet of volume (per nacelle) and can accommodate up to 600 pounds (300 pounds per nacelle).
The Life of a Legend
Born and raised in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Raisbeck graduated from high school in 1954 and joined the United States Air Force, serving as a flight engineer. Four years later he attended Purdue University where he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering and mathematics. In 1961 he joined the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company as a research aerodynamicist. He was part of a team of engineers who designed and tested an internally blown trailing edge flap system installed on the prototype Boeing 707, better known as the “Dash 80.”
These and other experiments led to development of low-speed, high-lift flap configurations for other Boeing commercial airplanes. Raisbeck recalls that Boeing “gave me plenty of rope. There were so many hard problems to figure out, but that’s my passion.” After leaving Boeing in 1969 he joined Robertson Aircraft Corporation where he served as president and CEO from 1969 until 1973, leading the certification effort for STOL designs installed on various Piper and Cessna airplanes. He worked briefly with Allen Paulson at American Jet Industries as vice president until striking out on his own to establish Raisbeck Group in 1974.
Among the new company’s early accomplishments were development of a more efficient, supercritical wing for Rockwell International’s Sabreliner 65 series. Eventually, production airplanes featured the wing and a large number of Sabreliner 60- and 80-series jets were retrofitted with the improved design. Later, Raisbeck’s Mark II wing systems were certified for the Learjet 23-24 series, followed by the Mark IV wing for the Learjet 30 series business jets.
In 1996 Raisbeck established a subsidiary of the parent company known as the Raisbeck Commercial Air Group, Inc. That year the company introduced its Stage 3 Noise Reduction System for the Boeing 727. American Airlines ordered 52 of the systems, along with other major and smaller airlines. After the terrorist attacks on America September 11, 2001, Raisbeck Engineering focused its efforts on making flight deck security a priority for certain airline aircraft built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The company designed bullet-proof doors and bulkheads for the Boeing 737 and 757 along with armored cockpit security systems. Alaska Airlines and other scheduled air carriers ordered the doors. In March 2002 Raisbeck Engineering transferred the cockpit security program and its customers to Boeing Commercial Airplanes.2
During his long and successful career in aviation, James D. Raisbeck has been recognized worldwide as a talented aerodynamicist and technology innovator as well as a savvy entrepreneur and marketing expert. A partial listing of his major acknowledgements include:
- 1979: Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, Perdue University
- 1999: Outstanding Aerospace Engineer, Purdue University
- 2002: Lifetime Meritorious Achievement, National Business Aviation Association
- 2004: Elected to Living Legends of Aviation
- 2007: Aviation Pathfinder, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Seattle Museum of Flight
- 2012: Fellow of the AIAA
In addition to those honors, Raisbeck was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the National Business Aviation Association and listed in editions of “Who’s Who in America,” “Who’s Who in Science and Engineering,” “Who’s Who in the West,” and “Who’s Who in the World.”
An aviation official who knew Raisbeck well summed up his distinguished career this way: “Beyond his many accomplishments, Mr. Raisbeck’s most enduring contribution will be the enthusiasm and passion for aviation he has passed on to so many of his employees, colleagues and customers.” 3
Raisbeck’s summary, however, emphasizes it this way: “Every big point in my life was a lesson learned, and each of those lessons came from a mistake.” The formula for success in the world of aeronautics is simple – “the difference between winners and losers is that winners do not make the same mistake twice.” 4
NOTES:
- Quote from Donald A. Dwyer, vice president of global sales, Raytheon Aircraft Company, October 2004
- Karen Di Piazza, Living Legends of Aviation, 2008
- Quote from Donald A. Dwyer, vice president of global sales, Raytheon Aircraft Company, October 2004
- Interview with the author, May 2021