Around 70 Beechcraft King Air enthusiasts traveled to Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas Hill Country March 26-28 for the ninth King Air Gathering, bringing together aircraft owners, pilots, operators, maintenance professionals and industry partners.
This year’s event was co-hosted by King Air Nation and BLR Aerospace, and 39 vendors participated by setting up booths in the vendor marketplace.
Pratt & Whitney coordinated a PT6 Customer Connect event on Thursday before the official start of KAG. P&W field and service personnel conducted the free event at Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport (KDZB), with nearly 100 people getting a deep dive into the PT6 through technical demonstrations and practical maintenance insights along with a chance to handle engine components and participate in hands-on exercises like borescope inspections.
A welcome reception Thursday night kicked off KAG, followed by educational sessions on Friday and Saturday that focused on strengthening pilot skills and deepening King Air knowledge. Topics ranged from a presentation on King Air incidents and accident trends by Textron Aviation to interactive sessions covering avionics, engines and a new fuel system.
King Air Academy’s Kevin Carson, who helped bring the King Air Gathering concept to life a decade ago, served as emcee for this year’s event and also led a short presentation introducing an effort to create a King Air Safety Foundation. He shared that an organizing committee has formed and aims to establish actionable programs that improve safety, proficiency and education across the global King Air community.
Organizers reported 17 owners flew their King Air aircraft into KDZB. Thirteen of the aircraft were on static display Friday afternoon when KAG attendees took a short shuttle ride from the resort conference center to the airport. Textron Aviation brought a new production Crimson Edition King Air 360 demonstration aircraft featuring IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle, Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics, a distinct exterior paint scheme and special interior design elements.
As the audience at the airport searched for shade in the Texas sun, Ken Blow of KADEX Aero Supply delivered one of the most anticipated sessions of the gathering: How To Care for Your Windshields for Maximum Life.
The following pages provide a look at the 2026 King Air Gathering and the P&W Connect event.
