New Production King Airs Get State-of-the-Art Avionics and Upgraded Cabin Features
Beechcraft Corporation recently announced that new production King Air turboprops will soon feature the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics system as standard equipment. As a further investment in the popular King Air aircraft line, the company is also upgrading the aircrafts’ cabin features.
Advanced Avionics
Pro Line Fusion for the King Air features commercial aviation’s first full touchscreen capability on all three main flight displays. The touchscreens bring pilots intuitive interactive maps, easy-to-use icons, and the ability to simply touch the items that they want to control.
According to Rockwell Collins, specific features of the Pro Line Fusion avionics feature:
- Three 14-inch widescreen LCDs with advanced graphics, configurable windows, and touchscreen or point-and-click navigation
- Synthetic vision as a standard feature, including Rockwell Collins’ patented airport dome, and extended runway centerlines with mile markers to better orient the pilot from top of descent through final approach
- Touch-interactive maps with eyes-forward flight planning, high-resolution topography, real-time onboard weather radar overlays, obstacles, and special-use airspace and search patterns for expanded situational awareness and reduced workload
- A fully loaded package of baseline equipment for operation in modernizing global airspace: DO-260B compliant ADS-B, SBAS-capable GNSS, localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches, radius-to-fix (RF) legs and more
- Baseline geo-referenced electronic navigation charts that display own-ship aircraft position for enhanced situational awareness during approaches
- Easy and fast database updates using a standard USB drive port on the front of the displays, or the optional Aircraft Information Manager wireless data loading service
- Selectable video windows on the displays for viewing inputs from Enhanced Vision System (EVS) or other external cameras.
- Open and scalable architecture for future upgrades and mandates
In-service King Air aircraft with Pro Line 21 avionics can benefit from this enhancement as well; the avionics can be upgraded to the Pro Line Fusion touchscreen displays through Textron Aviation’s company-owned service centers. Pro Line Fusion upgrades for earlier King Airs equipped with Pro Line II are also nearing certification and will be available through Rockwell Collins-authorized dealers worldwide.
Initial and recurrent pilot training for the Pro Line Fusion King Airs will be available at TRU Simulation + Training’s new ProFlight training center near Tampa, Florida. It will also offer training for learning the new offerings of the Pro Line Fusion avionics that earlier Pro Line avionics don’t have.
Upgraded Cabin Features
The King Air cabin is also getting enhanced, which Beechcraft says “will offer an improved and connected passenger experience.” International or domestic Wi-Fi will be standard on the King Air 350i and 250 models and available as an option for the King Air C90GTx. This will allow passengers to use their personal devices in real time. Also standard on all three models will be electronically dimmable window shades, offering a simple interface that provides clearer views and darker shading at the touch of a button.
King Air models will be electronically dimmable window shades.
According to Beechcraft, the King Air 250 will be the first model available with the modernized upgrades; certification and initial deliveries are expected in the third quarter of this year. The 350i/ER will follow with certification also projected for third quarter, and deliveries to begin during the fourth quarter of this year. Certification and deliveries for the King Air C90GTx are pegged for the second quarter of 2016.
Editor’s Note: If your current budget doesn’t allow for a new King Air but may be able to upgrade your avionics, the following pages will discuss what options King Air owners/operators have.
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