For many pilots, it would be a difficult decision to move on from a mint condition Cessna Grand Caravan EX. This was a problem that Tim Russell of St. Petersburg, Florida, had in 2025, when faced with the prospect that the single-engine turboprop may no longer be the best aircraft for his mission.
“We had the Caravan for nearly five years and it served our purposes really well. Deciding what to get next was a process but we had to get a new plane as a tax benefit,” Russell explained, noting that he had to move intentionally because of the looming end-of-the-year tax deadline.
“We first looked at the Cessna Citation Mustang and Epic E1000 but those got shot down by the wife because they didn’t have a bathroom. I couldn’t convince her that even though most of our flights are less than 90 minutes, we don’t need one. I wanted a HondaJet because of the Autoland capabilities but didn’t go that route either,” he recalled.
“So, I thought bathroom, fast, Autoland. We are talking about King Airs now!”
Finding the right King Air
After a lot of independent research, he enlisted the support of Chip McClure and the team at Jet Acquisitions to accelerate the buying process. Russell started to believe that either a King Air 90 or 200 would be a perfect airplane for his mission.
There were two types of aircraft that he wanted to consider purchasing: either a beat-up bird that could be entirely refurbished or, his best-case scenario, one that already had the work done. McClure helped scour the on and off-market listings before presenting an option that seemed like the perfect candidate.
“We actually ended up with a unicorn that I think is maybe the best King Air B200 that I have ever seen,” Russell said. “The previous owner bought the airplane and literally stripped everything out of it. He redid all the interior last year down to the switches and the exterior, as well as added the G1000 NXi Platinum package and autothrottles. It was what I would have done if I were buying the plane in that condition, and I got a really good deal.”
The timing of the transaction was unique in several ways. One being that the purchase closed on Russell’s birthday, December 23, and was immediately put into service. Secondly, the aircraft was in hand before he had even started his multi-engine training.
Autoland’s first save
The Garmin Autoland system was something Russell and his family wanted and this aircraft was one of the few for sale that had the system installed.
“I’m 60 and have no problem with the risk [of flying without an alternative way to land] for my own travels. But when I put family and friends in the plane, that system gives me a lot of confidence if something were to go wrong with me,” he said.
Photo credit: Elliott Jets
“And on December 20, just before the closing, Chip called me and said that the plane just went up in value because of the Autoland system having been used in the real world for the first time [when BB-1179 landed at KBJC; see King Air magazine’s January 2026 issue for details]. You are buying peace of mind and if Garmin had said that’s a million-dollar retrofit, I would have paid for it.”
Russell’s 1998 King Air B200 (serial BB-1625) is also equipped with autothrottles, which have many benefits of their own.
“There is nothing scary about King Airs except a VMC rollover on takeoff. You lose an engine on takeoff, at low altitude while slow, you have got to be prepared because really good pilots have lost these planes in that condition,” he noted, adding that not only do the autothrottles help in engine-out scenarios, but they also make all flying much simpler.
Another safety-related inclusion on the aircraft that provides peace of mind is the Garmin G1000 NXi’s autopilot with built-in Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP). This software helps ensure stable flight, including protecting against underspeed and overspeed scenarios.
Only the best
Russell’s philosophy with aircraft, cars and other equipment is that it’s not worth having if it’s not the best. This often means a lot of time spent thinking about improvement and hours in the shop making those goals a reality. Even though the B200 he bought was well equipped, there were some items that he saw that could be improved.
One of the benefits of King Air ownership is that you can customize the aircraft to your needs. There are a multitude of STCs and other options for enhancement from tip to tail.
After the Stevens Aerospace Nashville, Tennessee, location recently added wing lockers, Starlink internet and Garmin’s GWX 8000 weather radar, there isn’t much left to be done to this serial.
“The digital radar we put in is great. [There is] no more gain, no more tilt, nothing. It shows you exactly where the hail is. You would really have to try to get it not to work,” Russell said.
“The wing lockers hold 300 pounds each. I hold all the dirty stuff in the pilot side wing locker, all the plugs and stuff. On the right side I have a 6-foot ladder and Starlink fits in there perfectly. So, all the stuff that normally clutters up a plane isn’t inside anymore. You walk into the plane and the giant baggage area that holds 550 pounds is completely clean. Then all your luggage stays nice and clean.”
Photo credit: Blake Ambrester
A potential improvement one could call out is that the aircraft still has the original -42s, which have about 250 hours until they are due for HSI inspection. Changing to -52s would have a negligible performance impact since Russell typically flies shorter flights. Increased engine performance was solved by adding Raisbeck’s ram air recovery system.
Operating from a coastal climate, Russell chose the ram air recovery system primarily to be able to avoid salt air ingestion as best as possible. He keeps them open on the ground and when flying under 5,000 feet 100% of the time and has found them to be useful during the two times he’s encountered ice so far.
The only thing Russell suggested could make the aircraft better would be for it to have a pilot door. At 6-foot-3-inches tall, he described getting into the cockpit as “not elegant.”
A Southeastern U.S.-focused mission
The aircraft is used for a mix of business and personal reasons, usually within a 450 nautical mile radius. Some frequent destinations include several cities in Florida, as well as North Carolina and Alabama.
Photo credit: Elliott Jets
At approximately 278 knots in cruise, the King Air goes a lot faster than the Caravan. Russell is also flying the B200 roughly twice as high as he ever had in the unpressurized Caravan. Although the aircraft is burning more fuel, it is also going considerably faster. When accounting for diverting around storms, though, fuel burn is not much different. Comfort-wise, it’s a tough comparison against the Caravan’s executive interior, but the King Air has a similarly spacious and comfortable seating area for passengers.
If Russell’s mission required longer legs, he would have considered a jet but he doesn’t anticipate flying farther than 1,000 miles at a time with six or fewer people. Outside of range, he advises that there really are no other trade-offs with the B200.
As a new owner, he has been absorbing as much as he can about King Airs. McClure remains one of his first calls whenever a question comes up, from operational queries to determining whether an upgrade is value-added and which shops are best to do the work.
“The reality is the closing is when our client gets their new airplane, not when our job is done,” McClure said. “I tell our clients that they’ll never make me mad calling with a problem, but they might make me mad if they don’t call and inadvertently make the problem bigger!”
McClure added, “We believe in clients for life. We spend less than $100 a month on advertising and most of our business is repeat clients and referrals from clients. Taking care of folks after they buy an airplane? I would do it just because it’s the right thing to do. But not only is it an integral part of our business model, many of our clients also become friends. The best part of my job is talking airplanes with my friends.”
The King Air Gathering and beyond
Attending the 2026 King Air Gathering proved to be beneficial and another source of new relationships. Russell met many fellow owners, both newer and older. He learned more about the aircraft model’s unique aspects, including some parts and support headwinds that unassuming new owners could be surprised by.
Photo credit: Elliott Jets
“The King Air Gathering was great; everyone was aviation people, which was fun. It was an amazing event,” said Russell, noting that swapping stories with other owners came naturally as everyone was so happy to talk about their planes and lessons learned over the years.
There were a handful of interactions and seminars, he said, that made the approximately 840 nautical mile flight to Texas’ Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport (KDZB) worthwhile, including the PT6 Customer Connect event coordinated by Pratt & Whitney before the official start of the King Air Gathering.
“The roundtables were great, especially the Pratt & Whitney one – which I flew in early for,” he said. “No joke, it was eight hours of just engines. I am a scientist and love that stuff. Getting to talk to the engineers was very interesting to me and it was good to hear from others about which shops they use and how problems can be solved.”
Russell added, “It was worthwhile because these planes are expensive. There was another talk about windshields. I had no idea that they were that big of a problem.”
After learning that the scarcity of replacement windshields is ongoing, Russell decided he should put some on order now for when he inevitably will have to replace his. Similarly, he has a wing bolt kit on order for when those come due.
A great experience so far
Coming from what he called “the best Part 91 Caravan in the world,” Russell knew he had a tough act to follow. With a little over six months owning and 150 hours of flying the King Air B200, though, Russell is complimentary of his airplane.
Many others may have the same feeling about their aircraft, but with all the work that has been put into this one, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that BB-1625 is among the best Part 91 King Airs out there as well.