With an occupancy of up to nine, a maximum range of 1,720 nautical miles and a top cruise speed of 310 ktas, the Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft has long been the aircraft of choice for customers around the world. Textron Aviation says the King Air 260 combines the platform’s rich history of rugged reliability and versatility with state-of-the-art upgrades and next-generation capability, offering a greater ease of flying.
In early December 2020, Textron Aviation, Inc. announced enhancements to its industry-leading Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft with the introduction of the King Air 260. Key improvements to the aircraft are the addition of the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense® Autothrottle, along with a new digital pressurization controller. The cockpit also offers the Collins Aerospace Multi-Scan weather radar system as a standard feature.
The ThrustSense Autothrottle supports pilots in their critical mission of delivering people or cargo by automatically managing engine power from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, go-around and landing phases of flight. This enhancement reduces pilot workload and is designed to prevent over-speed or under-speed, over-temp and over-torque conditions.
Another key update in the cockpit is the new digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort. The pressurization gauges have been integrated with the powerful Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.
Also included is the Collins Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar which provides pilots with a fully automatic system that is optimized to detect short-, mid- and long-range weather. The system is designed to present an accurate picture of the weather around the aircraft, further reducing pilot workload.
Besides the cockpit, the King Air 260 cabin features newly designed seats created through an innovative pressure-mapping process that identifies ways to provide a more comfortable, relaxing journey for passengers, especially on longer flights.
“The Beechcraft King Air lineup is the most popular business turboprop in the world,” said Rob Scholl, senior vice president, Sales and Flight Operations for Textron Aviation. “It’s essential for us to continue exploring ways to bring innovation to such a renowned aircraft, and these enhancements will allow owners and operators to accomplish their various missions with greater comfort, technology and ease.”
This introduction comes on the heels of the recently announced King Air 360, which achieved FAA type certification in October with customer deliveries already underway. Production has already begun for the King Air 260, and certification and deliveries are expected early this year.