Page 12 - April 2015 Volume 9, Number 4

MORE ON WINDSHIELDS
by Dean Benedict
Iprobably went for two or three years without acceptable cores. They can be returned to the vendor
installing a windshield, then suddenly I completed
four installations in a two-month period. I noticed a few changes with the King Air windshields; first was pricing. The price of overhauled OEM windshields and the kits to install them has fluctuated wildly.
Five years ago, I wrote an article on windshields for this magazine (“Windshields 101” in the 2010 March/ April issue) and they were going for close to $19K per side from Beech. Now, Beech’s price
on the overhauled windshields has
gone down substantially, but their
pricing on the install kit has sky-
rocketed beyond belief! What used
to be a $550 item is now well over
$2,000 for eight rubber seals and 56
screws! Fortunately, there is a PMA
kit that is more reasonable, and in
my experience, the holes line up
better than the factory kit.
to avoid the core charge. I had an unacceptable core a month ago with one of the windshields I installed because the serial number began with 94, so we had to pay the core value.
OEM versus PMA
PPG makes the OEM windshields used in King Airs. As far as I know, the only PMA windshield is by GKN.
What is an Acceptable Core?
The biggest new wrinkle in the world of windshields is with core acceptability. An overhauled windshield uses the frame structure from an old windshield with new glass. But now, if the serial number on the windshield you are replacing begins with 95 or below (94, 93, etc.) then your core will not be accepted and you will have to pay the core charge on top of the exchange price.
Windshields with serial numbers that start with 96 or higher are
10 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
An example of a fractured inner pane of a King Air windshield.
APRIL 2015
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