Page 31 - Volume 15 Number 4

accustomed to managing piston engines had to learn how to handle the PT6A-6 powerplant as well as the pressurization system. They were, however, soon singing the praises of the Model 90’s quiet cabin, fuel-efficient engines, ease of handling and its superior climb and cruise performance compared with the Queen Air or competitor’s airplanes.
The company produced 112 Model 90 King Airs from 1964-1966 when production switched to the upgraded Model A90 that first flew Nov. 5, 1965. Equipped with improved PT6A-20 engines developing 550 shp for takeoff, 538 shp for climb and 495 shp for cruise, as well as reversible propellers to reduce landing roll distance, the latest Beechcraft also featured a more capable pressurization system with a maximum differential of 4.6 psid. The upgraded system provided passengers with a sea level cabin up to an altitude of more than 10,000 feet and an 8,000-foot cabin above a cruising altitude of 21,000 feet.
The factory built 206 Model A90s before it was replaced on the assembly lines by the Model B90 that first flew April 13, 1967, and was placed into full production for the 1968 model year. Principal changes from the A90
centered on improved airframe systems but the B90 retained the PT6A-20 engines of its predecessor. Beech manufactured 184 B90s until it was replaced by the Model C90 in 1971.
With the introduction of the King Air, Olive Ann Beech and the Beech Aircraft Corporation had launched business aviation into the “Jet Age” and set yet another standard for the industry to follow. The highly popular King Air series, however, was only beginning to flex its sales muscle and the years ahead would witness development and introduction of an entire “royal family” of turboprop-powered, cabin-class airplanes that served with distinction in both the corporate and military marketplace. KA
Ed Phillips, now retired and living in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kan. His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the “Air Capital of the World” for more than 80 years.
APRIL 2021
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 29