Page 29 - Volume 15 Number 8

In 1973 as Beech Aircraft Corporation approached As part of the company’s research and development
the 10th anniversary of its highly successful King Air series of business aircraft, the time was ripe for the company to take the King Air platform to
the next level of performance and utility. The existing flagships of the Beechcraft fleet were the Model A100 and B100 that introduced customers to a larger cabin and higher cruise speeds than the Model 90 series, but the company’s engineering and marketing departments knew they had to create a better King Air to expand the product line.
Research and development work was underway by 1969 and resulted in a concept known initially as the Model 101 that eventually was replaced by the designation “Model 200.” Early in the development process, it was decided that the new Beechcraft would be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engines that had powered the Model 90 and Model 100/A100 airplanes. The new “Super King Air,” however, would require engines of increased shaft horsepower to achieve performance goals that included a cruise speed in excess of 300 mph.
program for the new King Air, Beech engineers sought a more powerful version of the venerable PT6 to power the airplane and Pratt & Whitney Canada responded with the PT6A-41 engine. It was longer and heavier than the PT6A-20-series engines that had powered previous King Airs but incorporated an improved gas generator and power turbine design that, along with other systems and material upgrades, allowed the engine to produce 850 shp at outside air temperatures of up to 106° F.
The choice of the PT6A-41, however, drove a number of important design, performance and certification issues that would prove challenging to resolve. These included relocating the engines higher and farther outboard on the wing center section than those of the A100/B100 to accommodate the new propellers, which were designed with a larger diameter to absorb the -41 engine’s power.
In addition, relocating the engines farther outboard had the advantage of providing a wider center section that would increase total fuel capacity to 544 gallons,
AUGUST 2021
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 27