Page 25 - June 2015 Volume 9, Number 6

was ready to be made. It was the kind of decision that emphasized the loneliness of command.” 3
Finally, on August 14, 1963, Beech officials announced availability of the new Model 65-90 “King Air” with deliveries beginning in the autumn of 1964. Boasting a cruise speed of 270 mph, a pressurized, well-appointed cabin and the ability to operate into and out of small airports, the King Air was the right airplane for the company’s next- generation executive transport. The timing, too, was good. By the mid-1960s companies were beginning to buy increasing numbers of first generation business jets such as the Learjet 24 and North American Sabreliner. The King Air benefitted from their success that helped build demand for a small business turboprop.
of the radial engine and the Model 18 would place an order for the sophisticated King Air. Opting to proceed with caution, the company ordered 29 PT6A-6 engines from PWC. That number was thought to be sufficient based on a market survey projecting demand for only 10 airplanes annually. Each of those engines, however, cost Beech Aircraft a whopping $25,000. According to PWC, it cost the Canadian manufacturer $21,000 in parts from vendors. A decision was made to quip the factory in Longueuil to manufacture the high-cost items such as gas generator and exhaust cases, turbine wheels, compressor discs, impellers and gears.
Meanwhile, in Wichita, the engineering department was busy preparing the King Air for FAA Type Certification and production. John Wilson was one of the engineers assigned to the program. He recalled that in 1963 his knowledge of turbine
Beech Aircraft officials, however,
were still concerned whether
customers accustomed to the age engines was nearly nonexistent.
JUNE 2015
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 23