Page 27 - June 2015 Volume 9, Number 6

tour resulted in sales of 27 King Airs, including orders from Volkswagen, Daimler-Benz and the Aga Khan.
As the King Air matured in the next few years, Beech engineers implemented a series of improvements to the airframe and PWC upgraded the PT6 to keep pace with those changes. After manufacturing 122 Model 90s from 1964-1966, Beech Aircraft introduced the A90 powered by PT6A-20 engines rated at 550 shp for takeoff. In addition, the pressurization system’s maximum differential increased to 4.0 psid, providing a sea-level cabin altitude at a flight altitude of 10,000 feet and an 8,000-foot cabin at 21,000 feet. In addition, the A90 was first to be equipped with reversible propellers that reduced landing rollout and wear on brakes while taxiing. The B90 followed in 1968 and led to introduction of the C90 in 1971.
Always seeking to expand the product line in an effort to appeal to a wider range of customers, in 1972 Beech Aircraft offered the Model E90 that featured 680-shp PT6A-28 engines flat-rated to 550 shp. Production of the E90 totaled 347 airplanes, with the last example built in 1981. The last Model 90 to go on sale was the F90, of which 202 were built from 1979 to 1983. Featuring a T-tail empennage similar to that installed on the flagship Model 200 Super King Air, the F90 was powered by PT6A-135 engines each developing 750 shp. Cruising speed increased to 307 mph, and four-blade propellers were installed to reduce noise in the cabin.
The F90 was the first Beechcraft to use the new multi-bus electrical system that provided automatic load shedding, five separate buses and solid-state current sensors of ground fault protection and bus isolation. In 1983, the F90-1 was introduced. It was an improved F90 featuring PT6A-135A engines installed in new pitot- type cowlings that improved air intake characteristics. Only 33 airplanes were built from 1983 to 1985. The benchmark Model 65-90 led to development of a complete line of King Air models that are still evolving more than 50 years later with no end in sight.
The C90 was the first major upgrade to the King
Air product line. Wingspan was increased to 50 feet,
three inches, and PT6A-20A engines were installed that
retained the B90’s 550 shp for takeoff. Maximum gross
weight rose to 9,650 pounds. Maximum cruising speed
was 253 mph, and the C90 could climb to a service
ceiling of 26,600 feet. A total of 507 C90s were built from
1971 until 1982 when the C90-1 entered production.
The latest version of the King Air boasted a maximum
differential of 5.0 psid, PT6A-21 engines, 384 gallons of
useable fuel, and a maximum cruising speed of 273 mph. icon of business aviation. As of early 2015, more than
The great gamble taken by PWC in 1958, coupled with a key decision by Olive Ann Beech in 1961 to mate PT6A-6 engines to a Beechcraft airframe, created an
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JUNE 2015
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 25