Page 8 - Volume 14 Issue 3

“The King Air market is more of a conglomeration of micro markets which we have known, but it’s showing more complexity within those markets.”
educated about the airplane and the market. With access to information at our fingertips, as well as great resources for real-world knowledge like the BeechTalk forums and Tom Clements’ “King Air Book,” it is easier than ever to know more about the aircraft. The more knowledgeable buyer will typically have higher expectations in his choice of aircraft, and then combine that with the fact that available inventory of pristine airplanes is very low. The result is a discerning buyer and limited choices or yet another micro market.
The effect of all these factors is that we watch some airplanes sell for more than they should because the impulsive buyer, frustrated with the lack of options, buys what he perceives as the best deal within his limited timeframe. In a seemingly contradictory statement, we see great airplanes get stale and languish in the very same market. These airplanes are often victims of the same fate – they hit the retail market at an asking price that was too high and after being advertised for a few months they are stale, most buyers assume that if no one else has bought them, they shouldn’t either.
In a whirlwind of contradictory activity, you must dig a little deeper and pull back the layers. The King Air market is more of a conglomeration of micro markets which we have known, but it’s showing more complexity within those markets.
Why does a perfectly good King Air C90B sit on the market and then months later sell far below the owner’s expectations? The answer is likely that it was missing one of two things – a nice panel
or Blackhawk engines. That’s the C90A/B market right now, everyone wants the higher-powered engines and Garmin. If your airplane doesn’t have both, it will probably have to
be priced where these mods can be ›
Jim Allmon sketched out a hawk on a cocktail napkin and Blackhawk Modifications was born. Blackhawk’s engine upgrades dramatically change the value of King Airs, hundreds of thousands and now even well north of $1 million!
BUT ... this complexity isn’t new to those who live and breathe
the King Air market. So, what’s different? I believe it’s a combination of factors – the robust market has consumed much of the backlog of good airplanes, and I think the buyer changed.
I’ve lived in the King Air world for a long time; the King Air buyer we talk to today is on average more
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6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MARCH 2020