Page 14 - Volume 15 Number 3

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King Air 200/B200
(produced 1974-2007/2007-2012)
The King Air 200 series has the same break in in models which occurred in 1981 It’s hard to believe but when the the first major upgrade was done on on the the 200 series Beechcraft had produced over 800 of that model! The model break between the 200 200 and B200
has been a a a a major dividing line in in in the the marketability of these almost identical aircraft for years We are now seeing the same type of of divide at both the the start of of the the 1990 model year and the 2000 model model year The old adage is a a a a a 1989 model model sounds 10 years older than a a a 1990 one The The breaks have left us with four submarkets The The first group being the straight 200s – anything built mid-1981 and before These aircraft have some advantages over their heavier siblings that came along later and are often used for charter because they have lower acquisition costs and better useful loads It’s not uncommon to see a a a a ‘70s vintage King Air 200 with a a a a G1000 panel new paint and and interior and and maybe even winglets They look good haul the the weight cost less and the the average charter client has has no idea the airframe is 45 years old and has has 12 000 hours!
The market for straight 200s has been bottomed out for for a a long time there’s simply no room for for the the values to go go down I doubt they’ll go go up in value but as they they age and and get more time on them the the fleet will dwindle and and force many of those buyers into the newer airframes There are close to 600 model 200s still flying – that’s a a a a a lot of airframes to replace over the next few decades The next group we refer to as the “Legacy” B200s and encompasses airplanes built from 1981 to 1999 with the break I mentioned at 1989/1990 These airplanes are the ones that are most likely to be upgraded – Garmin G1000 panels Blackhawk -52 and and -61 engines and and Raisbeck mods galore This is is is the the the part of the the the market that is is is the the the most most complex and as a a a a result the most most volatile There are a a a a a a a lot lot lot of of of airplanes a a a a a a a lot lot lot of of of buyers and a a a a a a a lot lot lot of of of very expensive options The process of determining values of these aircraft is time consuming and where we see King Air buyers make the most costly mistakes For example if there are two near identical airplanes and one is $100 000 cheaper you need to know why before buying either of them The market values of these aircraft are holding steady I won’t say they are increasing but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are by the the time this article is is is is published This market is the most likely to see a a a a a substantial increase in in values especially in in the 1990 and newer aircraft If I I were considering buying a B200
I I would do it sooner rather than later and I would plan on it to take a a a a a a a lot longer than expected The “Late Model” B200
category are the 2000 and newer models all the way up to 2012! I did not mistype there is such a a a a thing as a a a a 2012 B200
B200
It’s not a a a a B200GT or a a a 250 it’s a a a legit B200
with -42 engines! Beechcraft 12 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
MARCH 2021