Page 21 - March 2022

us have been pilots Beech has used two different wingtip extensions. This is the piece that is outboard of the aileron, outboard of the main and rear wing spars. The shorter one is what’s found on almost all Bonanza models, except the B36TC. That particular Bonanza model, as well as all of the Baron series, use the longer extension so as to reduce wing loading. Go to a crowded hangar with a tape measure. Isn’t it mind- blowing that the Baron’s wingtip is the identical size to most King Air wingtips? Now, of course, the fuel tanks, spar strength and attach fittings vary but the wing on the King Air outboard of the nacelle and the entire wing on a Bonanza are indeed the same size, give or take whether they have the shorter or longer wingtip extension.
When the model 200 prototype (serial number BB-1) made its first
Shorter aileron without lump.
flight in October 1972, it had the longest wing yet found on a King Air. The wing’s center section – the part that goes through the fuselage and contains the main landing gear wheel wells and the engine mounts – was widened by 50 inches, 25 inches per side. The larger three- blade propeller that the 200 used
to absorb its additional power would have hit the nose of the fuselage if the center section were not widened. For the purpose of making the cabin quieter – by moving the prop tips further away – the center section was widened more than the minimum distance required to fit the propeller. The wing outboard of the center
MARCH 2022
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 19