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pedestal, accessible to both pilots. A trim-in-motion aural tone beeps whenever the stabilizer moves. That, too, is unusual at first but soon becomes expected and almost unnoticed.
The original “straight” 100 model had three-blade propellers, a maximum takeoff weight of 10,600 pounds and fuel capacity was a rather paltry 374 gallons. B-2 through B-89, and B-93 are the 100 serial numbers.
In 1972 the A100 replaced the straight 100, beginning with serial number B-90. For the very first time, Beech installed a four-blade propeller as standard equipment. Fuel capacity went up to 470 gallons, with a highly improved delivery system that, again for the first time, utilized an engine-driven boost pump. Maximum takeoff weight was increased to 11,500 pounds. The last A100, B-247, was built in 1979.
The very first model 100, serial number B-1, has a fascinating history. After being the flight test vehicle used in certifying the aircraft, Beech kept the airplane at the factory in Wichita and used it for additional miscellaneous flight testing. It was next used as the prototype for the A100 certification program and remained at Beech in the flight test department. Finally, in 1976, Beech removed it from the experimental category and re-certified it as a normal category A100 and it was sold to the State of Kansas. N3100K is still shown in the FAA registry. Thus, B-1 was born as a straight 100 but became an A100!
All members of the 100-series exhibit a “big-airplane” feel. They are heavier on the controls than any 90, 200 or 300-series model. They tend to decelerate rapidly in the flare and finesse is required to make consistently
18 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
The power quadrant levers in the B100 changed to being called Power, Speed and Fuel Cutoff & Feather.
satisfying landings. There’s not much ground effect due to the short wings. Nevertheless, many pilots have come to prefer the solid, stable feel of the 100, A100 and B100. It is a great instrument platform when hand-flying.
Origin of the B100
In the early 1970s, when the sales of new King Airs were setting records and the production rate was at an all-time high, the Pratt & Whitney factory had a labor/ management dispute that led to a long-lasting strike. The result of this protracted work stoppage and the supply of PT6 engines came to a halt. At one time, Beech had over 50 completed King Airs sitting in Wichita with paint, interior and avionics all finished but with lead weights sitting on the engine mounts (to prevent them from tipping back onto their tails) since no engines were at hand. Needless to say, Beech had a severe cash-flow problem, with so much money tied up in those airplanes and no way to collect money from the customers since the airplanes could not yet be delivered.
Frank Hedrick, the president of Beech at the time, decided that it was too risky to have such a large component of the Beechcraft product line dependent upon one sole engine supplier and he instigated an effort to provide another engine supplier for the King Air series. The TPE331 was the obvious choice of powerplant, being about the only other game in town in light turboprop engines.
About a year before the P&W strike, Beech had introduced the Super King Air 200 model. With the same cabin size as the A100 model – that had been the
MAY 2022