Page 6 - Volume 11 Number 11

Allen Jr. started racing go karts at age five and continued to move up through the racing circuit where he made it to NASCAR in his mid-20s.
“I’ve landed and departed many different aircraft onto short runways with sometimes unpredictable crosswinds,” Allen said. “With its predictable flying characteristics, cockpit and cabin size and hot and heavy performance, the King Air 350 is by far the friendliest aircraft to land and depart these runways. Something as simple as the dual wheels is a reassuring feeling on the unimproved runways when you’re far from home and maintenance support.”
In 2010, Allen elected to overhaul the engines with Pratt & Whitney at 3,300 total time since new. “That was early, but I felt that the engines were the only area of the airplane that was an unknown,” he said. “I wanted the peace of mind of having the engines overhauled.”
In early 2015, Allen partnered with Rockwell Collins and Signature TECHNICAir in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to become the first King Air 350 with Pro Line II to be retrofitted with Pro Line Fusion. Rockwell Collins used Allen’s aircraft to earn the STC, and Allen was involved in all phases of testing.
“I had over 70 hours in the airplane during all the flight testing,” Allen said. “It took a lot of my time but it was really educational. I already knew Collins was a great product but I really learned the incredible quality of the Collins product. During many phases of testing we had to think of all the different 350 flight missions, like Coast Guard search and rescue operations and the 350ER military use. We had to consider something as simple as gloves being worn by the flight crew and how the touch displays would react. This all was tested in detail by incredible pilots and engineers.”
The upgrade was completed in January 2016. Allen’s first flights with Fusion were to short airfields, which get his passengers closer to remote jobsites and gave him further opportunity to test out the improved situational awareness and LPV approach capability in real world flying.
“Fusion allows me to meet the ADS-B Out requirement and gives me LPV approach capability, which we use often,” Allen said. “Including testing, I’ve flown the aircraft with Fusion for two years now and it’s been incredible. It’s brought our airplane up to a very advanced military grade avionics and a FMS truly open architecture system that will take us into the future. My airplane decreased in weight by 80 pounds and I have all the options. The aircraft is equipped with many enhancements: two 4000S GPS units, TCAS II TTR-4100, TAWS, two DMEs, ADF, a CMU-4000 with VHF-4000 third COMM allowing CPDLC, XMWR1000 graphical weather, search and rescue, 3500 IMS that automatically downloads all the NavData by Wi-Fi or cellular, Airshow 500, RDC-4002 allowing advanced messaging with emergency checklist on the displays eliminating the original annunciators above the throttle quadrant, SVS and GEO Chart extension on all displays. Besides the
Loy Allen Jr. was involved in all phases of testing when Rockwell Collins used his King Air 350 to earn the STC for the Pro Line II to Pro Line Fusion upgrade.
4 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2017