Page 6 - Volume 14 Number 9

Based on the timing of the announcement, there’s a good chance that anyone attending the King Air Gathering scheduled for the end of August in Wichita would have heard this announcement in person if COVID-19 had not interrupted plans for the event.
Raising the flag(ship)
The video announcement featured three company executives, beginning with Rob Scholl, senior vice president of sales and flight operations. He reviewed recent product investments Textron Aviation has made across its product line. When mentioning the King Air line, he said:
“We are always listening to our King Air customers and longtime operators to push the envelope and help their missions. Leveraging their feedback, we have chosen to take a closer look at the different King Air variants currently in production and ask ourselves some serious questions about the aircraft’s legacy and, more importantly, its possibilities.”
Ron Draper, president and CEO, Textron Aviation, officially announced the King Air 360 and 360ER stating that the enhancements were incorporated through many conversations and the company’s collaborative effort and “was the catalyst behind the innovation and next generation capabilities you’ll see in the King Air 360.”
Cockpit upgrades, including autothrottle STC
The company says the two major upgrades in the cockpit would improve the overall aircraft operational experience. The Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense Autothrottle provides a full regime system that computes and controls the appropriate power levels from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, go-around and landing phases of flight. It provides envelope protection that adjusts the power output of the operating engine during engine- out scenarios, which improves overall pilot control and allows the aircraft to accelerate and climb single- engine. The autothrottle is controlled by the new electronic standby instrument.
Textron Aviation also announced it had special type certification (STC) approval of the IS&S autothrottle on King Air 300 series aircraft equipped with Pro Line Fusion avionics and new production King Air 360 turboprops. This is in addition to the STC that was received in 2019 for Pro Line 21-equipped King Air 200 series aircraft.
Another update in the cockpit is the new digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort.
BLR Aerospace
›
4 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2020