Chinese general-aviation company buys 10 King Air turboprop aircraft from Hawker Beechcraft for pilot training and aerial mapping
WICHITA, Kan., 1 April 2012. Hawker Beechcraft Corp. in Wichita, Kan., is selling 10 King Air twin-engine turboprop general aviation aircraft to the Chinese aviation company Avion Pacific Ltd. in Shenzhen, China, for about $50 million. Avion Pacific will use the King Air 350i and King Air C90GTx aircraft for VIP travel, pilot training, aerial mapping, and weather modification. Deliveries are to begin this winter.
The Beechcraft King Air is know for its ability to land on short and unimproved runways, and can be better suited for short-haul transport missions than light jets, Hawker Beechcraft officials say.
The King Air 350i has the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite with three 8–by-10–inch liquid crystal displays, IFIS and flight management system, digital communication, navigation, surveillance radios, dual air data computer systems, dual altitude heading reference systems, terrain awareness warning system, four-color weather radar system, automatic flight guidance system, traffic alert and collision avoidance system, cockpit voice recorder, and maintenance diagnostic computer.
The aircraft with two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A turboprop engines is 47 feet long with a 58-foot wingspan, cruises at 313 knots, has a ferry range of 1,800 miles, can take off on runways as short as 3,300 feet, and can land in 2,692 feet.
The King Air C90GTx, meanwhile, has composite winglets to improve climb and fuel efficiency. It seats as many as seven passengers, and has an in-flight accessible, heated and pressurized baggage storage area and aft lavatory.
The aircraft has the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system with three 8–by-10–inch liquid crystal displays, Rockwell Collins TWR-850 weather radar, integrated avionics processor system, electronic flight instrument system, engine indicating system, air data system, attitude heading system, automatic flight guidance system, flight management system, as well as navigation and communication radios.
The King Air C90GTx is 36 feet long and has a 54-foot wingspan. It seats as many as eight passengers, has two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135 turboprop engines, cruises at 272 knots, has a ferry range of 1,310 miles, can fly as high as 30,000 feet, can take off on runways as short as 2,552 feet, and can land in 2,363 feet.
For more information contact Hawker Beechcraft online at www.hawkerbeechcraft.com or Rockwell Collins at www.rockwellcollins.com.
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John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
