Owners and operators of Hawker Beechcraft Corporation’s B200GT were polled on what improvements they’d like to see, and the result is the new King Air 250. The King Air 250’s new features include Boundary Layer Research Aerospace’s composite winglets, composite propellers, and engine induction modifications.
“We are fortunate to have an extensive and loyal King Air customer base. Through our outreach efforts, we learned that our King Air B200GT owners and operators are satisfied with items like range and speed on this aircraft, but that they would benefit from additional field performance,” said Shawn Vick, Hawker Beechcraft’s executive vice president.
The modifications will yield takeoff performance better than its predecessor “or any other B200 out there,” a company statement asserted. Hawker Beechcraft said that at maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) the airplane’s takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle is only 2,111 feet from sea level airports, which is 400 feet shorter than the B200GT’s performance. Under 25-degree Celsius/77-degree Fahrenheit and 5,000-foot-elevation conditions at MGTOW, the takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle will be 3,094 feet—a 700-foot improvement over the B200GT. Slight increases in high-speed cruise speed, climb performance, and range were also asserted, but not quantified.
The King Air 250 should be certified later in 2010, with first deliveries planned for the second quarter of 2011.
Thomas A. Horne
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