Beechcraft King Air 350i: Price, Range, Specs, Cockpit, Interior. HBC, which stands for Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, is the company that developed the twin turboprop business aircraft known as the Beechcraft King Air 350i. In 1988, the Beechcraft King Air 350i made its maiden voyage, and it was produced in both a civilian and a military variant. In excess of 500 King Air 350i have been shipped out and delivered. Since 1964, the Beech King Air product line has been manufactured without interruption, and more than 6,000 of the 17 variations have been exported to more than 94 nations for use in corporate, commercial, and special mission operations.
Announcing the sale of Raytheon aircraft to GS Capital Partners was something that Raytheon did in December of 2006. With the completion of sales in March 2007, the new firm, which was named Hawker Beechcraft Inc., was established. In October of 2008, Hawker Beechcraft announced a new King Air 350i that had an updated cabin interior that was developed with Rockwell Collins Venue, an integrated cabin management system (CMS). Additionally, the new Beechcraft FlexCabin makes it possible to configure the cabin in a more straightforward manner. The noise level within the cabin has been brought down to an average of 78 decibels by the ship.
It is anticipated that the first flight of the King Air 350i will take place in the beginning of 2009. The certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is anticipated to take place around the third quarter of 2009. Not long after that, shippings will start. The certification from the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) is anticipated to be issued at the beginning of 2010.
The engine of the Beechcraft King Air 350i
The Beechcraft King Air 350i is propelled by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60A twin turboprop engine and a free turbine engine, both of which are rated at 1,050 horsepower each. A reversible pitch propeller with four blades, the Hartzell propeller is made of an automated aluminum alloy and is 266.7 centimeters in diameter.
Each and every wing of the aircraft is equipped with integral fuel tanks and bladder cells, which together provide a total fuel capacity of 1,438 liters. The total fuel capacity that can be used is increased to 2,040 liters in order to accommodate an additional fuel tank that is situated inside the engine nacelles.
Particulars of the Beechcraft King Air 350i
There are a variety of specs available for the Beechcraft King Air 350i, which vary according to the version and designation. As a security aircraft that is fitted with a camera, the customized King Air 350i mission variant is available for purchase. It is possible for the maritime patrol version to carry up to 1,300 kilograms of mission equipment, which includes infrared radars and forward-looking air and sea search radars. Additionally, rescue assembly and rescue equipment are able to be lowered through the opening.
The hydraulically retractable tricycle landing gear consists of a main unit that is double-wheeled and a nose unit that is single-wheeled. Goodrich tires, a hydraulically actuated Goodrich multi-disc brake, and Beech oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers are all components that are included in the gear. There is a forward pull on the main teeth, and a backward draw on the nose unit.
When operating at an altitude of 10,500 meters, the Guardian RC-350 modified for use by the military intelligence community is able to wander the station for significantly longer than six hours. In addition to being able to monitor radar emissions in the range of 20MHz to 18GHz, this aircraft is also capable of intercepting communications in the line of 20MHz to 1.4GHz.
The Raytheon AN/ ALQ-142 electronic support system with wing-mounted antenna, a Watkins Johnson 9195C type radio communication interceptor, a Cubic safe digital up-and-down data connection, a Honeywell laser inertia navigation system, and a determination system global location are all pieces of equipment that are included in the aircraft mission equipment. Within a fairing that is located beneath the fuselage, the antenna for the communicating intelligence system is mounted.
The King Air 350i was given the designation of JGSDF LR-2 when it was first put into service with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in the year 1999. This airplane is fitted with a monitoring and connecting system across its entirety.
The Australian Army borrows three aircraft for command and control, interface support, and supervision, while the Royal Australian Air Force rents seven King Air 350i aircraft for navigator training. Both programs are operated by the Australian government.
Raytheon has developed a new derivative of the King Air 350ER that is designed specifically for long-range missions. In addition to the hefty landing gear and the larger fuel tank in the nacelle, the maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft has been increased to 7,480 kilograms (16,500 pounds). This enables the aircraft to have a duration of eight hours and a range of 4,260 kilometers, which is equivalent to 2,300 nautical miles. It was in November of 2007 when the King Air 350ER was granted certification.
Exterior and Interior of the Beechcraft King Air 350i Cabin
The cabin of the Beechcraft King Air 350i is a pressurized quadrate-oval that is both comfortable and capacious. Additionally, there are up to three single seats available in the cabin, which is furnished with double club-style seats that can accommodate up to eight guests.
The active noise reduction technology manufactured by Ultra Electronics, known as UltraQuiet, brings the level of noise in the passenger compartment down to below 80 decibels (A). Sound waves that have the same frequency and amplitude but have opposite phases of undesired noise are introduced into the cabin by the acoustically active UltraQuiet system. This system is responsible for canceling out the noise that is caused by the propellers.
A cockpit and avionics system for the Beechcraft King Air 350i
However, despite the fact that it can be flown by a single pilot, the cockpit of the Beechcraft King Air 350i is designed to seat two crew members and is fitted with dual controls. A Rockwell Collins ProLine II avionics suite is installed in the aircraft. This suite includes a UNS-1D/UNS-1K Universal navigation system, an ALT-80A altimeter, a dual air speed indicator, and a flight director. Additionally, an optional Rockwell Collins EFIS-8B electronic flight information system with three multifunctional tube displays is also included.
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Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 suite avionics are now available as standard equipment for the King Air 350i, having previously been unavailable. This includes the primary flight display, which is 8 inches by 10 inches and is based on the technology of liquid crystal display (LCD). Additionally, it is a multi-functional display that includes information about the primary engine, system synoptic, checklist, and navigation data, such as planning maps, current location maps, and postings. There is also the capability of displaying information from various sensors, such as terrain, traffic, lightning, and weather radar.
The FMS-3000 flight management system (dual FMS is an optional feature), multiple flight directors, failed-passive autopilot, Global Positioning System (GPS), dual solid-state attitude heading reference system (AHRS), dual digital air computer data, and turbulence detection radar are all included in the Pro Line 21 package. The remote radio tuning unit (RTU) manufactured by Rockwell Collins offers centralized control over the tuning of the Pro Line 21 radio. Additionally, the AirCell ST3100 Itridium satellite telecommunications system will be the standard equipment for every new aircraft.
Prices and Orders for the Beechcraft King Air 350i Aviation
The most recent model of the Beechcraft King Air 350i may be purchased for a price of $7.3 Million in the United States. The Iraqi government placed an order for five special King Air 350ER mission aircraft in March of 2007, four of which were designated for intelligence, security, and reconnaissance, and one of which was designated for transporting. There are a total of 24 special missions and 24 transport planes that are included in the requirements. The Wescam MX-15 L3 electro-optical/infrared system, the General Atomics Lynx synthetic aperture radar/reverse synthetic aperture radar (SAR/ISAR), the AN/ AAR-47, and the AN/ ALE countermeasure missile warning systems-47 are all required to be installed on special mission aircraft. The United States Air Force placed an order for 23 King Air 350ERs in November of 2008, with the first shipment scheduled for 2009.