Hawker Beechcraft Announces King Air Sale to Federal Aviation Administration

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced it has received a follow-on order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for two Beechcraft King Air C90GTx turboprops with the option for one additional aircraft. The FAA currently operates a fleet of six King Air C90GTx turboprops and will use the two new aircraft to further support the FAA’s Flight Standards Flight Program.

The Flight Standards Flight Program provides direct support to more than 600 Aviation Safety Operations Inspectors (ASIs) throughout the country. It is their responsibility to ensure flights within National Air Space (NAS) operate at the highest level of safety and within regulatory requirements. As the industry evolves technologically, ASIs must keep pace with the changes and use modern aircraft to assess the currency and proficiency of pilots.

“The King Air C90GTx is ideally suited for utilization by FAA inspectors for this program to ensure the safety of National Air Space and we are proud the FAA continues to select the King Air as their platform of choice,” said Jay Gibson, HBC vice president, Special Missions. “The C90GTx has performance and specification attributes that meet all of the program’s criteria for payload, range, speed and altitude. In addition, it offers the latest available avionics technology, which is representative of modern general aviation and air carrier aircraft currently flying in the NAS.”

The King Air 90 entered into service more than 45 years ago and is known for its reliability, durability and affordability. Key enhancements to the King Air C90GTx include an increase in maximum gross weight and the addition of composite winglets, which improve climb performance and further increase fuel efficiency. The maximum ramp weight and maximum takeoff weight of the C90GTx have been increased by 385 pounds to 10,545 and 10,485 pounds respectively. This increase in maximum weight provides the C90GTx with a full-fuel payload capability of more than 750 pounds – almost double that of the C90GTi and ahead of any entry-level jet. The ability to carry more fuel with higher payloads increases the four passenger range by more than 200 nm.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special mission, light attack and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Little Rock, Ark.; Chester, England, U.K.; and Chihuahua, Mexico. The company leads the industry with a global network of more than 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.