Hawker Beechcraft

Sitting in the glass cockpit of the 50th anniversary edition of the Beechcraft G58 Baron, its precision-engineered Teledyne Continental Motors engines ticking away effortlessly, I’m struck by a thought: This airplane was introduced when President Dwight Eisenhower was still in office. It’s a hard notion to reconcile. With a bright and colorful flat-panel avionics suite, […]

After conversations with some 3,000 aircraft operators, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation decided that its next Beechcraft Premier model wouldn’t be a Beechcraft after all. “The Premier II should be a Hawker,” is the message HBC got from customers — and that’s what it will be, the Hawker 200. Shawn Vick, HBC Executive Vice President delivered the […]

A The Wichita Eagle is reporting that the state of Kansas has agreed to financial incentives that would keep “the vast majority” of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) jobs in Wichita. The deal is contingent on the company reaching an agreement with its employees’ union. Earlier reports indicated HBC was seriously considering moving, along with 6,000 […]

The NTSB has scarcely begun its investigation of Tuesday evening’s crash at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. According to EAA, NASCAR team leader Jack Roush, 68, was returning to Oshkosh after flying his P-51 Mustang back to Willow Run, Michigan. He had performed in the Mustang at the afternoon air show. At about 6:15 pm CDT, Roush […]

As many as 4,500 of Hawker Beechcraft Corp.’s (HBC) 6,000 employees could lose their jobs in the next two years, according to a report from the Wichita affiliate of NBC News. The union that represents employees at HBC quoted a letter from company management concerning ongoing meetings with union leaders. The company cited: “… serious […]

Operators of Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200/300-series turboprop twins are now eligible for upgrades to include Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability. Hawker Beechcraft is currently working on a similar upgrade for Premier 1A and Hawker 400XP/Beechjet400A-series jets.

Press releases from Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) filled journalists’ inboxes as EBACE opened its doors in Geneva this week. One of the new strategies announced there takes a page from premium automobile brands with a “certified” pre-owned aircraft program. Under the Hawker Beechcraft Select Pre-Owned Program, qualifying turbine aircraft (sorry, pistons aren’t included) purchased through […]

The Hawker Beechcraft display at Sun ‘n Fun featured a unique, signature edition of the twin-engine G58 Baron. The limited edition 50th anniversary Beechcraft Baron celebrates half a century of production for the iconic light twin. This version has high-performance Hartzell Scimitar propellers, some signature interior amenities and a choice of four color schemes dedicated […]

Hawker Beechcraft took the wraps off its newest website (www.hawkerbeechcraft.com) this week. Designed to be “customer-focused” the site is designed to offer more information as well as exciting ways to experience the company’s products online. Recognizing the importance of the Internet in today’s society, HBC’s director of marketing Ron Gunnarson said, “A customer’s first impression […]

The FAA and Europe’s EASA have approved Hawker Beechcraft’s latest King Air 350 variant, the 350i. The updated turboprop twin features HBC’s “FlexCabin” configuration — able to be swapped easily for various missions. The 350i also boasts a quieter cabin with sound levels reduced to an average of 78 dBA. The standard cabin management system […]