As I stood on the Textron Aviation ramp in Wichita, Kansas, for my first look at the company’s new turboprop flagship, the King Air 360, I slipped back in time to a different era and form of transportation: cars (muscle cars as they called them). My pal Lennie had just bought a brand-new, fire-engine-red Chevrolet Chevelle and, to my amazement, spent his first weekend with it stripping off many of the stock parts, mostly the ones no one could see.
We Fly: Beechcraft King Air 360
Key Takeaways:
- The King Air 360, Textron Aviation's new turboprop flagship, maintains the King Air's robust legacy while primarily focusing on pilot workload reduction and enhanced passenger comfort.
- A key new feature is the standard-equipment IS&S ThrustSense autothrottle system, which automates engine power management, provides comprehensive engine protection (including overtorque and overtemp), and crucial flight envelope protection, such as VMC mitigation and single-engine autofeather.
- Cockpit upgrades include Collins Aerospace Fusion avionics with three 14-inch touchscreens and a new automatic digital pressurization system, simplifying operations and reducing workload for single pilots.
- Passenger comfort is significantly improved through a passive cabin-noise reduction system, ergonomically redesigned seats, premium real wood veneer cabinets, and dual-zone climate control, making the cabin notably quiet.
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