Beechcraft |
BE90 King Air |
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Photo: Robert Deering
11/13/2007 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Dulles International Airport (IAD) Chantilly, Virginia |
The Model 90 King Air was conceived as the Model
120 in 1961. In May 1963, Beechcraft
began test flights of the proof-of-concept Model
87, a modified Queen Air with Pratt &
Whitney Canada PT6A-6 engines. On July 14,
Beech announced a new type, and a month
later began accepting orders for the "King
Air", with deliveries to commence in Autumn
1964. On
January 24, 1964, the first definitive
prototype, by now designated Model 65-90 and
also fitted with PT6A-6 engines, flew for
the first time. After 10 months of test
flying, in 1964 the Model 87 was delivered
to the United States Army as the NU-8F. The
first production aircraft was delivered on
October 8, and by the end of the month, 152
aircraft had been ordered; by
year's end, seven had been built.
In 1966, after 112 65-90s were completed, production
switched to the Model 65-A90 with
PT6A-20 engines. As a measure of the type's
popularity, 206 65-A90s were built in less
than two years when production switched to
the Model B90, the first of these
rolling off the production line in
1968. Military versions built during these
years included the 65-A90-1, 65-A90-2, 65-A90-3,
and 65-A90-4, all being unpressurised
models based on the Model 87. These were
produced for the US Army which designated
them U-21s of various sub-models; many were
fitted out for electronic battlefield
surveillance. A total of 162 of these were
built between 1967 and 1971.
A total of 184 B90 models were produced
before the Model C90 was introduced
in 1971, with wingspan increased over
earlier models by 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) to 50 ft
3 in (15.32 m), Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW)
increased by 350 lb (160 kg) to 9,650 lb
(4,378 kg), and PT6A-20A engines. The
broadly similar Model E90 was
introduced the following year, with PT6A-28
engines; the two were produced in parallel.
Further refinement of the 90 series resulted
in the Model F90 and follow-on Model
F90-1. The F-models featured the T-tail
of the Model 200 King Air mated to
the fuselage and wings of the E90, with PT6A-135
engines of 750 shp (560 kW) driving
four-bladed propellers. The F90 prototype
flew on January 16, 1978 and 203 production
versions followed between 1979 and 1983,
when the F90 was superseded by the F90-1. The
F90 prototype was re-engined with Garrett
AiResearch TPE-331 engines to test the
feasibility of a Model G90, but this
model was not put into production.
The Model C90-1 entered production in
1982 after 507 C90s and 347 E90s had been
built, and featured PT6A-21 engines and
improvements to the pressurization system.
54 were built. The following year the F90-1
was put into production with redesigned
engine cowlings, upgraded PT6A-135A engines,
hydraulic landing gear, and triple-fed
electrical bus; only 33 were built by the
time production terminated in 1985. The C90-1
was soon followed by the Model C90A,
which featured the redesigned engine
cowlings of the F90-1. The C90A received an
increase in MTOW in 1987, being certified to
10,100 lb (4,580 kg). The C90A model was in
production until 1992, by which time 235 had
been built, all but 74 with the increased
MTOW.
Only two C90As were built in 1992, the Model
C90B followed that year with airframe
improvements, four-bladed propellers, and
propeller synchrophasing, all
in an effort to reduce cabin noise. This
model also had PT6A-21s; the first
production C90B was fitted with the 10,000th
PT6 engine delivered to Beechcraft. In 1994
a cheaper version was introduced as the C90SE (Special
Edition), with three-bladed propellers,
standardised interior and mechanical
instruments instead of the Electronic Flight
Instrument System (EFIS) fitted to the C90B.
A total of 456 C90Bs and C90SEs were
delivered by the time production of these
models ended in late 2005.
In July 2005, during the Oshkosh Airshow,
Beechcraft introduced the C90GT. The
C90GT was fitted with 750 shp (560 kW)
PT6A-135As, flat rated to the same 550 shp
(410 kW) as the earlier King Airs. This
engine change increased performance due to
lower operating temperatures, improving both
cruise speed and climb rate. With a 275 kt
(509 km/h, 316 mph) cruise speed, the C90GT
was highly competitive with the new
generation of Very Light Jets over short to
medium distances, while providing a larger
and more luxurious cabin. C90GT deliveries
commenced at the beginning of 2006. On
May 21, 2007, during the 7th Annual European
Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva,
Beechcraft announced the Model C90GTi updated
version of the C90GT, featuring
the Rockwell Collins Proline 21 avionics package
previously only offered for the B200 and
B300 King Airs. Deliveries commenced in 2008
after 97 C90GTs were delivered to customers
over the previous two years.
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