1995 Beechcraft King Air 90

Altering space and time!

By Greg Cavanaugh

I’ve been able to plop my rear in quite a few transportation devices over the years.  During my time with the Gallup Journey I’ve driven two true sports cars, a range of trucks and SUVs, and a bevy of luxury sedans and small cars.  I’ve also driven a host of personal watercrafts, boats, and even a few motorcycles in my day.  But this was easily my coolest test drive to date and, at over $2 million, my most expensive.

First a caveat to this entire article:  I never actually had control of this vehicle at anytime, nor any influence over its journey. I did, however, sit in the copilot’s seat and receive a play-by-play of everything that was going on and that was plenty cool for me!

Powertrain:  Utilizing twin Pratt & Whitney turboprops, producing 550 hp a piece at sea-level, the variable pitch props of the King Air tear into the air like angry badgers. The hefty price tag of the King Air allows engines that pull the modestly heavy plane as if attached to the tail end of a hurricane.  Even in high elevation airstrips like Gallup’s Municipal Airport, the King Air shows no signs of a struggle with gravity and allows it to easily operate into and out of the small airstrips in our area.  Pulling back on the stick produces stomach churning climb rates to quickly get the King Air up to cruising altitude.  A host of instruments help the pilot to ensure the turbines are running at their full potential.  Running at almost 700 degrees Celsius, monitoring the ridiculously high internal temps of the turbines themselves helps the pilot push them to the edge for optimal performance.

Performance:  Get your mind around this.  That trip to Albuquerque for your kid’s soccer tournament?  Less than 40 minutes from takeoff to landing.  That weekend getaway to Phoenix?  Your almost 5-hour drive is whittled down to 70 minutes!  (IKEA here we come!)  The King Air 90 literally alters your sense of space and time.  Our trip to Albuquerque had us seeing ground speeds of over 230 knots (264 mph!)  Within moments of our turn from west to east at takeoff, it seemed we were already approaching Mt. Taylor. (And if you don’t think of the peak as a dormant volcano . . . see it from the air!)

Handling can best be described as “jet-like.”  Banking angles are limited more by your passenger’s stomach than the King Air’s riveted aluminum airframe.  The King Air is able to dive into and out of relatively small airstrips, making it highly sought after for our rural area.  All that performance, however, comes at the price of economy, although economy is not any airplane’s particular strong suit.  With a fuel burn rate of about 75 gallons an hour, that quick trip to Phoenix is going to cost you over $300 in fuel . . . each way!  While a full tank will get you some 1,200 miles away at 384 gallons, don’t ask about the price.

Ergonomics:  The price does little to tell you just how poor the ergonomics of the King Air really are.  One would suspect that for a price of 15-20 homes in Gallup, the King Air would be basking in walnut veneers, burled and brushed aluminum switch gear, and seats and panels clad with leather from golden cows.  The reality is the King Air is tight and cramped.  A particularly large tube moving through the sky reduces speed, fuel economy and payload, so the King Air chooses dimensions just big enough to keep its customer base from looking elsewhere. The pilot and co-pilot sit about a foot apart and finagling your feet over the seat, next to the stick, all without smacking your head on the overhead console packed with expensive gauges and switchgear requires the skill of Mary Lou Retton.  The view is limited by the small windshield and small side windows, but of course, once in the air, it’s spectacular nonetheless.

Interior:  Passengers fare only slightly better in the King Air than their pilots.  Depending on configuration, the King Air will carry about 7 people.  The King Air is often purchased for its particularly high payload capacity so passengers can bring relatively heavy luggage, keeping it small, as space is still a premium. The King Air utilizes a fully pressurized cabin allowing comfortable, mask-less cruising, even in high country like the Four Corners region and at altitudes up to 31,000 feet.  The King Air can even be configured in such a way as to carry a stretcher in Med-Flight situations.

Believe it or not, in the aircraft world, the Beechcraft King Air 90 represents high value.  Airplanes are ridiculously expensive to own and operate but the King Air 90 provides its owner/operator with practically light jet performance for lower initial cost and lower fuel consumption. Flying in the front seat of a small airplane with a friend to answer every one of my annoying questions is really the best way to get from point A to point B.  Doing it all in the King Air makes it all the more incredible.

Special thanks to P.B. for the ride-along and tutorial . . . you made a short, balding man giddy like a schoolboy.