History of the King Air: A90-C90

King Air 90/A90

After 10 months of test flying the “proof-of-concept” King Air 87, which never came to market, Beechcraft flew the Model 65-90 for the first time in January of 1964. The first production 65-90 was delivered in October of the same year. Variations of the 65-90 include the 65-A90, 65-A90-1, 65-A90-2, 65-A90-3, and 65-A90-4. After two years of production the 65-90, Beechcraft moved on to the 65-A90 in 1966. The A90’s TOGW was increased from 9,000 to 9,300 lbs and it was given an engine upgrade from the PT6A-6 engines found on the original 65-90 to more powerful PT6A-20 engines. Its flight deck was also redesigned, and it came equipped with a new engine de-icing system. The 65-A90 was the most widely produced of the variations as 206 of them were built. The A90-1 was an unpressurized version with square windows made for the US Army, who used the designation U-21A. The A90-2 was a specialized military variant with a modified cabin layout and designated as the U-21B. The A90-3 was another military variant built for the US Army with improved electronic equipment given the RU-21C designation. The A90-4, also built for the US Army, was given strengthened airframes and a higher gross weight. A total of 162 military variants were produced between 1967 and 1971, many of which were equipped with electronic surveillance equipment.

The King Air 65-A90 is powered by two PT6A-20 engines, giving it a cruise speed of 216 knots, a range of 1,160 nautical miles, and a climb rate of 1,900 feet per minute. It requires 1,730 feet of runway to takeoff and 1,250 feet to land.


King Air B90

After 206 A90s were built from 1966 to 1968, Beechcraft moved on to the King Air B90. Compared to the A90, the B90 has improved ailerons and an increased wingspan, both of which slightly improve upon its performance. It was also given improved instrumentation, improved pressurization and more cabin windows. It’s TOGW was increased from 9,300 to 9,650 lbs, as well.

The King Air B90 comes equipped with the same Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 engines found on the A90. The King Air B90 has a cruise speed of 219 knots, a range of 1,185 nautical miles, a climb rate of 2,000 feet per minute, and requires 1,750 feet of runway to takeoff and 980 feet to land.

 

King Air C90

In 1971, Beechcraft moved on from the B90 to the King Air C90. The C90’s variants include the C90-1, C90A, C90B, C90SE, C90GT, C90GTi and C90GTx, which is still produced today. The original C90 is based on the B90, but has a modified cabin, improved pressurization system and comes equipped with PT6A-21 engines. The C90-1 variant has the tail of the E90, improved power output, and increased maximum cabin pressure differential. The C90A has improved landing gear retraction, an improved electrical system, and improved pressurization and heating systems. The C90B has an increased MTOW and quieter Hartzell props, while the C90SE is a cheaper, stripped-down version of the C90B. For the C90SE, Beechcraft removed the high-end Collins avionics system found on the C90B and replaced the four-blade Hartzell props on the C90B with three-blade propellers. Beechcraft also replaced the fixed partition between the cockpit and cabin with a lightweight curtain for the C90SE. The C90GT comes with more powerful PT6A-135A engines. The C90GTi is a variant of the GT with upgraded Collins ProLine 21 avionics. The C90GTx comes equipped with factory-standard winglets and its MTOW was increased to 10,485 lbs.

The original C90, equipped with PT6A-20 engines, has a cruise speed of 211 knots, a range of 1,120 nautical miles, a climb rate of 1,955 feet per minute, and requires 1,629 feet of runway to takeoff and 737 feet to land. Other than the C90A’s improved 228-knot cruise speed, its performance is nearly identical to the original C90. The C90GT, equipped with more powerful PT6A-135A engines, has a normal cruise speed of 247 knots, a range of 1,068 nautical miles and requires 4,406 feet of runway to takeoff and 3,060 feet to land.

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