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Textron revels in King Air 260 coronation
Thursday, 3 December 2020
The King Air 260 is the latest addition to Textron's popular prop series. This iteration includes the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense Autothrottle, along with a new digital pressurisation controller.

Textron Aviation is launching a new era for its Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft with the introduction of the Beechcraft King Air 260 turboprop. Featuring the latest technological advancements to the cockpit and improvements in the cabin, the King Air 260 reflects the company's continued commitment to making substantial investments to its product line. Assembly production for the King Air 260 is already under way, and certification and deliveries are expected in early 2021. The announcement comes on the heels of the recently introduced Beechcraft King Air 360, which achieved FAA type certification in October.

The King Air 260 combines the platform's history of rugged reliability and versatility with upgrades and next-generation capability, offering a greater ease of flying. Key enhancements to the aircraft are the addition of the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense Autothrottle, along with a new digital pressurisation controller. The cockpit also offers the Collins Aerospace Multi-Scan weather radar system as a standard feature on every King Air 260.

“These investments reflect our commitment to providing superior upgrades and engineering innovation that create the best flying experience for Beechcraft King Air 260 owners and operators around the world,” says Ron Draper, president and CEO. “We place an immense value on our conversations with our customers, and the investments we make in our aircraft are a direct result of listening to their input. I'm proud of the impressive effort by our team for taking a legendary aircraft and adding technological advancements that will allow customers to achieve their varied missions.”

With an occupancy of up to nine, a maximum range of 1,720 nm and a top cruise speed of 310 kts, the Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft has long been the aircraft of choice for customers around the world. The ThrustSense Autothrottle supports pilots in their mission of delivering people or cargo by automatically managing engine power from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, go-around and landing phases of flight. This enhancement reduces pilot workload and is designed to prevent over-speed or under-speed, over-temp and over-torque conditions.

Another key update in the cockpit is the new digital pressurisation controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurisation during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort. The pressurisation gauges have been integrated with the powerful Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.

The Collins Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar provides pilots with a fully automatic system that it optimised to detect short, mid and long-range weather. The system is designed to present an accurate picture of the weather around the aircraft, further reducing pilot workload.

“The Beechcraft King Air lineup is the most popular business turboprop in the world,” states Rob Scholl, senior VP of sales and flight operations for Textron. “It's essential for us to continue exploring ways to bring innovation to such a renowned aircraft, and these enhancements will allow owners and operators to accomplish their various missions with greater comfort, technology and ease.”

The IS&S ThrustSense Autothrottle is also available as an aftermarket upgrade through Textron Aviation Service facilities on all Pro Line Fusion-equipped Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft.

The cabin features newly designed seats created through an innovative pressure-mapping process that identifies ways to provide a more comfortable, relaxing journey for passengers, especially on longer flights.

Close to 7,600 King Airs have been delivered to customers around the world since 1964, making it the best-selling business turboprop family in the world. The worldwide fleet has surpassed 62 million flight hours in its 56 years, serving roles in all branches of the US military and flying both commercial and special mission roles around the world.

Contact details from our directory:
Textron Aviation (Beechcraft) Airframer
Innovative Solutions & Support Inc Air Data Computers, Airspeed Indicators, Autothrottle Systems, Electronic Flight Instrument Systems, Engine Indicator Instruments, Fuel Quantity Indicators, GPS, LCD Displays, Pressure Altimeters, RVSM Equipment
Collins Aerospace, Avionics Division Air Data Computers, Air-to-Ground Data Links, Airborne Communication Systems, Aircraft & Helicopter Controllers, Attitude and Heading Reference Systems, Automatic Direction Finders, Automatic Flight Control Systems, Autopilots, Avionics Management Systems, Cabin Address Systems, Cabin Management Systems, Cockpit Printers, Cockpit Video Displays, Collision Avoidance Systems/TCAS, Command, Control & Intelligence Systems, Control Panels, Distance Measuring Equipment, Electronic Flight Instrument Systems, Engine Control Quadrants, Engine Controls, Engine Indicator Instruments, Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS), Flight Directors, Flight Management Systems, Flight Recorders, GPS, Head-Up Displays, Helmet-Mounted Displays (HMD), Horizontal Situation Indicator, Inertial Components & Systems, Inflight Entertainment, Instrument Landing Systems, LCD Displays, Moving Maps, Multi-Mode Receivers (MMR), Navigation Antennas, Onboard Computers, Onboard Intercom Systems, Radar/Radio Altimeters, Radio Communications Equipment, Simulation Systems, Surveillance/Air Defense Radar, Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, Transceivers, UAV Control Software, VOR (Omnirange) Receivers, Weather Mapping Radar
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Beechcraft King Air 250