The largest member of the ubiquitous King Air family, the King Air 350 was developed and built by Beechcraft in the United States.
Introduced in 1990, with deliveries for the aircraft commencing that same year, the King Air 350 saw over 680 deliveries globally before the end of 2009.
Derived from the King Air 300, also a successor to the incredibly popular King Air 200, the King Air 350 boasts the greatest specification in terms of interior and exterior dimensions and performance. Amongst other modifications, it features a greater wingspan, winglets, uprated engines and a greater capacity for passengers and luggage.
The King Air 350 is recognised for its quieter cabin noise level compared to its predecessors, making the flying experience on a King Air 350 comparable to that of a light jet.
The King Air 200 is a twin turboprop aircraft developed and built by Beechcraft in the United States. Introduced in 1969, the first King Air 200 flew in late 1972, with deliveries commencing in February 1974.
The King Air 200 was developed from Beechcraft’s King Air 100 model, featuring several modifications, including a T-tail design, greater wingspan, extra fuel capacity, a heavier maximum take-of weight and fuselage restructuring to allow for higher maximum pressurisation.
Several variants of the King Air 200 have subsequently been developed and manufactured. These have been employed in a variety of roles, including military operations, aerial photography and a regional airliner variant.
Current variants include the original King Air 200, the King Air 250, and the King Air 260, which feature composite scimitar propellers allowing for better short-field performance over the original B200 model.
The Pilatus PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop aircraft developed and built by Pilatus Aircraft Ltd in Switzerland.
Development of the PC-12 was announced publicly in 1989, with the first of two test airframes flown in 1991. Certification and entry into service for the PC-12 commenced in 1994, following three further years of testing and development.
Thanks to its versatility and ability to take off and land from remote airstrips, the aircraft has seen use in various roles, including surveillance, search and rescue and cargo transportation, as well as serving the Australian outback as the backbone of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.
Having a single turboprop engine, the Pilatus PC-12 offers the advantage of significantly lower operating costs than those of comparable twin-turboprop aircraft.
The Piaggio P180 Avanti is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft developed and built by Piaggio Aerospace in Italy.
The Piaggio Avanti derived from the collaborative work of Piaggio’s Chief Engineer, Alessandro Mazzoni and Gates Learjet. The prototype Avanti aircraft first flew in 1986, with certification granted four years later in 1990.
In 2005 an improved model, the Avanti II, received certification. This model featured uprated turboprop powerplants, improved fuel economy and a new Rockwell Collins avionics suite.
To date, there have been over 230 Piaggio Avantis delivered globally, with primary operators including the Italian Air Force, Army and Navy.
The Piaggio Avanti is most well-known for its unique exterior design, which features a pusher propeller (rear-facing) configuration and forward canard wings. It also has an operational speed superior to all competing turboprop aircraft and one comparable to some light jet aircraft.
