Most popular posts for August 2020

1.) Introducing the Beechcraft King Air 360 - Textron Aviation ushered in the next generation of its legendary King Air turboprop family on Tuesday with the introduction of the Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER. [Full story]

2.) What happens when a drone gets ingested by an aircraft engine, FAA ready to conduct live test - The inclusion of large numbers of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) may pose unique hazards to other aircraft sharing the airspace. [Full story]

3.) AS2 supersonic business jet to be built at new Florida research park - Space Florida is pleased to announce it has finalized a multi-million-dollar investment in Aerion Supersonic to accelerate the hiring of employees and development of the company's new state-of-the-art campus – Aerion Park – in Melbourne, Fla. [Full story]

4.) Second Cessna SkyCourier test article takes flight - Textron Aviation announced Tuesday the successful flight of its second Cessna SkyCourier flight test article (P1). [Full story]

5.) United Airlines adds new nonstop flights to four popular Florida destinations - United Airlines announced Tuesday plans to add up to 28 daily nonstop flights this winter connecting customers in Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, New York/LaGuardia, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio to four popular Florida destinations. [Full story]

Introducing the Beechcraft King Air 360

Textron Aviation ushered in the next generation of its legendary King Air turboprop family on Tuesday with the introduction of the Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER. The updated flagship turboprop offers the latest technological advancements in the cockpit, a redesigned cabin, and enhancements to passenger comfort. The aircraft is currently in production with customer deliveries expected to begin in the fall of 2020.

Cockpit upgrades

A key feature of the King Air 360 cockpit is the addition of the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense Autothrottle. The autothrottle supports pilots in their critical mission of delivering people or cargo safely 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 supports them in their continuous vigilance to prevent over-speed or under-speed, over-temp and over-torque conditions.

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

Cabin upgrades

With seating for up to nine passengers, the latest King Air offers an even greater passenger experience than its predecessor. The aircraft features a cabin altitude of 5,960 feet at a typical cruising altitude of 27,000 feet – more than 10 percent lower when compared to the King Air 350i. The improved cabin altitude levels provide greater comfort for passengers, especially during longer flights.

A redesigned bespoke cabin design features a stunning new look with custom-built cabinetry, partitions and side ledges, upgraded materials and finishes, along with all new interior schemes.

Nearly 7,600 Beechcraft King Air turboprops have been delivered to customers around the world since 1964.

US Forest Service calls for avionics upgrade aboard fire mapping plane

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service - Utah Acquisition Support Center, is conducting market research regarding the availability of potential sources to complete the avionics/engine instrumentation refurbishment of plane N149Z, a Beechcraft B200C King Air (this aircraft is currently used for infrared fire detection and mapping). The Forest Service announced the avionics upgrade in a Sources Sought Notice released Friday.

“This will require that all avionics and engine indicating systems be removed to allow for installation of a Garmin G1000 system accompanied by a Becker Audio System,” officials said in the notice. “Several new items installed have upcoming FAA mandates such as ADS-B.”

Companies interested in supporting the project should contact the U.S. Forest Service no later than Sept. 18.

NASA aircraft in Houston skies for air pollution study this month

Two NASA aircraft equipped with scientific instruments will fly over the Houston area throughout September as part of a multi-year airborne science mission to help scientists better understand how to measure and forecast air quality from space.

The aircraft are part of NASA's five-year DISCOVER-AQ study, which stands for Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality.

One of the aircraft, a twin-engine Beechcraft 200 King Air (registration N529NA), will collect data for the DISCOVER-AQ study looking downward from an altitude of 26,000 feet. The plane's instruments will look down at the Earth's surface, much like a satellite, and measure particulate and gaseous air pollution.

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