King Air upgrades passenger comfort
Hawker Beechcraft has attained both FAA and EASA certification of the latest addition to the Hawker range, the Beechcraft King Air 350i.
What does the lower-case “i” stand for? Serves us right for asking! According to HBC it stands for “intelligent; innovative; impressive; invaluable; iconic; ideal.”
Hawker Pacific’s Senior Vice President, Aircraft Sales & Flight Services Group, Tony Jones said the new model has already attracted a lot of interest from potential customers in the new certifications, which bring the 350i one step closer to availability within the region:
“The first two aircraft have been painted and are having their interiors installed now. They look awesome. As one of the most successful King Air dealers in the world, we are hopeful of having a demonstrator in Australia in the first half of 2010,” he said.
The new King Air 350i highlights a dazzling series of value-adding interior upgrades as standard.
Rockwell Collins Venue integrated cabin management system (CMS) features video screens, eight programmable switch panels in the passenger cabin and one in the cockpit, offering (as standard) flight information (shown as a screen-saver), fingertip control of all cabin lighting, selection and control of audiovisual system, cabin temp adjustment, darkening and lightening of the electrochromic windows, input panels for personal electronics, and USB-powered noise cancelling headsets. The system supports all current personal electronic devices and is provisioned for future system expansion to accommodate technology growth.
Optional cabin add-ons are a media centre device, Blu-Ray DVD viewer,personal video displays, AirCell Axxess satellite phone and even seat warmers.
The “category-busting” cabin features a major redesign using contemporary materials and technologies, with an emphasis on luxury and modelled on Beechcraft’s Premier 1A, and all new LED lighting (table, indirect, downwash, floor accent) provide a more airy-feeling interior:
“Passengers will think they have stepped into an aircraft costing many millions more,” says Jones.
Offering new standards of quietness, Beechcraft’s new “Serenity System” incorporates the latest in passive noise cancellation and isolation technology. An exclusive multi-step noise reduction process drops sound levels by 4 dBA to an average 78 dBA, equal to or better than competitive business jets, claims HBC.
In in the aft cabin is a fully private flushing toilet, (optional) vanity unit, and other amenities that are normally seen only in midsize business jets.
Beechcraft’s new “FlexCabin” capability dramatically increases mission flexibility by offering variable quick-change cabin configuration options according to your specific mission. For example the traditional eight-seat club configuration can be altered to provide one or more “Ottoman” sofas for full-recline comfort on long flights. The Aircraft Flight Manual will provide a minimum of six standard floor plans.
Although the enhancements have been largely limited to cabin amenity, severala formerly optional features are now listed as standard:
- All Transponder options have been removed (consistent with the Premier) and standard fit is TDR-94D diversity transponders with flight ID. TCAS II is now $70k less expensive;
- CVR option has been removed and a 120-minute CVR is now standard;
- GPS-4000S and FMS 4.0 software provides WAAS and LPV approach capability;
- Dual-cell life vests;
- JAR-OPS compliant first aid kit (First aid kit option has been removed);
- Premier-style control yokes (the leather-wrapped yokes option has been removed;
- All forward cabinets; and
- The all new paint schemes.
Additional options are expected with the certification expected early in 2010, of the 350iC and 35iCER (extended range). These include AirCell broadband Internet, a cockpit mounted colour video camera, cabin intercom, and a stand-alone BluRay DVD player for forward and aft entertainment cabinets.
On the operations front Jim Schuster, Chairman and CEO of Hawker Beechcraft said:
“The new King Air 350i completely transcends typical market segmentation. It will continue to provide the full fuel, full seats, full baggage capability the King Air 350 has always been known for, and now will incorporate a totally new interior that is unmatched by any turbine business aircraft in its price range – jet or turboprop.”
