Raytheon Adds Pro Line 21 Cockpit to New
Beechcraft King Airs
With 6,000 aircraft delivered and a 40th anniversary fast approaching
in 2004, the King Air family is still very close to Beechcraft's
heart. To make sure its customers too keep loving it for many years
to come, the company has just announced a slick upgrade to the King
Air 200 and 350 family with the addition of the Rockwell Collins
Pro Line 21 cockpit fit for all new-build aircraft.
"We are changing direction in our product development plan,"
says Brad Hatt, Raytheon's president and general manager of the
Beechcraft and Hawker Divisions. "Before now we concentrated
on building new fuselages to fill the gaps in our product lines,
but now upgrades will be far more important." The arrival of
the Pro Line 21 fit is the first major move in this strategy and
Hatt promises more to come. Pro Line 21 is built around two 10-in
color LCD screens as primary flight displays, with an additional
multifunction display for engine indicators. The display system
is tied into a Collins FMS-3000 flight management system
A brand new King Air 350 is already on show in the NBAA static
park and a representative 200 cockpit can be found in the exhibition
hall. On Wednesday Beechcraft will hand over the first Pro Line
21-equipped B200 to a customer and the company plans to deliver
eight of the new B200s and seven new B350s this year. The really
good news for customers is that the price of the new model remains
unchanged-$5.1 million for a King Air 200 and $5.8 million for a
King Air 350.
--Robert Hewson
The first Collins Pro Line 21-equipped Beechcraft King
Air B200 has been delivered to a veteran Beech operator.
Businessman Bob Goff of Traverse City, Mich. took delivery
of what will be his fourth King Air and eighth Beechcraft
overall at Orlando Executive Airport yesterday. Apart from
the King Airs, he has owned Bonanzas, a Baron, Duke, two
King Air C90Bs and his previous B200. Goff flies about 300
hours per year, traveling throughout the Midwest and other
points around the country. "Every time there is a technological
advancement in the industry, I can get a King Air with that
technology," he said. "Now that Beechcraft has
upgraded the B200 and 350 with Pro Line 21, they have the
same avionics sophistication as business jets costing millions
more."
