A King Air flying across the skies of England had the opportunity to strut its stuff in comparison to the Total Eclipse. Corporate jet writer Alud Davies had the opportunity to stack the two aircraft up against each other while covering a story about the Eclipse, piloted by Bruce Dickinson, front-man for Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden.
The Eclipse
Davies, while approaching the Eclipse, noted two KingAirs on the runway almost in passing while mentioning the use of the airfield for corporate jets. He would have a chance to fly in one of them, but at the time he didn’t know it.
During his flight with Dickinson, he remarked on many features about the Eclipse, most notably the engines’ power-to-weight ration of 3:1. The second thing he commented on to a great degree was Cardiff Aviation, of which Dickinson is a co-owner. After flying in the KingAir, however, he found much more to say about the aircraft.
The KingAir
A few months after flying the Eclipse, Davies was contacted by Howard Palser, chief executive of Dragonfly Executive Air Charter. Palser wanted Davies to make a comparison between the 2007-build Eclipse 500 and the 1996-build KingAir 200.
Strangely, the first thing Davies comments on is the steps to get onboard. He describes them as allowing him to
“actually step on board, rather than clamber on in a less-than-dignified way.”
That must have been pretty impressive, since his review of the Eclipse didn’t even mention the boarding process! Once onboard, Davies remarked about the elegance of the interior of the KingAir as opposed to the “cramped” Eclipse. In fact, the Eclipse he flew on had seating for two while the KingAir was set up for four along with ample room for luggage. Add to that, even though they weren’t used during the short flight,
“… the addition of bathroom facilities on the aircraft are a real plus.”
Between the Two
Davies took some time, after flying in the KingAir, to muse on the purpose of corporate jets. Their job is, after all, to get executives from point A to point B. Since business moves fast, he gave kudos to the Eclipse for its power. It took the KingAir just a bit longer to make touchdown, and while he mentioned low operating costs for both aircraft, he only gave numbers for the Eclipse (less than $850 an hour).
However, higher executives expect a bit of luxury, and that’s where the KingAir soars high above the Eclipse. Over the short hops, the power difference is hardly noticeable. The comfort level, however, was obvious from the moment Davies started to step onboard.
According to Davies,
“The Eclipse certainly has a role to play in modern business aviation, but if I was given the choice of flying on that or a King Air, I’d choose the King Air every time.”