On display this week at NBAA 2015 are the new four-blade aluminum and five-blade structural composite props developed for the King Air 350 in a joint effort by Hartzell Propellers and Raisbeck Engineering. Both versions of the props will be on display at Hartzell Propeller’s Booth C7629 and Raisbeck’s Booth N4900 during NBAA2015, from Nov. 17-19 in Las Vegas. King Air 350 owners can place orders with Raisbeck for the new props at the show.
Hartzell’s new four-blade aluminum and five-blade structural composite props will be available in early 2016 for the sizeable Beechcraft King Air 350 fleet. The new aerodynamically swept props are designed to deliver a higher cruise speed, faster climb rate and shorter takeoff performance for the King Air 350 series introduced in 1990.
“We have greatly advanced the technology of propellers by taking advantage of the aerodynamic effect of blade sweep, the strength of lightweight structural composites and robotic manufacturing technologies for both composite and aluminum blades,” said Hartzell Propeller President Joe Brown. “As a result we can offer across the board performance improvements in all phases of fight.”
The new King Air 350 propellers are an extension of the swept blade technology already developed by Hartzell and Raisbeck for the King Air 90 and King Air B200 series. With the Hartzell/Raisbeck swept-blade propellers, overall aircraft thrust and efficiency is offered for Beechcraft King Air C90GTx and other PT6A-135A-powered Beechcraft C90s. In addition, the new swept propellers lower cockpit and cabin sound levels.
Four-blade aluminum swept propellers for the King Air 350 began certification flight-testing in October, and an FAA STC is expected soon. Flight testing of the Raisbeck/Hartzell five-blade structural composite swept blade propellers will be completed in early 2016. Once complete, owners will have the option of choosing either the four-blade aluminum or five-blade carbon fiber performance enhancements.