Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman recently took his initial flight on Nebraska’s brand-new official state aircraft, a Beechcraft KingAir C90GTx. Just off the assembly line, the new aircraft took the governor to appear at grand opening events for a Broken Bow radio station and a hotel located in Schuyler.
The turboprop C90GTx is powered by a pair of reliable, hard-working Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A engines, known for low noise levels for passenger comfort and low maintenance requirements for improved flight availability. The aircraft comfortably seats a total of eight, either 1 pilot and seven passengers or two pilots and six passengers. The special extended warranty provided by the manufacturer made the choice of the C90GTx quite attractive from a cost of operation and maintenance perspective.
The KingAir replaces the state’s former aircraft, an aging 1982 Piper Cheyenne, which is to be sold to pay for maintenance on the new, larger and more powerful KingAir. The new KingAir was chosen over the proposed purchase a 13-year-old KingAir B200 from the University of Nebraska Foundation that the state had been sharing with the school on an as-needed basis.
State officials traveled to Wichita, Kansas, to take possession of the Kingair right from the factory. Pilot training had been previously provided so the officials were ready to hit the runway on arrival. The aircraft was said to have that “new” scent and the inaugural flight went perfectly.
Earlier in the year, Nebraska legislators approved funds from the state’s reserve fund to make the purchase of a new state airplane. The KingAir C90GTx was chosen to provide transportation to the governor, law makers and state agency personnel. Flying at a top true airspeed of 270 knots, equal to 311 mph, passengers reach their destination quickly. Because the C90GTx Kingair needs only 2,111 feet of runway for sea level launch, when adjusted for the average height above sea level in Nebraska, the vast majority of runways in Nebraska can be used for takeoff or landing of the aircraft.
The tail number assigned to the Nebraska state airplane is quite interesting. N84NE, like a custom license plate, means “eight seats for Nebraska”.
To learn more about the Kingair C90GTx and other KingAir models, contact us.