King Air owners often have a long history with their aircraft. The King Air is a sturdy and dependable aircraft and serves its owners as well today as when it rolled out from the Beechcraft factory line. However, days have passed and some may be in want of a ‘lift’ at some points.
One of our regular Swedish customers, CWL, owns a well-maintained and hard working King Air C90 from 1977. Every day CWL uses this aircraft to offer their customers a fantastic service flying them in and out of Mora where the company is situated. Through the last two years the aircraft has done more than 400 flights. Although the KA is a “senior” and bought at a reduced price, it is tenacious and the utility value is priceless to the owner.
During a visit by the end of last year CWL expressed a wish to upgrade the KA’s traditional cockpit and autopilot to the newest standards. A couple of meetings later during Christmas holidays a refurbishing deal was closed. The deal included:
- Twin Garmin G600 glass screens
- S-TEC 2100 autopilot
- Hardware and interface
- Audio panel and Audio mixer
The schedule for the avionic upgrade project was coordinated thoroughly to fit both owner and MRO in order to avoid unnecessary downtime. According to plans the project was initiated at the start of June and completed mid September.
The upgrade investment makes economic sense set in proportion to the 3.8 mill USD expense for a new King Air 90GT. This particular KA C90 is already equipped with a complete Raisbeck EPIC package, Avidyne Multifunctional display, Trafic Advisory System, Tactical Weather Detection System, SAT/COM data downlink and finally new paint and refurbished interior. Thus, it makes good sense and is worth while investing in an upgrade of an older King Air. This upgrade turns the 1977 King Air C90 into a top modern aircraft with all the newest refinements in modern aircraft technology to owner and pilot–at a fair cost!
Both CWL and ScanTech were looking forward to initiate this project as it presented several tangible functional benefits. The new and modern looking dashboard provides a larger overview, reliability, functionality and accuracy and less stressed pilots.
Though many new aircraft models have been presented during the years, this elegant turboprop still proves to be the leading work horse of the sky. The Beechcraft King Air models have earned their reputation and proven their worth as good reliable aircraft during more than 5 decades.
In spite of the evolution in transportation, the King Air continues to fit the Scandinavian region of the continent the best. Given the fairly spread population, King Air’s range, STOL airports, etc., the King Air is the obvious aircraft for fast and comfortable transport.
This upgrade is a prudent investment, but a good opportunity to demonstrate the King Air’s adaptability and endurance. This C90 is future-proof and can fly on equal terms for the next 20 years alongside a factory new King Air just rolled off the production line in Wichita, but at a fraction of the purchasing price of a new one!