Is the Beechcraft King Air still in production?

Yes. Textron Aviation continues new-build production of the King Air 260 (the current 200-series model, succeeding the 250 in 2020) and the King Air 360 (the current 350-series model, succeeding the 350i in 2020) at Wichita, Kansas. Both carry the Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck. The C90 line ended in 2015 — the 90-series is no longer in new-build production.

Does the King Air require a type rating?

The King Air 200-series (B200 / 250 / 260) requires a BE-200 type rating; the 300-series (300 / 350 / 360) requires a BE-300 type rating. The C90-series does not require a type rating in standard configurations but sits inside the FAR 61.31 complex and high-performance categories. Type-rating training is widely available at FlightSafety International, CAE, Simcom, and King Air Academy.

Why is the King Air the canonical turboprop transition airframe?

The combination of three things. First, production volume — at ~7,600 airframes the King Air family is the most-produced civil turboprop in history and provides extensive industry instructor and training-device coverage. Second, the PT6A engine line is the world's densest civil turboprop MRO network. Third, the family bridges directly from piston-twin time (Seminole, Baron, Seneca, DA42 in the under-200-hp range) through to corporate-jet time, which makes the King Air the natural step on the commercial-pilot career pipeline.

What engines does the King Air use?

All King Airs use Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops. The 90-series used PT6A-21 / -28 / -135A engines at 550 shp per side; the 200-series (B200, 250, 260) uses PT6A-41 / -42 / -52 engines at roughly 850 shp per side; the 300 and 350-series use PT6A-60A / -67A engines at 1,050 shp per side. All burn Jet-A and the PT6A line is the world's most-produced civil turboprop engine.

Beechcraft (Textron Aviation)

King Air C90 / B200 (and related 250 / 260 / 350)

Multi-engine turboprop · Multi-engine trainer · Pre-1980 classic

Photo: 海上自衛隊 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Power: 1700 hp
Cruise: 290 kt
MTOW: 12,500 lb
Range: 1720 nm
Fuel: Jet-A (diesel piston)

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)290 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)270 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)80 kt
Climb rate2,450 fpm
Service ceiling35,000 ft
Range1,720 nm
Endurance6 h
Takeoff roll2,111 ft
Landing roll2,845 ft

Weights

MTOW12,500 lb
Empty weight8,595 lb
Useful load3,905 lb
Baggage capacity550 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan57.9 ft
Length43.8 ft
Height15 ft
Cabin width54 in

Powerplant

Engine 1Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52 — 850 hp · Jet-A · 100 gph
Engine 2Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52 — 850 hp · Jet-A · 100 gph
Total horsepower1700 hp
Primary fuelJet-A (diesel piston)
Unleaded pathJet-A piston diesel

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typeglass
Autopilot commonly availableYes
Typical packages
- Collins Pro Line Fusion (King Air 260 / 360)— current factory standard
- Collins Pro Line 21— King Air 250 / earlier 350
- Garmin G1000 NXi (C90GTx / B200GT retrofit)— common avionics-modernisation retrofit
Training note
Current new-build King Air 260 and 360 carry the Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck with autothrottle (optional / standard depending on variant). Used-market King Air avionics span more than 50 years of cockpit generations — from original analog instruments through Collins Pro Line 21 and various Garmin G1000 NXi retrofits. Type-rating training providers should match their training devices to the avionics generation the student will actually fly.

Certification

RegulatoryFAR Part 23 · EASA CS-23
Certified rolesNormal category — IFR / day / night · Known icing approved (factory option / standard variant-dependent) · Type-rated aircraft (King Air 200-series and above require BE-300 / BE-200 type rating; C90 series subject to FAR 61.31 specifics)
IFRYes
Spin approvedNo
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)Yes
High-performance (FAR 61.31)Yes

Why is the King Air C90 / B200 (and related 250 / 260 / 350) popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Production volume

Approximately 7,600 King Air family aircraft have been built across the 90 / 100 / 200 / 300 / 350 / 360 / 260 lines since 1964 — the most-produced civil turbine-powered business aircraft family in history.

Industry network effects

Textron Aviation continues new-build production of the King Air 260 and 360. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine line — the world's most-produced civil turboprop powerplant — supports the fleet through a dense MRO network. Type-rating training is widely available at FlightSafety International, CAE, Simcom, and at university aviation programmes.

Regulatory fit

Multi-engine turboprop with type-rated airframes (BE-200 / BE-300 ratings on the heavier variants). The C90 series sits inside the FAR 61.31 complex and high-performance categories. The King Air family is the canonical 'turboprop transition' airframe between piston twins and corporate jets.

Fuel future-proofing

PT6A burns Jet-A — same fuel as the broader turbine fleet and outside the FAA EAGLE / California UNL94 leaded-fuel transition exposure that constrains the legacy 100LL piston fleet.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

Schools and training providers operating King Airs configure each airframe in Aviatize as one resource with the two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines as child sub-components for hot-section inspection and overhaul-reserve tracking against the PT6A maintenance schedule. Propeller, landing-gear, and pressurisation-system reserves are tracked separately. Block-hour billing uses Hobbs time and engine cycles. Pilot-currency rules should gate the resource on a current multi-engine rating, the relevant Beechcraft type rating (BE-200 / BE-300 / BE-260 / BE-360 where applicable), and the operator's recurrent-training schedule.

schedulingtraining managementaircraft maintenancebilling

Editorial confidence

High confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-26

Variant timeline, engine references, certification path, and current new-build production data well-attributed to Textron Aviation manufacturer pages and FAA TCDS A24CE. Performance and weight figures represent the B200 / King Air 250 / King Air 260 as the volume training variant; the C90 and 350 series differ materially.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Textron Aviation (Beechcraft)
https://beechcraft.txtav.com/en/king-air-260
Textron Aviation King Air 260 product page. Cited facts verified on this page on 2026-05-26: max cruise speed 310 ktas, max range 1,720 nm, Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52 engines, Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck, autothrottle, club seating, leather-seat interior.
Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Textron Aviation (Beechcraft)
https://beechcraft.txtav.com/en/king-air-360
Textron Aviation King Air 360 product page. Cited facts verified on this page on 2026-05-26: max cruise speed 312 ktas; Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines at 1,050 shp per side; Collins Pro Line Fusion flight deck with autothrottle.
Primary sourceFAA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
https://drs.faa.gov/browse/TCDS
FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet A24CE covers the Beech 200 / B200 / B300 / 350 / 360 / 260 King Air series.
Primary sourceType Club·Retrieved 2026-05-14
King Air Academy
https://kingairacademy.com/
Type-rating and recurrent training provider focused on the King Air family.
Secondary sourceAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_King_Air
Wikipedia article aggregating the King Air family development history and variant timeline.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Named operator list captures type-rating training providers; the broader operator base is global across corporate, EMS, and special-missions roles.

Related aircraft

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Beechcraft (Textron Aviation)

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Complex ratingHigh-performance ratingIFR rating

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Beechcraft (Textron Aviation)

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Fuel: 100LL avgas

Multi-engine ratingHigh-performance ratingComplex rating+1

DA62

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Fuel: Jet-A (diesel piston)

Multi-engine ratingIFR ratingHigh-performance rating+2

Limited revival

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Power: 440hp
Fuel: 100LL avgas

Multi-engine ratingIFR ratingComplex rating+2

Photos & credits: each thumbnail opens that aircraft’s page, where the photographer and licence are credited under the hero image.

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