AIRCRAFT
Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft King Air 360 and 360ER are twin-engine turboprops that are based on the company’s Model B300, while the King Air 360C—which is equipped with a cargo door—is a commercial designation of the Model B300C. The King Air 360 and 360ER were announced by the company on Aug. 4, 2020, as replacements for the King Air 350i and 350iER.
According to the FAA type certificate data sheet (TCDS) that includes the Models B300 and B300C, both can have as many as 17 seats, including two seats for crew (although they are certified for single-pilot operations). Passengers on the King Air 360 and 360ER are accommodated in a cabin that has a length of 19 ft. 6 in., height of 4 ft. 9 in. and width of 4 ft. 6 in. Despite its certified capacity—as well as the common external and cabin dimensions of these airframes—Textron markets the King Air 360 as able to accommodate a maximum of 11 occupants, a figure the King Air 360ER can increase to 15. Beyond the space in the cabin, the King Air 360 can carry 1,150 lb. of baggage—550 lb. of internal baggage capacity and 600 lb. of wing locker capacity—and has a baggage volume of 71.3 ft.3. Comparatively, the King Air 360ER has a 55.3-ft.3 baggage volume, while also having the ability to carry as much as 550 lb. of baggage.
Another common feature to these versions of the King Air is Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system, which on the King Air 360 and 360ER includes, as standard, three touchscreen displays that measure 14 in., dual navigation and communication radios and flight management systems (FMS), an integrated terrain awareness and warning system (ITAWS), a MultiScan Weather Radar system and a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS II). Also standard is an automatic flight guidance system, engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS), graphical flight planning, charts and maps that are integrated and a synthetic vision system (SVS). These airframes also incorporate a digital pressurization controller, as well as an autothrottle provided by Innovative Solutions & Support that is marketed as the ThrustSense Autothrottle.
Mission and PerformanceAlthough the Models B300 and B300C have a common maximum operating altitude of 35,000 ft., the maximum limit speeds of these King Airs differ according to Textron Aviation. That limitation for the King Air 360 is 263-kt. indicated airspeed (KIAS), while the King Air 360ER has a lower limit speed of 245 KIAS. Similarly, the latter King Air is capable of a maximum cruise speed of 303-kt. true airspeed (KTAS), a figure that is increased to 312 KTAS on the former airframe. The takeoff field lengths of the King Air 360 and 360ER are 3,300 ft. and 4,057 ft., respectively, with the field length of the former airplane based on sea-level altitude, standard conditions and no wind; a dry, level and hard-surface runway; and the airframe’s maximum takeoff weight (MTOW). The King Air 360 also has a reduced landing distance of 2,692 ft., in comparison to the King Air 360ER’s 2,981-ft. landing distance. Assuming no wind and standard conditions—as well as a ferry mission at the airframe’s long-range cruise speed and when carrying National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) instrument flight rules (IFR) reserves—the King Air 360 has a maximum range of 1,806 nm, a distance the King Air 360ER increases to 2,539 nm.
VariantsWhile differences also exist in the maximum weights of these Model B300/B300C-based airplanes, both are powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A turboprop engines that have takeoff and maximum continuous engine limits of 1,050 shp. The differences in the maximum weights include the MTOW, with the King Air 360 limited to a 15,000-lb. MTOW, and the King Air 360ER increasing that limitation to 16,500 lb. Other differences between these versions of the King Air include the maximum landing weights, basic empty weights, useful loads, maximum and full-fuel payloads and the usable fuel weight and volume.
