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all of the TC’s (non-pressurized) birds perform about the same. This one goes 224 knots at its maximum cruise speed.”
Of course, the King Air 200 is no slouch either and has uncontested attributes Hollan truly appreciates. As a result, it’s a heavily relied upon asset he flies more than 100 hours a year.
“Actually, to be honest, I think that the King Air is easier to fly than the Baron. I mean, your flows and check- lists are more intense in the aircraft,
but not having to be in that envelope all the time at takeoff and other times is a lot easier. There are other at- tributes as well that are easier, too.”
The range he gets from the air- craft is impressive as well, frequently from flying Los Angeles to Dallas, a 1,000-plus nautical mile trip. He cur- rently has no plans for more updates in the King Air, but is looking for an upgraded plane with Blackhawk PT6A-61 motors. Hollan did admit there is a downside of King Air own- ership, though.
“I’ve never owned a late model King Air and have always owned an earlier model. And you’ve prob- ably heard this before, but the big- gest problem with a King Air is the cost to own it. At FL270, the King Air burns 83 GPH and I plan for 96 GPH, block to block. The costs to keep it up are the biggest part being that the systems are old. I had to put fuel controllers on the [PT6A-42] engines the other day and it was $70,000. It never stops!”
30 • TWIN & TURBINE / January 2023
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