Page 10 - Feb 20 TNT

Top Turboprop Series
King Air 90 and Turbine Duke
by Joe Casey
If you’ve read my writings, you know that I love the PA46 series of airplanes. They are designed for the owner who
craves efficiency and speed – both characteristics I find appealing in an airplane. So, it is no wonder that I really appreciate the JetPROP conversion provided by Rocket Engineering headquartered in Spokane, Washington.
I fly the JetPROP almost daily as an instructor in this tight-knit commu- nity, so unsurprisingly, I also entered the Beechcraft Royal Turbine Duke
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CLINT GOFF
8 • TWIN & TURBINE / February 2020
world. The same Rocket Engineering that owns the JetPROP Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) also owns the STC for the Royal Turbine Duke. Coupled with my background in other Beechcraft models, it was a natural mi- gration for me to become an instructor in the Royal Turbine Duke.
Royal Turbine Duke
Rocket Engineering has a long his- tory of taking a piston airplane with “good bones” and adding horsepower. The JetPROP and Royal Turbine Duke
are no exception. The Beechcraft Duke is a distinctive, good looking six-seat airplane that is built with Beechcraft’s usual penchant for strength. Beechcraft airplanes have a well-deserved and well- respected reputation for being “over- built.” The Duke is no different.
However, the Duke has a problem – er – two problems. The piston engines on the Duke are expensive mainte- nance hogs.
Beechcraft’s goal was to make the Duke perform, so they incorporated