Page 12 - Volume 15 Number 1

range, depending on how you fly) from the props and the engines.”
There is no arguing the effect of all these modifications working together. Ski reports equal or better-than-before performance in all flight modes: low and slow, climb, cruise, fuel mileage, overall handling. Nowhere have the modifications hurt, though it is sometimes difficult to tell which mods help the most overall; each has its positive effect in varying degrees, at various times on each mission.
“It’s just... better... everywhere,” he said.
Capability Permits Flexibility
Ski is on several boards and is an active participant in many industry groups. His efficiency is directly related to his ability to be where he needs to be, when he needs to be there. A recent trip (when the King Air was in the shop for the mods) “took 13 hours by airliner,” he said. “In the King Air, it would have been four.”
Travel in the United States is one thing; travel in South America is another. Ski’s first international trip in his “new” King Air took him to the Caribbean, Manaus and Bela Horizonte, with considerable time over dense greenery in Brazil.
Jim Allmon of Blackhawk noted, “The system itself is sometimes tedious. It’s good to have a handler for flight planning, weather, fees, stamps. ATC can sound pretty bad in some places; and with jet fuel at $10 a gallon and no credit cards in most places, it’s good to have a bunch of cash.”
Still, flying beats driving. A lot of places simply aren’t accessible; or the routes between “where you are” and “where you need to go” can take you far afield, and sometimes through dangerous territory. Allmon said, “If you have any money, you fly. If you drive, wear a cheap watch; drive a cheap car.” He paused. “Never mind; just fly.”
Ski added that he learned a lot on that trip, particularly “how good the flying is in the USA. It’s really good, and that’s whether you’re talking
expenses, clearances, fees...”
Each of the mods makes the airplane feel better and perform better. A look at the Raisbeck Airplane Flight Manual Supplement confirms an MTOW increase to 10,500 pounds (which is 400 to 850 above the original; maximum landing weight is also increased); max cruise ITT can be increased to 805 degrees. (Keefe notes, “Raisbeck
10 • ­TWIN & TURBINE
JANUARY 2011
C90B Series King Air +
+ Blackhawk -135A Engine
Raisbeck
EPIC
TAKEOFF
Takeoff Gross Weight
Takeoff Distance Over 50' @ MTOW Accelerate-Go Distance
Accelerate-Stop Distance
Takeoff Climb Gradient
CLImB
Single Engine Rate-of-Climb
CrUIsE
Cruise RPM
Maximum Cruise Speed
LAnDInG
Landing Distance Over 50 ft (no prop reverse)
Landing Gross Weight
OTHEr
Propeller
93˝ Raisbeck 4-Blade Performance Turbofans
10,100 lbs 2,710 ft 3,650 ft
495 fpm
1,900 RPM 248 ktas
2,290 ft 9,600 lbs
90˝ McCauley or Hartzell/Beech 4-Blade
ImprOvEmEnTs
400 lbs more
23% shorter
19% shorter
5% longer with 400 lbs more payload
4% better with 400 lbs more payload
6% better
150 rpm less 11% faster
6% less runway 100 lbs more
• more performance • Less noise
• no shot peening
C90B + Raisbeck EPIC + Blackhawk -135A Engine
Factory C90B
10,500 lbs
2,090 ft
2,985 ft
3,790 ft
3,600 ft
5.0%
4.8%
525 fpm
1,750 RPM
276 ktas
2,160 ft
9,700 lbs