Page 12 - TNT Jan 17

As it quickly reached the top of the climb to FL260, the King Air 350i began to accelerate, reaching 304 TAS in the level-off. The aircaft is comfortable to hand-fly in any regime.
keeping things like the prop slings and inlet plugs out of the cabin. The four-section wing flaps are electrically operated. The dual-wheel main landing gear is fitted with bleed air de-icing as standard equipment; the gear is hydraulically actuated, with a hand-pump backup.
The Inside Story
Boarding is via the traditional King Air airstair; Wuertz showed us a switch inside the entrance that turned on loading lights under the left wingroot and on the doorway, as well as inside the cabin. The 25-foot long cabin has plenty of room for a double-club seating arrangement, plus the flushing lavatory seat in the rear. Cabinetry was installed in aft, midcabin and forward locations, and four fold-out worktables are provided. The window shades are electronically dimmable.
Moving forward, the front office is at once familiar, from 50 years of King Air memories, and newly-advanced, with three huge 14-inch AFD-3700 displays occupying the panel. The useful vent windows remain on both sides, providing welcome relief in summer heat and ramp communication when shut down (ramp communication jacks are under the 350i’s nose). The fuel control panel is still on the left sidewall and circuit breakers are on both sides, with electrical gauges and other controls in the overhead. The traditional power quadrant has six levers and three trim wheels, plus the flap switch, and the pedestal extends aft to accommodate
the Pro Line Fusion’s keypad and cursor control panels.
A sturdy step-on cover folds over the pedestal while
we settle into the seats.
To set up the flight, a “ground ops” switch position allows preloading our information into the flight management system. The keyboard is not sensitive, and in fact it requires a distinct push to actuate each keystroke; the touch screen actuations are similarly firm and positive, requiring a firm input, not a tablet-like tap. The display bezels are fitted with fingergrip surfaces, allowing a solid support for the hand in turbulence when using touch screen features. The CCPs, one for each pilot, do much of the entry work, selecting and entering info as directed by the user; and, yes, there’s still a radio-tuning knob on each CCP. To avoid confusion, each pilot’s cursor shows up on the display differently; four petals are shown on the captain’s cursor, three petals denote the co-pilot’s icon. Dual Pro Line 21-style audio panels are provided on the sides of the panel. The autopilot controls are up under the glareshield, to help keep attention outside.
Wuertz stressed that Pro Line Fusion is all menu-driven in its operation, with many options to perform functions like going direct to a fix. One can use CCP, keypad or touch screen to enter data and interface with the FMS. While more capable, Pro Line Fusion logic follows earlier Rockwell Collins systems and, as much as possible, workload is shed for the pilot. No entry is required for the leading “1” in frequencies. The transponder actuates automatically. When on descent, the local barometric setting can be preloaded and armed to execute as the transition altitude is crossed. In all critical functions, however, the pilot pushes to execute an entry. Checklist items, shown on the MFD, require an acknowledgement, even if not previously completed.
Getting Underway
Firing up on battery power was the usual simple Pratt procedure; Ng stabilized above 11 percent fuel to low idle, ITT rising only to 660 degrees and generator on to replenish amperes for the second start. The 350i features an automated ground idle/flight idle selection, simplifying and smoothing out the landing sequence. It also employs auto-feather and rudder bias if an engine fails, greatly lessening the pilot inputs needed in an emergency.
Our clearance was amended to include a leg direct to KYLER intersection before heading to Hays, so we quickly typed in and inserted that waypoint, a good demonstration of the Pro Line Fusion’s versatility. The commuter category-required V-speeds
Beechcraft provided SN 1035, a flight demonstration aircraft,
for Twin & Turbine’s flight evaluation. 10 • TWIN & TURBINE
January 2017