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runway with a 3,500 fpm climb rate, and that dwindles down to 1,800 fpm when leveling off at FL280. Simply put, climb performance is never a question with the Blackhawk XP67A.
Other Considerations
In case you missed it a few para- graphs ago, the Blackhawk XP67A conversion burns more fuel – sig- nificantly more fuel. To go from 335 pounds per hour to 405 pounds per hour is a 21 percent increase. For that penalty, the airplane gains 43 KTAS (333 KTAS compared to 290 KTAS),
burns more per hour, but it operates for fewer hours, making the fuel burn a net-neutral consideration on long legs. We fly the stock N30FE on many shorter f lights, often less than an hour in length. On those flights, the Blackhawk 300 would not make a lot of sense as it would only save a few minutes on each leg. In my opinion, there’s little need to buy a Blackhawk XP67A conversion unless the airplane is RVSM capable. With the extra horses to get up to altitude, the Blackhawk 300 gets to RVSM alti- tudes easily then cruises fast.
The low pitch stop setting applies just a little reverse thrust, which is ideal on a normal landing. This feature is eliminated on the Blackhawk KA300, so the pilot has to lift the power levers over the gate and into reverse/beta (if desired). All Blackhawk XP67As will have five-blade props, which makes for great ramp appeal. I’m lukewarm to the five-blade prop on some single- engine installations due to lower nose clearance issues, but in the multi- engine King Air, they’re fantastic.
What about one engine inoperative performance? Even without looking at the performance charts you al- ready know the Blackhawk XP67A has spectacular OEI performance. Heck, it’ll out-climb in OEI operation most of the other King Air models with both engines operational. I know the chances of losing a PT6 engine are re- mote, but if the worst happens, you’ll be happy to have the most available excess thrust on the good engine.
The Right Buyer
To me, the best reason to buy a Blackhawk XP67A is speed. If you are an early adopter or an owner that wants the best and fastest, you want a Blackhawk XP67A. There’s nothing like it in the King Air world. But, don’t let my enthusiasm for the Blackhawk XP67A cast any shadow of doubt about my appreciation for the stock King Air 300.
If truth be told, N30FE is probably my favorite airplane ever. It is rugged, bulletproof, and just a pleasure to fly. Every time I see the schedule pairs me with N30FE, I’ve got a smile on my face. It may not attract a ramp crowd like N777XP, but it does everything well. The owner of N30FE has no de- sire to upgrade and loves the perfor- mance of the stock 300. Plus, N30FE doesn’t come with the additional price tag that the Blackhawk XP67A conver- sion costs. A Blackhawk XP67A con- version will cost $1.6 million (minus the value of exchange engines), so the extra ponies do require additional up- front cash. If you’ve got engines that are near TBO, then the Blackhawk conversion could be a wise choice.
Remember, a Blackhawk KA300 will fly the same trips faster, so it will
King Air 300 with Blackhawk's XP67A upgrade.
a 15 percent increase in speed. Is it worth it? For some, yes. For some, no. I think the greatest consideration is the length of the average trip. If you’ve got a long way to go, a 43-knot increase in speed is significant. If you are flying shorter trips, then the increase in speed is not worth the cost. We fly from southeast Texas to northern Colorado frequently and, for that trip, the Blackhawk 300 is easily our favorite airplane to fly. We also f ly from Texas to southeast Florida, and the Blackhawk XP67A will beat the stock 300 by more than 45 min- utes each leg.
So, if you’ve got a long way to go, the fuel burn on the overall trip is about the same. The Blackhawk 300
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Aside from the extra horsepower, there are a few other considerations that are different. The Blackhawk engines start more slowly. During the start sequence, the secondary fuel is slightly delayed. If you are comfort- able starting a PT6, the delay will not trouble you, but it will be noticeable. I’ve started all the PT6 variants, and I’ve never seen anything near a hot start in the -60 or the -67. Both have lots of margin when contrasted to PT6 engine variants in other aircraft installations.
On landing, the stock 300 propel- lers will move to the low pitch stops when the nose wheel touches down. I love this aspect of the stock 300 as it makes me look really good as a pilot.