Originally Posted by
zyttocs
We're on the cusp of buying a King Air........ longest leg will be ...1157 nm......As far as I can tell with average winds both the King Air 200 and 300 (not 350) will just make the 5 hour leg with a reserve, but any higher than normal head wind (over 50 kts) will require a fuel stop......Any thought? .........Conquest........how much range might be gained with winglets on the King Air?
Doing 1157 NM in a B200 or 300 will probably be ok with the wind at your tail. But with headwinds, it'll be tight with a B200, and even tighter with a 300. And this is assuming full fuel, which in a 200 means probably only 3-4 people on board, including pilots. The 300 will carry the extra weight of more pax (basically a 200 with a 14000 lb MTOW) but with higher fuel burns, albeit a bit faster. I think the better bet is a King Air 350. Don't know too much about Conquests, but they are small inside, don't know if that is a factor for you, might not be if you only usually have a couple of passengers max. Also, I think there is probably a reason - maybe lots of them - why Cessna made about 500 Conquests over an approx 8 year span (not 100% sure on that figure) and Beech has made over 6000 King Airs over a 56 year span. Winglets? Folks that I have talked to say that you'd have to fly the plane 50 years (or some such silly figure) before you saw your money's worth out of them, in increased range/better fuel economy.