Cars & Aviation

Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i: luxury turboprop

The classic King Air turboprop has been revamped and released with a new range of extra-luxury features to impress even the savviest flyer.

The Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i is the latest model of the highly esteemed King Air range that has been around since 1964, featuring a variety of new design enhancements and upgrades as well as unrivalled cabin size and load-carrying capabilities.

The new-generation King Air 350i incorporates indulgent finishes usually only available on more expensive Hawker Beechcraft business jets.

The interior of the new model received a complete overhaul, with more comfortable seating and larger amounts of free space incorporated into the cabin area.

The aircraft is also equipped with the new Rockwell Collins Venue high-definition CMS for added entertainment during flight.

The entertainment system is designed to handle all media from iPods, XM Satellite Radio and CDs to Blu-ray DVDs, X-boxes and Play-Stations.

The 350i also introduces some extensive soundproofing measures to reduce average cabin noise with the incorporation of the company's Serenity System. A midsize jet-style bathroom also has its place in the rear of the aircraft.

With two Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, it delivers a lower seat-per-mile cost on a typical 300 nautical-mile trip than the leading single-engine turboprop.

Priced at approximately US$6.6 million, the plane has the carrying capacity for nine passengers but can also be refigured into an extra-spacious shuttle for two within hours.

Turboprop engines are a type of aircraft powerplant that use a gas turbine to drive a propeller, rather than a jet engine which uses exhaust gases to propel the aircraft.