AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2015 - T-14

The ER is approved for
operations off of dirt, grass,
or gravel landing strips.

THE 350ER'S FRONT OFFICE

(below), like those of all new
King Airs, features a threescreen Rockwell Collins Pro
Line 21 avionics suite and
a traditional King Air panel
layout. Autopilot controls are
on the glareshield, and the
overhead panel has the gauges
and controls for the airplane's
triple-fed electrical buses. In
flight (right) the ER, with its
distinctive nacelle-mounted
fuel tanks, projects an
all-business attitude. These
added fuel tanks take the
place of the wing lockers
on standard King Air 350i
airplanes.

T-14 | AOPA PILOT February 2015

By passing the 12,500-pound max takeoff weight mark, Beechcraft certified the
350i and its predecessor variant, the model
300, under FAR Part 23's Commuter category. This category allows already certified
airplane designs with maximum takeoff
weights up to 19,000 pounds and fewer
than 19 seats to come under rules less stringent than those for FAR Part 25 Transport
Category-but more strict than the basic
FAR Part 23 rules affecting light airplanes.
There must be multiple load paths for structural elements, dual trim tabs, fire detection
and extinguishing systems, and published
one-engine-inoperative climb gradients, for
example. A type rating is still required to fly
the King Airs 300 and 350i, but the airplanes
can be flown by a single pilot as long as the
necessary training is completed.
But the biggest, most versatile King Air-
the 350ER-hit the market in 2007. Because
of its principal intended market, most may
not be familiar with the ER. Like the 350i,
the heavy-hauling ER (and its executive version, the 350iER) is powered by twin Pratt
& Whitney PT6A-60 engines of 1,050 shaft
horsepower apiece. But its max fuel capacity is 775 gallons, which is 236 more gallons

than the 350i. And its max takeoff weight is
16,500 pounds-1,500 pounds more than the
350i. The result is an airplane with a max
payload of 2,792 pounds, a full-fuel payload
of 1,215 pounds, a maximum range of up to
2,450 nautical miles, and a maximum endurance of 12 hours. Oh, and the ER is approved
for operations off of dirt, grass, or gravel
landing strips.
SPECIAL MISSIONS

It's this combination of attributes that makes
the ER variants adaptable to a wide range
of special missions. Under Textron's Project
Liberty, some 40 ERs (dubbed MC-12Ws)
were sold to the United States Air Force for
use in combat intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance missions. Some of them
augment Predator and Reaper drone operations. The Iraqi air force has 350ERs it calls
"Peace Dragons," armed with Predator
payloads. The U.S. Customs and Border
Protection also uses 350ERs, and a maritime
patrol variant also is in use. These airplanes
are fitted with electro-optical, infrared, and
television cameras, plus search radars and
drop hatches. The MC-12Ws even have missile warning systems, complete with flare
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2015

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