After 50 Years, King Air Still Reigns Supreme in T-props
On January 20, Beechcraft celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of its King Air 90. The turboprop twin was certified just four months later, in May 1964, and in the first customer’s hands that July. Nearly 7,200 King Airs have been delivered since, and current-production variants include the Model C90GTx, 250 and 350i. (Photo: Beechcraft)
On January 20, Beechcraft celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of its King Air 90. The turboprop twin was certified just four months later, in May 1964, and in the first customer’s hands that July. Nearly 7,200 King Airs have been delivered since, and current-production variants include the Model C90GTx, 250 and 350i. (Photo: Beechcraft)

Beechcraft celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the King Air 90 prototype yesterday with three-aircraft formation fly-bys of the company’s current-production King Airs–the C90GTx, 250 and 350i–over its home base at Beech Field in Wichita. The King Air is the best-selling business aircraft in the world, with nearly 7,200 delivered and more than 60 million flight hours logged worldwide.