EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015: Boeing Plaza - Beechcraft's King of the Air

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience coverage of static aircraft displays in Boeing Plaza at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 continues by featuring two examples of Beechcraft's legendary King Air.  The King Air family of twin turboprop passenger and utility aircraft has been giving reliable service since the mid 1960s, and has grown into a dynasty of ever larger and more capable aircraft.  The Department of Homeland Security and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration each had a King Air 300 available for public display for several days.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flies the Beechcraft 300 series King Air in support of the Aeronautical Survey Program to provide data for runway approach and obstruction avoidance procedures, and also for the Coastal Mapping Program.  Multiple automated sensor systems are operated by one or more crew members.  

The Department of Homeland Security uses the Beech King Air 300C, packed with internal and external sensors, to monitor the border areas and assist in interdiction missions where terrain and distance hinder ground-based data-gathering.