The Beechcraft King Air 200 and 250 are twin-engine turboprops seating up to about nine passengers, used for business travel, air ambulance, charter and military transport. With thousands in service, the King Air is the most common twin turboprop over many US regional airports.
King Air 200 at a glance
- First flight
- 1972
- Length
- 43 ft 9 in (13.3 m)
- Wingspan
- 54 ft 6 in (16.6 m); 57 ft 11 in (17.7 m) on the 250
- Engines
- 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops
- Seats
- 7–9 passengers
- Cruise speed
- ~289–310 kt (333–357 mph)
- Service ceiling
- 35,000 ft
- Range
- ~1,600–1,700 nmi
How to recognize the King Air 200
The King Air 200 is a sleek twin turboprop with a T-tail. It looks like a small airliner with two propellers.
- Engines: two PT6A turboprops mounted on the wings, with long nacelles and three- or four-bladed props.
- Tail: a T-tail with the horizontal stabilizer on top of the fin. Smaller King Air 90s have a conventional low tail, so the T-tail is a strong 200-series clue.
- Wing: low and straight, sometimes with winglets on the 250.
- Nose: pointed, with a short radar dome.
- Fuselage: slim with rectangular windows and an airstair door behind the wing on the left side.
- Landing gear: retractable tricycle gear that folds into the engine nacelles.
- Sound: a smooth turbine whine mixed with propeller hum.
The larger King Air 350 (B350) looks nearly identical but is about 3 ft longer, with more windows and winglets. The Pilatus PC-12 has a T-tail too, but only one engine.
From below, the King Air's two engine nacelles extend well ahead of the straight wing, and the T-tail is visible at the end of a slim fuselage. The engine exhaust stacks point outward and back from each nacelle. On flight trackers it can look like a small jet because it cruises in the mid-20,000s, far above piston twins.
Where and when you'll see it
King Air 200s and 250s fly for corporations, charter companies, air ambulance services, state agencies and private owners. The US Army and other services fly military versions as the C-12 Huron, and they show up near military bases. Air ambulance King Airs often fly at night, carrying patients between hospitals.
Typical cruise is FL200 to FL280. On ADS-B the type code is BE20 (B350 for the 350); callsigns are usually the N-number or an operator code. Read airliner, bizjet, helicopter or military to learn to separate turboprops from bizjets.
Many King Airs fly short trips between regional airports and larger cities, often carrying business travelers or medical patients. They also fly survey, research and government missions for government agencies.
Because King Airs can use short runways, they are common at small county airports as well as big business airports, and they often fly early in the morning and late at night on medical and charter trips.
Easily confused with
- Pilatus PC-12: The PC-12 has a single engine in the nose.
- Cessna Citation Excel / XLS: The Citation Excel is a jet with engines on the rear fuselage and no propellers.
Quick facts
- The King Air line has been in continuous production since the 1960s, longer than any other civilian turboprop.
- Thousands of King Airs of all models have been built, making it the most popular business turboprop family.
- The US military's C-12 Huron is a version of the King Air 200 and 350.
King Air 200 questions
What is the difference between a King Air 200 and 250?
The 250 is an updated 200 with composite propellers, winglets and better performance. Both use the same type code, BE20.
Is a King Air a jet?
No. It has turbine engines that drive propellers, so it is a turboprop.
Cities where it's a regular
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for BE20 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.