King Air 200

I just returned from a trip in a King Air 200 to Louisville, KY. This is the second time I have flown as second-in-command (co-pilot) on a King Air trip - the first was a trip to Minneapolis, MN.

The first thing one will notice about the King Air is that there is quite a bit to keep track of in comparison to many twins. This is not to say that it is more difficult to fly, because in many ways it is actually easier as far as starting and operating the engines. The aircraft actually flies really nicely and is extremely stable.

Our trip to Louisville, KY left Cedar Rapids, IA at 6:10 a.m. and arrived in Lousiville at 8:30 a.m (add one hour in KY), so about 1 hour and 20 minutes wheels to wheels. Our cruising altitude was 23,000 feet (FL230) with an average ground speed of around 280 knots.

The trip home required some deviations to miss some weather which lengthened the trip. Our cruising altitude was 24,000 feet (FL240) and we averaged around 230 knots ground speed with the lowest being 206 knots at one point as we snuck around the weather.

All-in-all it was a great trip, and the passengers were even early getting back to the airport, so it ended up being a fairly easy day, minus the 3:30am wake-up call!