What rating do I need to fly King Air 200?

[macdonjo]

I'm a new private pilot and wondering what kind of credentials I need to fly a King Air 200, not for money. I understand minimum crew member is 1 and top speed is 270 knots, so it classifies as a high performance plane.

Multi-engine rating and IFR rating. Anything else? Class rating?

What am I looking at for costs to acquire licensing for this?

[ahramin]

You will need a multi engine rating to start. Cost is minimal, about $1000-$2000. Not much point having a turbine aircraft VFR only so you'll want your instrument rating. There are many topics on this board about the best way to go about doing that but again the cost is pretty minimal.

Not all King Air 200s are high performance so at this stage you are legally able to fly the non high performance ones. For the rest, you'll need a type rating. Start by writing the IATRA, then find an experienced King Air pilot to check you out on type. Submit the paperwork to TC and you will get BE20 on your license - I mean a new sticker with BE20 on it for your booklet - and you are now legal to go.

On the practical side of things you will meet with 2 difficulties. First is insurance, second is a Private Operator Certificate (if you're planning on having passengers). As a private pilot with no multi experience, no insurance company will insure you as PIC. There are many options to satisfy them but if you were my client I would negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf for you to have simulator training and x number of hours flying with me before they would insure you. Numbers depending on previous experience but not less than 100. A good King Air pilot can be had for $5k to $8k per month, and sim training at today's exchange rates can easily be $20k. So if it takes 3 months to get it all done you're looking at around $40k, plus the cost of the aircraft. The Private Operator Certificate has high startup costs for all the paperwork. I'd budget at least $4k, possibly double that if you are getting hosed.

That's about it. At that point you can load up your kids and fly around on your license booklet with all the i's crossed and t's dotted.

[schnitzel2k3]

What Ahramin said. Nice post by the way A.

S.

[plhought]

If ya got the coin - go for it. POC's aren't impossible. Just takes time. If you have a good understanding of CARs and a couple contacts in the POC/Air Operators world I don't think it's out of the realm to take care of the paperwork yourself.

Tom Clement's "King Air Academy" down south is a good alternative to 'expensive' FlightSafety courses. Insurance companies like it. http://kingairacademy.com/
You'll still need to do a ride up in Canada though.

[oldtimer]

If you have to ask, you probabily cannot afford it.
I smell a troll here.

[GyvAir]

Not necessarily. I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with a few newly minted private pilots who had the pockets to write the cheque for the big shiny plane but neglected to do the homework on finding out how much and how long it was really going to take for them to be able to fly it themselves. It made for considerable bitterness about the training costs, about the plane sitting expensively idle, about the cost of hiring pilots to fly it for them for so long, etc. etc.

[oldtimer]

Sort of like the doctor and his Bonanza. Someone who buys more airplane than he can handle. I hope if he buys, he gets sound advice and competant help.

[goingnowherefast]

Depending on how much you want to fly, you'll need to budget at least $250 000 per year. Between $350-$700 per hour for fuel depending on price/altitude. Any part with Pratt and Whitney or Beechcraft written on it is very expensive. They are good airplanes, but there's lots of parts, and some do break. For example, a refurbished pressurization controller is ~$4000. There's 4 phase inspections to spread out over 2 years, and they're not cheap either. Much of the maintenance is based on calendar time, so even if you fly 10 hours a year, maintenance will cost a lot.

Honestly, the cost of the multi rating, group 1 IFR and a FlightSafety type rating will be pennies in the grand scheme if you want to operate a BE20. (FlightSafety does have Canadian check pilots on staff for your ride).

So to tally it all up, training costs will be $40 grand, private operating certificate is ~10 grand. A shitty old early model 200 is 750 grand, annual operating cost is 250 grand. So now we're already at over a million dollars for setup and operational expenses for the first year. I don't have a clue what insurance will cost, nor do I know what a hangar will cost. So better add those in there too.

[tvguru]

Not all King Air 200s are high performance so at this stage you are legally able to fly the non high performance ones. For the rest, you'll need a type rating. Start by writing the IATRA, then find an experienced King Air pilot to check you out on type. Submit the paperwork to TC and you will get BE20 on your license - I mean a new sticker with BE20 on it for your booklet - and you are now legal to go.

No need to write the IATRA, I held a BE20 Captain's PPC long before I had my ATPL and I never wrote the IATRA.

The IATRA is if you want a PPC on something over 12,500lbs or 2 crew rated aircraft only.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

[oldtimer]

I think all Beech 200 airplanes are high perfomance airplanes so a type rating is required. A Beech 100 is not a high perfomance airplane but the Beech A100 and B100 are. Correct me if I am wrong but I used to fly an early serial Beech 200 and I required a type rating on that airplane but I did not require a type rating on the Beech 100 whereas others who flew the A100 and the B100 were issued a type rating on their initial PPC.

[flyinthebug]

I think all Beech 200 airplanes are high perfomance airplanes so a type rating is required. A Beech 100 is not a high perfomance airplane but the Beech A100 and B100 are. Correct me if I am wrong but I used to fly an early serial Beech 200 and I required a type rating on that airplane but I did not require a type rating on the Beech 100 whereas others who flew the A100 and the B100 were issued a type rating on their initial PPC.

You are correct that all Beech 200s are type rated, but not the A100. I cannot comment on the B100, but I was a Captain on the A100, and never got a type rating on it. Just a standard PPC. The A100 is not considered a high performance aircraft.

tvguru, you are also correct, the IATRA is for a 2 crew aircraft when you are going to fly as an FO on an aircraft over 12,500 lbs. High performance aircraft like the B200 do not require an IATRA or ATPL to fly in either seat. They are at or under 12,500 MTOW so an IATRA is not required.

Fly safe all.
FTB

[oldtimer]

The best bet of all is to go to the CARS and get it right from the horses mouth. (or the north end of a southbound one)

[ahramin]

Well I'm learning lots in this thread. So no IATRA required for high performance type ratings:

(c) High Performance Aeroplane

(i) Knowledge

An applicant for an individual aircraft type rating for a high performance aeroplane shall have completed ground training on the aeroplane type.

(ii) Experience

An applicant shall have completed flight training and have acquired a minimum of 200 hours pilot flight time on aeroplanes.

(iii) Skill

Within the 12 months preceding the date of application for the rating, an applicant shall have successfully completed a qualifying flight under the supervision of a Transport Canada Inspector or a qualified person qualified in accordance with CAR 425.21(7)(a).

And I thought some 200s had a VNE below 250 knots but looks like I'm wrong about that as well. So you need the type rating, but not the IATRA.