WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 23, 2018) – Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that it has joined with King Ranch to launch a special edition of the Beechcraft King Air 350i. Deliveries of the special edition King Ranch King Air 350i are expected to begin in 2019.
“We are proud to offer our customers an exciting new special edition King Air that brings together two iconic brands,” said Rhonda Fullerton, vice president, Marketing. “The legendary reliability and performance of the King Air 350i has made it the most popular business turboprop on the market while the uncompromising quality and high-tech innovation of King Ranch has placed it at the leading edge of the ranching industry.”
“Just as King Ranch has evolved through the generations since Captain Richard King established it in 1853, the King Air series has delivered continual technological enhancements throughout the five decades following its entry into service,” said Robert J. Underbrink, chief executive officer and president of King Ranch Inc. “Both are indisputable icons and together they bring forth an unparalleled customer experience. Rugged yet refined, elegant simplicity matched with high-caliber performance — both remain true to their legacy of innovation.”
The King Ranch King Air 350i will offer a themed exterior and interior.
Featuring the King Ranch edition Matterhorn white base coat with dark caramel pearl and black pearl stripes, the livery will showcase the King Ranch Running W logo adjacent to the entry door and on the inboard side of the winglets. Inside, the theme continues with King Ranch pewter trim accents below the four cabin tables, Running W aft bulkhead quilting, King Ranch-branded throw carpets, hair-on-hide lumbar pillows, ostrich muslin vinyl headliner and window panels, Tendu wood grain side-ledges and cabinetry, crocodile-embossed leather upper sidewalls and many more distinctive elements and accessories.
“A distinguishing design of the King Ranch brand — and one of the key elements of the King Ranch King Air 350i — is the Running W emblem,” Underbrink noted. “This exemplifies our emphasis to unite the past with the present and lead us into the future. This emblem is one of the most popular elements of the King Ranch brand and it aligns quite well with the Textron Aviation brand. We’re proud to feature it on the King Ranch King Air 350i.”
Images:
King Ranch edition King Air 350i interior
About the Beechcraft King Air 350i
The Beechcraft King Air 350i surpasses its predecessor’s performance with more payload capability and range, a quieter interior with standard Wi-Fi, and Pro Line Fusion avionics with full touch-screen simplicity. The King Air is the world’s most popular business turboprop aircraft.
About King Ranch
King Ranch is a privately-held agricultural production and resource management company with diversified operations in eight business segments located in Texas, Florida, and California. It owns the historic 825,000 acre “King Ranch” in south Texas.
Its ranching operations include approximately 36,000 head of cattle, a 15,000 head feedyard, quarter horses, and recreational hunting. Its farming operations include 145,000 acres of various permanent and annual crops (citrus, turfgrass, cotton, milo, sugar cane, corn, and palm trees). Its retail operations include the King Ranch Saddle Shop (premium leather goods), a John Deere dealership, a publishing company, and eco-tourism. King Ranch is also the majority owner and general partner of Consolidated Citrus, the largest citrus producer in the U.S.
About Textron Aviation Inc.
Textron Aviation Inc. is the leading general aviation authority and home to the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. The Textron Aviation brands represent unrivaled innovation, performance and leadership in the industry, and offer an unmatched value proposition rooted in the total ownership experience. Leveraging unparalleled speed-to-market, Textron Aviation provides the most versatile and comprehensive business and general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft and a complete global customer service organization. Textron Aviation has delivered more than 250,000 aircraft in over 143 countries. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s most capable global service network. For more information, visit www.txtav.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Media Contact
Sylvia Pierson
+1. 316.617.7413
spierson@txtav.com
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