King Air C90 - The BEST Airplane for Families

In this video we met with Michael, who owns and flies a 1977 Beechcraft King Air C90 with plenty of upgrades. The airplane is capable of operating on runways under 3,000 feet while still featuring more than 4,000 pounds of useful load. With the reliability of a second engine and seeing cruise speeds upwards of 260 knots, the King Air is a perfect choice for comfortable and safe travel. King Air models are still being designed and built by Textron today, making it the longest production run of its class.
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[@g-sailing4427]

Although the king air is a good option, I have decided to go with the 1997 Toyota Camry with 300,000 miles….

[@cgbairKC]

Thank you for that. 😂 I needed that comment!

[@elstevobevo]

Did you spring for the smokeless exhaust option?

[@Nate-ph5gc]

😂😂😂

[@chuckholt9860]

I laughed myself silly after reading your comment on the King Air

[@whatta7793]

Well at least I got someone beat at something.. My 1997 Camry only has 280k miles! Woohoo!

[@Sturzi]

Yeah, my family was a bit frustrated when I bought the C90. All the neighbous travelled in larger vessels, Challengers, Falcon 50's, Lears, you name them. They were ashamed to board that Microlight (

[@scottmoseley5122]

best comment so far :) LOL

[@bawalther]

😂

[@trevoC132]

lmfao... thanks for that.

[@trevoC132]

Not everyone can afford light jets. Some of us grew up in the hood and could only afford King Airs. This comment just shows me how out of touch you are with middle America.

[@Sturzi]

@@trevoC132 At least your rough childhood gave you the bold personality to not be ashamed of driving one of those Beech spamcans. See you in the pattern!

[@BlakeRatliff-h8b]

Glad this came up in my KZbin feed. I was having a hard time deciding between buying a King Air C90 and making rent this month with enough left over to buy some jelly for my PB&Js.

[@markjennings2315]

Lol, yes its interesting to see an alternate 'lifestyle!! '

[@TheFlyingZulu]

Same here!

[@patbullard9276]

If you buy the 90 you don’t need the rental. Plenty of room in the 90 to sleep. Join the health club for showers, and there is probably a McDonalds close for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Problem solves.

[@MasterCarguy44-pk2dq]

Folks 😅 unless you have a yearly income well over 700k, a high performance single or a DA62/42 Diamond twins target are better family haulers for 70% less operating costs.

[@billjonesnation]

DA42 can't carry much unless the kids are small and have no baggage. Don't know about the 62? Assuming it is much better.

[@ryany4326]

Only 70% less than a king sir per year? You mean like 700% right ?

[@williepacquin5107]

Best and safest for family is a Boeing or Airbus .

[@iflycessnas4707]

yep 😂

[@edgraves7098]

Was looking forward to seeing the cabin layout. 😢 Disappointing.

[@sqd37l]

the best family plane if you are obscenely rich

[@kirkwheeler5442]

My kids were so fat i upgraded to a Challenger 600.

[@PilotProductionz]

😂😂😂

[@ssecor40]

Great Episode Dakota 😎❤👍Very fascinating learning about all the different aircraft and their features.

[@Niagra2011]

Nice job Dakota! You are such an asset to Flying Doodles! I am certain Bobby already knows that. 😎

[@mrbondohrama]

You have a typo. The title should be "King Air C90 - The BEST Airplane for RICH Families".

[@dr.strangelove7739]

Best to check your rudder cables for proper tensioning. The rudder problem sounds like a problem a fellow youtuber was having while his autopilot was engaged. His airplane was rocking back and forth very slowly, only noticeable when speeding up his videos during replay. The problem was being caused by ailerons cables that had been stretched, but rudder cables can do the same. Poorly tensioned cables cause lots of problems with flight surfaces and can be a sign of cable failure which can lead to catastrophic problems. Check your cables for stretching, corrosion, tensioning, chafing, and whatever else your mechanic feels necessary! (it's best to hire an A&P with an IA endorsement to inspect flight controls.)

[@landahoy5217]

Interesting you telling the owner how to take of his plane.

[@texastyrannyresponseteam794]

@@landahoy5217 sounds like he has some sound advice.. what's the problem?

[@satelite990]

would love to see a response to this comment if advice was taken and followed through. You can never be too cautious.

[@georgewhitworth9742]

Ah yes, the local armchair A&P of KZbin

[@dr.strangelove7739]

How can you criticize a comment that says "be safe! Conduct an inspection!"? Unbelievable, and probably coming from folks who have never owned an airplane. As the owner of a B200, I'm familiar with King Air aircraft and I don't cut corners or 'skimp' when it comes to maintenance.

[@RaymondLeonard-z8m]

Excellent Episode. Dakota in her element. The Aircraft discussion is excellent and the ease of interaction between the pilots and the Host is great.

[@Kjhd9987hy]

found the pervert lol.

[@mroyoutube]

Great Job Guys!! Great Plane!

[@abdul-sallamali5294]

It's refreshing to see two people with such great command of the subject matter having a lighthearted conversation. You've certainly gained a new follower!

[@lindawilkins6075]

I have zero hours in a C90 but a ton of hours in a Beechcraft King Air 200 mostly in Europe, the Middle East and the US. Nice job Dakota

[@jeffmorton9220]

Watching Dakota in this video made me eat my heart out! Flew 0-1 Birddogs in Vietnam. Stateside, flew T-41s, B-55 Barons, and Army T-Bones... All recips. Never got the U-21 King Air transition training, so, yeah, Dakota has me eating my heart out! Enjoyed this video! Michael has a really sweet magic carpet!

[@jeffmorton9220]

Don’t know Robert Acuna.

[@joeroscillo4015]

Wonderful job Dakoda! Sweetheart of an aircraft!!

[@HB-cc6gi]

If you have a $500,000 /year budget to run it. It sure is. And that's if you can fly it yourself and enough hours not to have exorbitant insurance premiums add to this. Otherwise its delusional for all but the 1% families - WTF

[@sharpsbattle]

It sounds like your main complaint is that he has money and not his choice of plane ..which is what the video is about.

[@jwm6314]

This isn't aimed at poors.

[@brianthompson3182]

KA pilot here, I don't understand the CO detector on the panel....bleed air will not introduce CO, nor will any operational or failure mode of the electric heater, that's a curious item to have on the panel- the rudder trim shouldn't need any adjustment in normal conditions, I'm curious to understand what is wrong with your plane there, and also could share with you that you may want to verify when you put your rudder trim knob on the center index, that your trim tab is flush- it is possible for the knob to be installed incorrectly, and you may be introducing trim issues inadvertently if so, the other tip I could give is that looking at the static shot of your interior, your rudder pedals do not seem to be lined up, but the exterior shot shows your nosegear centered- this suggests to me that your rudder pedals may not be clicked into the equal adjustment points, this is something you can adjust with your feet, there is a tab on the inside of the rudder pedals that lets you independently adjust their distance from the pilot seat, if these are out of whack, you will have a perceived issue with rudder trim

[@michaeldaly7044]

Thanks for the pointers. I put the CO detector up there because I thought maybe the heater was gas and I wasn't sure if bleed air could introduce CO. I'm pretty sure the heater is electric and if bleed air cannot introduce CO that I can remove it. l'll take a look at the rudder pedal adjustment. Thanks for the pointer!

[@JoeSmith-nu8oo]

I used to dream about flying to the vacation home on the lake with a family of my own in one of these when I was a kid.My eyes were glued to the sky whenever I heard those twins purring above somewhere up in the blue sky, I could tell the Beechcraft just by the look and size of it. I got the family and vacation home I just couldn't get the plane well 2 out of 3 ain't bad😆

[@brianpowell2298]

I used to fly in one of these chartered weekly for work in the Bahamas. It’s where my love of aviation started.

[@shoop4040]

This was great Dakota. This was the very first aircraft I flew as a kid with friends love this plane. I love Charlie, charlie call sign it's so easy to say.

[@vinceocratic]

People with money being tireless self promoters…

[@Helicopterpilot16]

It get's the views unfortunately. If I had the money I'd become a parody of this but I'd also help the world rather than promote my own self-absorbed existence. Some people have loads of money and assets but no understanding of how to spend it properly. Then people shove down your throat "it's their money". It is but, c'mon. So much wasted opportunities to actually help one another, instead they desire to fly above the lower prone.

[@donelings8505]

Sure didn't take you long to get the hang of it Dakota. Good job!

[@fudogwhisperer3590]

Twin engine aircraft, less than twice the single engine performance and 3x the cost.........but worth it! Most pilots would consider air conditioning a luxury!

[@justsmy5677]

How many families can afford to purchase and maintain a King Air? Nothing wrong with featuring a King Air, but it's hardly a family airplane that 99.5% of families could consider.

[@LiveByGraceDaily]

It's about $120k/year. If you have a few partners it can be quite affordable.

[@justsmy5677]

That figure sounds a little low when you factor in insurance, hangar, fuel, maintenance, avionics subscriptions, some occasional pilot proficiency training, etc. Regardless, assuming a single owner spends a minimum of $120K (probably has to gross more to net $120K for airplane expenses, depending on how his business is set up) the owner would need to gross a MINIMUM of $225-$250K per year. Probably closer to $500K per year in order to splash out money for a plane and still run his household. People who earn $250-500K per year are in the top 1% of the U.S. income wage earners. My only point is that it is NOT the best airplane for normal families. Families fly around in anything from a C-172 to something like an SR-22. I have nothing against people who earn a good living and own an airplane. In fact, I am one of them. But I don't own a King Air. I'm putting 4 kids through high school and college, keep 5 cars on the road, have my house almost paid off in 8 years, take nice vacations and own a C-172. The purpose of my 172 is to get a little air under my butt and keep me current, and allow my kids to get their ratings without renting a plane. It's not a practical airplane to take the whole family on trips, but it is great to take one or two kids cross country to build time and gain experience. I have no problem with a King Air featured on the channel, but you can probably count on one hand the number of single owner King Air family airplanes, that are not owned by the families' business/corporation. Cheers.

[@michaeldaly7044]

@@justsmy5677 It's a little low but that's what I tell my wife :D

[@gtr1952]

Congrats, your KA is a very sweet airplane! The Pilatus and TBM's are nice, but given the choice I'd take the KA 90 every time! Thanks for the tour and flight! 8) --gary

[@kflo1219]

Awesome vid Dakota!! Keep it up!😊👍🏻 Ready to see you back on the boat!

[@duhreally]

Dakota u have made this a channel worth watching now. I hope u are getting all of the proceeds... If not, u should start ur own.

[@fastfreddy]

Good video Dakota ! Learn all you can - hope you meet a family that needs a pilot !! You never know 😎👍

[@leonardgoldberg2424]

Another great Flying Doodles video. Great job Dakota!

[@wjggmt1180]

You really need to be a well heeled family for a King Air. I'd reckon, if you are worth 10 million and don't have at least 1/3 of that fairly liquid---you probably do not have any business buying a King Air.

[@LiveByGraceDaily]

No way. You just need about $120k/year of income you don't mind spending on the airplane. If you pay cash for the airplane plan on about $60k for maintenance, $20k for hangar, $15k for insurance and $30k for fuel if you fly a good amount. If you have a few partners it can be very affordable.

[@andrewmacks2624]

Hahahahahahha seriously you JUST need 120k per year!! Too many above average families apparently talking how affordable a King Air is!

[@iflycessnas4707]

@@LiveByGraceDailyDouble that at least.

[@BruceLeigh-eu3wm]

Best to keep your family out of small airplanes. I would never put all my most cherished eggs in one basket.

[@manikyum]

How will the views come then??

[@mencken8]

Oh, sure, a mil to get in, another mil annual cost, just like the family car!🤣🤣🤣

[@adamosgood]

Meanwhile let’s ban gas stoves and gas powered lawn equipment. I’d love to see the carbon footprint of a rich family vs middle class. But that doesn’t matter right? After all we’ll all get carbon credits soon.

[@GPSJayDog22]

Thank you Dakota and Michael for sharing this flight with us. Platt electric flew me from Chico, CA CIC to their Portland, OR headquarters and back for a facilities tour in their all glass Super King Air B300 N53PE. I grew up in a Mooney Super and a Mooney Ranger family business planes out of the San Francisco Bay area. Now all I fly is Microsoft Flight 2020. Miss it every day. Thanks again 4 sharing 🙂

[@mattbodine8614]

So do you mind sharing costs during the year on any maintenance and also average annuals or a range of high and low you have seen? Great video, thanks for making it!

[@ghostbroker1]

The title is misleading. A used King Air C90 costs about 800K. Assuming 400 flight hours per year, it has an annual operating cost of about 640K, which averages to about 1600$ per hour.

[@tomwilliams8675]

Great job Dakota 👍👍🤝🤝🇺🇸

[@kevinmalloy2180]

Good for this guy-despite the various resent-filled comments of those who aren’t as successful. (I can only afford a ‘46 Champ, but his success and affluence isn’t a problem for me. I still believe in capitalism.)

[@iflycessnas4707]

I’m sorry but you’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome and the instigator is capitalism. Americans☕️

[@shawnengstrom3906]

Flown the C90 many times and love it, but would rather have an F-90 Blackhawk edition.

[@fanelli57]

And you'll pay twice as much in maintenance because it says Beechcraft on it.

[@sniper19612003]

Love seeing you on here Dakota! Your doing a fantastic job with the videos.

[@Bb-br3xg]

Great! I now know where to spend my extra 2m I had lying around!!!😅

[@nichoth1]

Thanks for a great overview of the C90, I learned a good bit from this episode!

[@Trevor_Austin]

This is a really sensible aircraft for private pilots. They are pretty simple, not too fast, can fly slowly, will descend and slow up when hot, will operate from short(ish) strips, will lift a reasonable load and won’t rip your eyes out with fuel burn. I also understand most have a potty in the back (not built for the morning after a session in the bar followed by a curry) for occasional use. What was interesting was comparing your 25 hours training with my (airline) turbo-prop ratings (J31/32, Fokker 27 & 50). Ours were mostly simulator based and our courses were typically 12 sessions (two hour briefing/prep), two weeks ground school and 20 sectors line training. I reckon a C90 probably gives the best bang for your buck and should it break, support won’t be far away. Small jets? Why not. They are very, very easy to fly - if you are ahead of them. Their downside is that they suffer from all the things the King Air does not. How did we fly turboprops? Hard. We climbed until our climb speed started to drop and that was our cruise level. Descents were typically 30% torque (or equivalent) and at Vmo. That gave about 2,000 fpm and 3 miles per thousand. Having the ability to slow up meant that at flight idle on a 3º descent your airspeed could be your height divided by 10 and you would be nicely set up by 1,000’ AGL. Ice? Oh yes. Sometimes so thick you had to descend. Top Tip with ice - Watch your airspeed. The moment you lose a few knots, check your wings (again) and get the engine anti-ice on, one engine at a time. If you are picking up ice at a rate you’d prefer not to, you’ll find changing your level (up or down) by as little as 2,000 feet will help.

[@JulianJacobs100]

Really great one Dakota. Nice to see you doing well.👍😎

[@cobra10908]

Loved my time in the C90 and B200 series. The 200 is a flying farm truck that handles like an exotic.

[@tonysaunders9655]

that rope on the ground at 13:34 could have been very expensive

[@flyerjack1548]

I think it’s actually a tie down CHAIN. but a rope there would be a bit risky!

[@texastyrannyresponseteam794]

I owned a C90 for a few years.. loved it.. maintenance got to a bit expensive.. had an opportunity to trade into a much newer PC-12 for pennies.. well.. dimes.. lol.. it's been a delight.. so far operating costs have been lower.. i expect that to equalize as i have it longer.. avionics are great.. cabin is nice.. my engine out performance is quite a bit lower.. lol.. but thankfully I haven't had to try it out.. lol.. I'd recommend either one..

[@PilotFARAIM]

I’d take a Pilatus PC-12 over a Kingair any day.

[@pickels198]

Wow what a georgeous airplane and great commentary by Michael and Dakota.

[@campingalan]

Hi there! A B350 operator out of Telluride and Montrose, Colorado here. What a great video!! Thank you for sharing all of this info!

[@Mike-01234]

Perfect example to younger generation why it's so important to get a good education, or a learn a high paying trade that pays off you can make a good living to be able to afford nice aircraft like this.

[@gckshea]

Best for families? Yeah, right. This kind of ownership and flying is for a very few people. Interesting, but oh well

[@vhayden2057]

Nice seeing you Dakota.Looks like your right at home in this plane. Good Luck with your future videos.

[@swanauto47]

Dude what families can afford a jet like that?

[@thelastrebelshow1627]

Ya I grew up with analog instruments and that stays with you. I prefer anolog. Nice plane.

[@foxtrot789]

You cut away from the shot of the wheels right before landing, you tease!!

[@TerryNew62]

Nice aircraft. Not flown in this type before but have been in the USAF C12A based on the B200 series Super King Air.

[@rogersmart1766]

And a C-90 is one of the best turbo props flying

[@Rabbit5382]

Per usual, Dakota killin it

[@dougford5691]

Excellent episode Dakota. Do you miss sailing doodles??? It is not the same without you.

[@mojah1]

Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed vid I’m an old timer twin licensed, and very rusty because I can’t afford rentals King airs are my favorites dream planes.❤

[@dannyfisher9223]

Thanks for another great episode Dakota really enjoy watching them.

[@steini6771]

Thanks, Dakota and warm greetings from Sibir cold Norway.

[@doktortodes]

The BEST Airplane for *abnormally weathly* Families. There…fixed that title for you.

[@LiveByGraceDaily]

It's not that expensive. You can buy a 1960's or 70's C90 for cheaper than a 20 year old Baron or even a newer Senica or nicely upgraded 310

[@AVKingJamesBible]

For families with an insane amount of $. At least be honest. 😊

[@V4NLIFE_CANADA]

Imagine being so detached from reality haha

[@iflyem3582]

Nice video. I did most of my multi engine training in a C90. One suggestion, it's good practice to run your strobes from the time you enter the runway and leave them in until you you exit the runway at your destination. The only time I turn them off is if I'm IMC at night.

[@mikhailjairnisbett441]

I like this guy, he's super chill

[@DeereX748]

My son-in-law flies charter in C90's and B200's. He loves the King Air.

[@halcyonzenith4411]

If your family can afford something like this, you have a dynasty

[@craigbowie8925]

Back in '02 I had the great pleasure to be part of a team that chartered a King Air C90 to take us from Centennial to all over Ohio for a cell phone company. I have a challenge with getting ill when I fly if I can't maintain my horizon so I sat right seat for the whole trip. What a wonderful plane. Wonderful flight.

[@Webster-h4p]

He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.

[@derekmccaffrey7577]

You have such a great knowledge of these aircraft’s Dakota.

[@hessranch]

Nothing like a King Air. You can keep you single engine turboprop.

[@paulstclair4348]

Good job!!

[@LeonardAbe-l8y]

Lets all be unique together until we realise we are all the same.

[@handflyin]

A friend of mine used to fly 291CC for a previous owner. Small world!

[@michaeldaly7044]

Pretty cool! Small world indeed!

[@koosvanzyl2605]

I did many pleasant hours in a C90 in the 90's in South Africa. What a lovely plane.

[@iflycessnas4707]

Awesome. Van wat lughave het jy gevlieg?

[@woofersd2383]

Fantastic Airplane, with a very compentent Pilot. Thank You Dakota.

[@ThreePhaseHigh]

Nice job of showing us the airplane but I’d like to know what kind of profession the guy is in

[@viperdriver16]

I love flying the King Air. Super responsive on the controls, and adaptable to various flying missions.

[@JCGible]

Thank you, Michael and Dakota. very impressive aircraft. 🙂👍

[@johnmccormick175]

Great video Michael and Dakota nice airplane and great to see you Dakota your an awesome lady!

[@niinjoosum]

C90 is a hot rod.

[@Calebs_Aviation]

Love the older King Air C-90A Blackhawk airplanes! That’s so much what I picture as an older business or company plane from the 70s-80s and then the new Super King Air (no longer called that anymore) like the King Air 250 or 350 aircraft! 😊

[@nuknuk128]

did this guy really say you dont notice the 2 engines cos you can move both the throttles with 1 hand

[@michaeldaly7044]

I know sounds dumb but in my defense on bigger twins like the DC3 or Electra you have to have a separate pilot use two hands on the throttles to advance them at different rates because they are not usually rigged perfectly in sync and they also want to creep back. You can see that in action if you watch Ice Pilots.

[@DXB711]

Great to see Dakota!

[@boeingdriver29]

The best aircraft for families is a commercial airliner flown by professionals not amateurs.

[@kevinmanning8214]

I was just at the Alliance Jet Center last week and have been to Hicks Field a number of times. Crazy you get that close to the runway at fields like Hicks.

[@jbl7092]

Are you rich people kidding me? Best family airplane? What planet do you live on? You mean best family airplane for freaking millionaires. So happy for you.

[@andrewmacks2624]

No kidding! Obviously not your average “ family”

[@comcfi]

Power move

[@midwife_kim]

Ya'll are plain rude, you know? Triggered much?

[@44mroliver]

I love how matter of fact this guy is. You can tell he is a good dude, raised well, humble; it just so happens he's rich and he doesn't really know any different. The funny thing is, he probably taxi's past planes that makes him feel as poor as I do watching this video from the public library. That is a pretty cool plane though.

[@paratyshow]

👍✅🏝 but without the beach. Tks Dakota

[@hikoukifun0312]

C90 is the best airplane! If it can fly, it's an airplane!

[@P-el4zd]

Absolutely, this would a great plane! If you have an extra million + dollars burning a hole in your pocket and can afford the maintenance. Even if you find a “cheap one”, it will likely need work $$.

[@quoderatdemonstrandum5442]

LOL... Come to me with -135 engines. Then we'll talk

[@skyepilotte11]

Great job Dakota...that is one nice Blackhawk conversion...great flight.

[@richardboyce4921]

Good to see Dakota again, missed you, Great job girl..