King Air 250

Overview

The King Air 250 is the working-pilot’s B200, introduced in 2010 as a B200GT-evolved successor with factory-standard performance modifications: BLR Aerospace winglets, Raisbeck Ram Air Recovery, and composite four-blade propellers. The combination materially improves short-field, hot-and-high, and climb performance over the base B200GT, without crossing the 12,500 lb threshold that triggers a type rating on the 350.

For the GA buyer, the 250 sits at the sweet spot of the modern King Air range. It avoids the type rating, runs the same airframe pilots already know, and delivers light-jet-class field performance from a turboprop economics base. Production continued through 2021 before the line was rebranded as the King Air 260.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• Factory-standard performance package. BLR winglets, RARS inlet recovery, and composite props are standard, not aftermarket. Performance lifts are baked in rather than bolt-on.
• No type rating. At 12,500 lb MTOW exactly, the 250 stays inside Part 23 normal-category certification, unlike the 300/350 series.
• Pro Line Fusion flight deck. Touchscreen avionics on later airframes (2015+) bring synthetic vision and modernised situational awareness into a King Air cockpit for the first time.
• Strong residuals. King Air 200-series airframes hold value well; the 250 trades on that pattern with the additional benefit of being the most modern non-type-rated variant.

Trade-offs

• Twin-turboprop fuel and maintenance. Around 100-140 GPH cruise burn and the maintenance load of two PT6A-52 engines puts hourly costs well above single-engine alternatives like the PC-12.
• Slower than light jets on long legs. 310-knot cruise loses to a Citation M2 or Phenom 300 on missions over 600 nm; the 250’s argument is short legs, short runways, and full payload.
• Weight ceiling pressure. The 12,500 lb MTOW is restrictive at full fuel and full passengers; an aftermarket 13,420 lb gross-weight increase is available but adds documentation and insurance complexity.
• Successor pressure. The 260 (with Pro Line Fusion as standard, autothrottle, and improved interior) is the active production line; pre-owned 250 buyers compete with depreciation pressure from new 260 deliveries.

See Also

• Beech 200 Super King Air – the B200/B200GT airframe the 250 is built from. Compare
• Beech Super King Air 350 – the type-rated step up within the same family. Compare
• Beech King Air 100 – the lighter, lower-flying entry-tier King Air. Compare
• Cessna Citation M2 – light-jet alternative on equivalent mission lengths. Compare
• Embraer Phenom 100 – entry-light-jet competitor in the same operational segment. Compare