Textron Aviation has joined with privately-held agricultural production and resource management company King Ranch to launch a special edition of the Beechcraft King Air 350i and deliveries are expected to begin in 2019. Vice president, marketing Rhonda Fullerton says: “We are proud to offer our customers an exciting new special edition King Air that brings together two iconic brands. 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.”

King Ranch CEO and president Robert J Underbrink adds: “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. Both are indisputable icons and together they bring forth an unparalleled customer experience. Rugged yet refined, elegant simplicity matched with high-calibre performance, both remain true to their legacy of innovation.”

The King Ranch King Air 350i will offer a themed exterior and interior featuring a 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 there are 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 and crocodile-embossed leather upper sidewalls.

“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 notes. “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.”