Beechcraft 1900

Beechcraft 1900 at a Glance
Role	General Aviation
Country of Origin	United States
Manufacturer	Beechcraft
Status	Out of Production
Number Built	695
Unit Cost	3.600.000v$
File:Airplanes-Beechcraft 1900.jpg

The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured by the Beechcraft Division of the Raytheon Company (now Hawker Beechcraft). It was designed, and is primarily used, as a regional airliner. It is also used as a freight aircraft, corporate transport, and by the United States military and other governments.

The aircraft is designed to carry passengers in all weather conditions from airports with relatively short runways. It is capable of flying in excess of 600 miles (970 km), although few operators use its full-fuel range. In terms of the number of aircraft built and its continued use by many passenger airlines and other users, it is one of the most popular 19-passenger airliners in history.

Variants

1900

The original design is known simply as the Beechcraft 1900. It features two "[1]" passenger boarding doors: one near the tail of the aircraft much like the smaller King Airs, and a second at the front just behind the cockpit. It has a small cargo door near the tail for access to the baggage compartment, which is behind the passenger compartment. Only three airframes were built, with "UA" serial numbers of UA-1, UA-2, and UA-3. UA-1 and UA-2 are stored at a Beechcraft facility in Wichita, Kansas. As of September 2006, UA-3 is in service with Bolivia's Ministry of National Defence in La Paz.

1900C

It immediately became clear that two airstair doors were redundant on an aircraft holding only 19 passengers. Beechcraft kept the front airstair, but eliminated the aft airstair door, installing an enlarged cargo door in its place. The changed aircraft was renamed 1900C. Other than the redesigned door layout, the early 1900Cs were substantially similar to the original 1900s. These were assigned serial numbers starting with the letters UB. A total of 74 UB version were built, many of which remain in service.

Aircraft in the UA and UB series employ a bladder-type fuel tank system in the wings. Later 1900Cs use a "wet wing" fuel system: entire sections of the wing are sealed off for use as fuel tanks. This design change allowed more fuel to be stored, substantially increasing the 1900C's range. The wet wing 1900Cs were assigned serial numbers beginning with "UC." These aircraft are also referred to as 1900C-1s. The wet wings proved popular, and the UC is the most common version of the low-ceiling 1900, with 174 UC airframes built.

Raytheon manufactured six 1900C aircraft for use by the U.S. military. These were assigned "UD" serial numbers, UD-1 through UD-6.

1900D

While the 1900C had become a popular regional airliner, Beechcraft undertook a substantial redesign of the aircraft, and in 1991 introduced a new version called the 1900D.

The 1900 and 1900C, like most 19-passenger airliners and business jets, have fairly small passenger cabins, with ceilings so low that passengers cannot walk through the interior without bending forward. The 1900D was designed to remedy this by providing a "stand-up cabin," which would allow most passengers to walk upright. It is the only 19-seat airliner with this feature.

Because the taller passenger cabin adds both weight and drag to the airplane, other elements of the 1900D were also changed. More powerful engines and modified propellers were installed, winglets were added to reduce drag and increase the wings' efficiency, and the tail was made larger in response to the more powerful engines. The cockpit was updated with an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS). The 1900D was certified under the then-new FAR Part 23 "Commuter Category" standards, which had replaced the earlier SFAR 41C. Since the UD serial numbers were already in use by the military 1900s, the 1900D airplanes have serial numbers beginning with UE. The 1900D is the most popular version of the airliner, with 439 of the 1900D built.

1900D Specifications

General characteristics

   * Crew: 1 (2 for airline operations)
   * Capacity: 19 passengers
   * Length: 57 ft 8 in (17.62 m)
   * Wingspan: 57 ft 9 in (17.64 m)
   * Height: 15 ft 5 in (4.72 m)
   * Empty weight: 10,434 lb (4,732 kg)
   * Useful load: 6,356 lb (2,882 kg)
   * Max takeoff weight: 17,120 lb (7,764 kg)
   * Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D turboprops, 1,279 shaft horsepower (955 kW) each
   * Fuel Capacity: 4,484 lb
   * Fuel type: Jet A recommended, others usable

Performance

   * Cruise speed: 280 knots @ 20,000 ft (518 km/h @ 6,100 m)
   * Range: 707 km with 19 passenger payload (439 mi)
   * Ferry range: 2,306 km (1,432 mi)
   * Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
   * Rate of climb: 2,615 ft/min (797 m/min)

Avionics

   * Rockwell Collins EFIS-84 Electronic Flight Instrument System