FAA equips 17 King Air 300 aircraft with Raisbeck’s Dual Aft Body Strakes

November 5, 2008 - Seattle, Washington, USA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Raisbeck Engineering have signed an agreement to have Raisbeck’s Dual Aft Body Strakes Performance System installed on the FAA’s fleet of 17 Beechcraft King Air 300 aircraft. Installations are currently taking place and will continue through the remainder of 2008.

One of the important missions of the FAA’s King Air 300 fleet is checking the airways and calibrating approach avionics. Their King Airs need to be very stable and without yaw instability during these tasks. The Raisbeck Dual Aft Body Strakes aptly fulfill this requirement, figuratively “Putting the airplane on Rails”, as company founder James Raisbeck is so fond of saying.

In 2007, the FAA equipped one of their 300 series aircraft with Raisbeck Dual Aft Body Strakes to judge performance benefits. Officials were so impressed with the promised results that they opted to equip their entire fleet.

Raisbeck Dual Aft Body Strakes are one of the most popular performance systems for the Beechcraft King Air, and have been standard on the Hawker Beechcraft 350 production line since 2001. To date, over 2,000 aircraft are equipped with Raisbeck’s Dual Aft Body Strakes. They were introduced to the market in the early 1980’s.

Both the King Air and its operator benefit greatly from the Raisbeck Strakes. After installation, the aircraft endures less aft fuselage and rudder fatigue, which requires less maintenance. Operators have improved directional stability and control of the aircraft. Drag is reduced in all phases of flight, and yaw damper limits are either eliminated or raised, increasing the aircraft’s dispatch reliability for the operator. Specifically for the Raisbeck-equipped 300 model, there is an increase of 7,500 feet compared to the basic 300 aircraft.

Passengers also enjoy a smoother ride as a result of the elimination of the aft-body rumble, as well as a quieter cockpit and cabin.

Bobby Patton, Raisbeck’s Director of Sales, stated “I am confident the FAA will benefit from their decision to install the Raisbeck Strakes on their 300 fleet.”

Raisbeck Engineering was founded in 1973 and continues to be dedicated to improving the productivity, safety and performance of business and corporate aircraft worldwide. More company information can be found on this Web site. High resolution images are available on request.