A Beechcraft King Air 350 equipped with Tamarack Aerospace active load-alleviating winglets set two records during flights to and from Orlando, Florida, for NBAA-BACE 2022. The records have now been documented by the National Aeronautic Association and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
The first of these flights was 2,032.8 nm nonstop from Spokane, Washington, to Orlando on Oct. 15, 2022, in 7 hours 46 minutes. During the other record flight six days later, the King Air flew 1,770.7 nm from Orlando to Las Vegas—with a stop in Albuquerque—in 8 hours 8 minutes due to strong headwinds. Lorin Meyers captained both flights, while Tamarack founder and CEO Nick Guida flew as copilot.
The King Air was equipped with the SmartWing winglet system with active technology load alleviation system (Atlas) and Tamarack active camber surfaces (TACS). The TACS counteract extra loads, such as during turns or turbulence and gusts. The Atlas system thus requires less structural enhancement, and in the CitationJet series it produces efficiency improvements of up to 33 percent, allowing faster climbs to higher altitudes and a longer range.
“There has been significant interest from the military following these record-setting demonstrations last year,” Guida said. “The defense community sees a lot of value in our increased range and loiter time for important missions.”