In January, SkyAlyne and KF Aerospace announced the successful acquisition of seven Beechcraft King Air 260s from Textron Aviation for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program.

Peter Fedak, KF’s Vice President of Defence Programs and a retired L.Col of the RCAF, offers his insights on the aircraft and discusses KF’s role in supporting SkyAlyne and Canada as FAcT becomes the RCAF’s sole pilot and aircrew training program.

Q: What role will the King Air 260 play in the FAcT program?

A: The KA260 will be the training platform for the Advanced Flying Training – Multi-Engine (AFT-ME) program, which will be delivered by KF as part of SkyAlyne. The seven aircraft will be combined with several Ground Based Training Systems (GBTS) devices and simulators to provide the RCAF with technologically and operationally superior flight training for the next generation of multi-engine pilots. Multi-Engine pilots typically fly the larger transport, surveillance and search and rescue aircraft within the RCAF.

Q: Does KF have prior experience with this aircraft?

A: KF has been operating and maintaining King Air C-90Bs at our Southport base for the last 20 years, providing RCAF pilot training through the Contracted Flying Training & Support (CFTS) program. The core skills of KF’s staff in Southport will transfer directly to the KA260 while expanding our contribution to include airborne in-flight instruction.

A: The KA260 meets or exceeds all of the RCAF requirements as per the FAcT Contract, including advanced proline fusion avionics, thrust sense auto-throttles, and night vision compatible cockpits to enable a broader scope of training. The KA260 is a part of the global Beechcraft King Air family with a long history of successful operation and a robust support system for the duration of the FAcT contract and beyond.

Q: Why is the delivery of FAcT multi-engine pilot training in Southport significant to KF?

A: KF has a proud history of supporting RCAF projects, with the CFTS program being the capstone of this support to date. With KF currently providing Phase I Primary, Phase II Basic, and Phase III Multi-Engine training  in Southport, the majority of RCAF pilots trained since 2005 have been trained under the support of KF Aerospace.