Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced it is incorporating new interiors in its popular Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza piston engine airplanes. The new interiors improve cabin comfort and functionality with enhanced styling inspired by interiors found in the world's finest automobiles. The upgrade also includes an automatic climate control system and an LED external lighting package. The new features will be phased into production in the second quarter of 2012.

"This program upgrades the comfort, styling and functionality of the current Baron and Bonanza aircraft to a level similar to that found in top-of-the-line vehicles," said Jim Holcombe, vice president, Beechcraft Marketing. "We are accomplishing this by adding contemporary design elements, cleaner lines and improved ergonomics to the interior for a more blended, form-fitting look. Coupled with the fully automatic climate control system that allows individual aft-cabin passengers to set their own temperature, this interior package puts the Baron and Bonanza in a class of their own."

The new air conditioning and automatic climate control system features an engine-driven compressor with condenser and evaporator units installed in the tail cone. Approved for operation in all phases of flight, including takeoff, the unit has a "set and forget" feature allowing the operator to select the desired cabin temperature that will be automatically maintained by an Electronic Control Unit.

All external lights on both the Baron and the Bonanza will utilize LED bulbs. With no glass filament to break, they are shock and vibration resistant while consuming significantly less energy. The solid state LED light engine provides high reliability with more than 8,000 hours mean time between failure, greatly reducing operational costs.