ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 30, 2012) -- Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced it has been recognized by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for a new speed record set by its Beechcraft King Air 350ER. President of the NAA, Jonathan Gaffney, awarded the company with the official certificate at the 2012 National Business Aviation Association annual convention in Orlando. HBC's Multi-Mission Beechcraft King Air 350ER demonstrator aircraft set the record for "Speed Over a Recognized Course" during a Sept. 11 flight at 276.03 miles per hour (444.23 km/h) from Luxor, Egypt to Nairobi, Kenya. It is a new world record, sanctioned by both the NAA and the Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) in Switzerland. "This speed record, along with the successful world tour of the demonstrator, verifies the high performance, flight characteristics and versatility of the King Air 350ER and our commitment to the worldwide special mission market," said Dan Keady, senior vice president, Special Missions. The record setting flight covered 1,681 nautical miles and consumed 3,770 lbs. of fuel, about 73 percent of the total usable fuel capacity of 5,192 lbs. While this record-setting flight was done with the external configuration of a surveillance aircraft (with radome and strakes installed), in a standard King Air 350ER with the slick interior (ready for mission equipment and mission modifications) that same flight would leave 3,510 lbs. of useful load for crew, mission equipment and fuel reserves. This range/payload demonstration is why the aircraft is so popular for special mission applications in the U.S.