The Turboprop Ledger - Issue #5

The First All-Inclusive Turboprop Newsletter - It's Good To Be Back

Author

Hayden Christie
June 02, 2025

Introduction

Welcome to The Turboprop Ledger.

In this issue, we look at how turboprop operators are navigating 2025’s mixed signals, fuel prices are down, but tariffs are up. Efficiency still wins, but strategy matters more than ever.

Plus, a spotlight on one of the rarest turboprops out there: the King Air 350i King Ranch Edition, where Western heritage meets aviation luxury.

Let’s get into it.

Grounded but Still Climbing: How Turboprop Owners Are Navigating Fuel Prices and Tariffs in 2025

AI Created Image

“We have a tailwind now in terms of the oil price. It's significantly lower than we had expected... That gives a bit of a boost to airline profitability, which maybe, and it's a big maybe at this stage, could offset some of the softening of demand in the second half of the year.”
— Willie Walsh, Director General, International Air Transport Association (IATA)

While some in the industry are celebrating lower fuel prices, others are tightening their belts due to sharp increases in tariffs. Turboprop operators, often running leaner operations and flying shorter missions, are in a unique position. The economics are shifting, and understanding where things stand today is key to staying profitable.

📉 Fuel Prices: A Welcome Tailwind

The U.S. average price for jet fuel sits at $1.97 per gallon as of May 20, 2025, down from over $2.30 earlier this year. This drop offers a real operational advantage for turboprop operators, especially those flying high-frequency regional routes.

Turboprops are inherently more efficient on short-haul flights. Aircraft like the King Air 250 or Pilatus PC-12 regularly consume less than 3 liters per 100 km per passenger, significantly outperforming small and mid-size jets on similar legs.

The result? Operators focused on regional charters or private missions can lean harder into their flight schedules without eating into margins.

🛃 Tariffs: The New Cost Center

At the same time, tariffs are quietly taking a bigger bite out of the bottom line. In April 2025, the United States raised the average tariff rate on imported goods from 2.5% to over 24%, the highest seen in more than a century. While most whole aircraft remain covered under USMCA or other trade agreements, many components and replacement parts do not.

For turboprop owners, here’s what that looks like:

  • Steel and aluminum tariffs are increasing the cost of structural repairs and MRO services.

  • Older airframes are hit hardest, particularly when parts must be sourced internationally.

  • Tariffs on imports from China are affecting avionics, electrical components, and interior refurb materials.

The issue is compounded for operators who rely on international suppliers or OEMs based outside the U.S.

✈️ The Turboprop Balancing Act

So, where does that leave turboprop operators?

  • Fuel cost relief offers an immediate, measurable benefit, especially for high-use fleets and short-haul charter businesses.

  • Tariff-driven cost inflation is a slow bleed that will hit hardest during major maintenance events, component swaps, or cabin upgrades.

  • Those who source parts domestically or from USMCA-partnered countries are now at a strategic advantage.

Final Word

For turboprop operators, 2025 isn’t a crisis, but it is a recalibration. Cheaper fuel can’t fully offset the cost of inflated import duties, but it offers a cushion. Smart owners will make the most of it by flying more and relying less on foreign parts.

Fly smarter. Source smarter. And keep your margins in the air, not stuck in customs.

Sources

The King Ranch King Air: A Western Luxury

In a market where business aviation typically exudes European minimalism or corporate uniformity, one aircraft dares to tell a different story, a story of rugged luxury, Texas heritage, and rare aviation lore.

Meet the Beechcraft King Air 350i King Ranch Edition, a near-mythical crossover between two icons of the American West: Beechcraft's King Air and Ford's King Ranch.

A Collaboration of Legends

In 2018, Textron Aviation, the parent company of Beechcraft, unveiled a special-edition aircraft in partnership with Ford’s King Ranch brand, famed for its luxury pickup trucks that draw inspiration from the massive South Texas ranch of the same name.

What emerged was an ultra-limited King Air 350i customized with leather, trim, and design accents reflective of King Ranch’s signature Western styling. With only a small number produced, this aircraft represented a true blend of form, function, and regional identity.

Inside the King Ranch King Air

This wasn’t just a King Air with nicer seats. The aircraft interior featured:

  • Saddle-tan leather with the iconic Running W brand stitched into headrests

  • Rich wood-grain cabinetry and trim throughout the cabin

  • A Western-themed color palette and materials pulled directly from King Ranch design cues

  • Coordinated exterior detailing to complement the luxurious interior

It was targeted at high-net-worth individuals, especially ranch owners, oil executives, and agri-business leaders who already drove King Ranch Edition Ford trucks and wanted a matching aircraft experience.

A Rare Breed

Only a handful of King Ranch Edition King Air 350is were ever built, and sightings of them on the resale market are almost nonexistent. One demonstrator model was revealed at NBAA 2018, where it attracted attention for its crossover branding and bespoke interior.

Since then, information about these aircraft has been scarce, fueling speculation among brokers and aircraft spotters about where they might be hiding, or if their interiors were ever stripped and refitted.

Why It Still Resonates

The King Ranch Edition was more than just a marketing gimmick. It symbolized how deeply aircraft can reflect the lifestyle of their owners. For those flying out of ranch strips, oil fields, or small-town Texas airfields, the King Ranch King Air offered both performance and a sense of place.

It still stands as one of the boldest interior design departures in the turboprop world, a true collector’s piece for those who value authenticity and regional pride.

Sources

Special Edition King Air Announced at NBAA
Controller – Textron Aviation Partners with King Ranch
https://www.controller.com/blog/aircraft-news/2018/11/special-edition-beechcraft-350i-turboprop-coming-from-textron-aviation-and-king-ranch

Aircraft Design: A Western-Style Business Cabin
Twin & Turbine – King Air 350i King Ranch
https://www.twinandturbine.com/king-air-350i-king-ranch-edition

King Ranch Brand Background
King Ranch Official Site
https://king-ranch.com

Hangar Headaches: Buying and Renting Space in a Tightening Market

Source: Image Resizer

The turboprop world is alive and well, but finding a place to keep your aircraft has become a logistical challenge many didn’t see coming. As of May 2025, hangar space across the U.S. is tightening fast. From Texas to the Midwest, the rise in general aviation traffic, demand for on-site maintenance, and airport development delays has created a perfect storm.

What’s Driving the Crunch?

Private and business aviation traffic continues to climb post-2020, and turboprops—especially King Airs, PC-12s, and Caravans—are a big part of that equation. With operators choosing to base aircraft closer to clients, properties, or remote job sites, demand for space has skyrocketed.

But the number of available hangars? Not keeping pace.

In Texas alone, fields like San Antonio International (SAT), Dallas Executive (RBD), and even smaller options like Georgetown and New Braunfels are reporting waitlists for T-hangars and corporate bays. Large private developments such as the 45,000 sq. ft. hangars listed in Denton and San Marcos are leasing fast, with prices ranging from $1.15 to $1.40 per square foot—before utilities and office buildout.

Buy or Rent? The Strategic Dilemma

Many operators are now debating: Do I continue leasing—at rising rates—or secure long-term ownership?

Buying makes sense for those with stable operations and the capital to support it. A recent listing at Fair Weather Field (TX42) showed a hangar with attached living quarters and shop space priced at $799,000—a value buy in today’s market. But not everyone wants or needs that level of commitment, especially owner-operators running lean.

Meanwhile, short-term rentals for larger corporate hangars can push $6,000–$9,000 per month in desirable locations like Rockport, Corpus Christi, or McKinney.

If you're working deals in more rural or underserved regions, you might still find value, but you’ll want to move quickly. Availability isn’t just scarce, it disappears overnight.

What to Watch Going Forward

  • Development Delays: Several FBO-led expansion projects across Texas and the South Central U.S. are behind schedule due to permitting or materials issues. This limits relief in high-traffic regions.

  • Insurance & Liability Changes: More airports are tightening rules around hangar insurance and subleasing, creating friction for fractional owners or those renting out extra space.

  • Increased Use of Private Airparks: Owner-pilots and fleet managers are beginning to eye private airparks and rural strips with low taxes as long-term solutions. These often lack amenities but offer security and independence.

Advice for Turboprop Owners & Operators

If you’re running turboprop ops—whether charter, cargo, or corporate—the key takeaway is this: Plan ahead. Please don’t assume you’ll find space when you need it. Line up leases early, get on waitlists now, and consider whether it’s time to secure ownership in a hangar that gives your aircraft—and your business—a long-term home.

Because when your aircraft is grounded for lack of space, opportunities pass you by.

Sources

  1. Sky Harbour Riding a Wave of Expansion
    AIN Online – October 20, 2024
    Sky Harbour is rapidly expanding its boutique hangar campuses, signaling a growing demand for premium aircraft storage.
    https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-10-20/sky-harbour-riding-wave-expansion

  2. The Cost(s) Associated With Having a Hangar
    FLYING Magazine – April 2025
    Offers a breakdown of common hangar rental costs, availability issues, and the challenges pilots face finding suitable space.
    https://www.flyingmag.com/the-costs-associated-with-having-a-hangar/

  3. Altaport, Truckee-Tahoe Airport Join Effort to Find Hangar Space
    AOPA – February 6, 2025
    Altaport launched a digital platform for locating and reserving hangar space, mirroring Airbnb’s on-demand model.
    https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2025/february/06/altaport-hangar-space

  4. Virginia Highlands Airport Authority Requests Funding for Hangar Project
    Cardinal News – May 27, 2025
    A real-time example of local governments investing in new hangar development to meet growing demand.
    https://cardinalnews.org/2025/05/27/agenda-washington-county-the-virginia-highlands-airport-

A Quick Update From The Editor

Before we close, I want to take a moment to thank you for your patience. It’s been about a month since the last edition of The Turboprop Ledger, and I owe you an explanation.

Between starting a new role and staying actively involved with STXBAA, life has been fast-moving. As a family man and someone deeply committed to this industry, balancing it all sometimes means putting a passion project like this on pause. But The Turboprop Ledger remains a priority because this community deserves real, focused updates on the turboprop market.

Going forward, the newsletter will shift to a monthly release schedule. Not to scale back, but to go deeper. With more insights, better research, and content that delivers real value.

Thank you for sticking with me. I’m grateful for this growing audience of operators, brokers, and aviation professionals.

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