The Beechcraft King Air series has its roots in the Twin Bonanza of 1951. That aircraft model was enlarged and re-engined to become the Model 65 Queen Air. The Queen Air design changed to incorporate a swept tail and pressurization. With the addition of Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines, the Queen Air became the Model 90 King Air. The King Air 90 led to the stretched King Air 100, which in turn had a T-Tail added to become the King Air 200. Increased gross weights and more powerful PT6A-60A engines made the King Air 200 into a King Air 300.
Some 249 King Air 300s were produced from 1984 until 1995. The King Air 300LW (lightweight) was identical to the King Air 300, except it was certificated to a lower weight for European operations. The reduced gross weight kept the 300LW in a lower tax situation in Europe, however, cost and performance between the two are the same.
The 300s seat six and include aft-lavatories. The cabin is not round and is shaped more like a loaf of bread, which gives passengers more shoulder room.
Although more power and increased payload are normally successful, it was the B200 that continued production. Apparently, the additional price for the added payload and power was not a bargain for enough people to keep the 300 in production.