A BE9L PLT; DEPARTING OJC; OVERSHOT HIS ASSIGNED ALT.

Narrative

I WAS FILED IFR FROM OJC TO DSM. OFF OF OJC I WAS ASSIGNED A HDG TO THE NE AND AN ALT OF 3000 FT. I TURNED ON HDG AND DIALED 3000 FT IN THE ALT PRESELECT. CONDITIONS WERE VMC AND MY SCAN INCLUDED VISUAL OUTSIDE OF THE COCKPIT FOR OTHER TFC. INSIDE THE ACFT I WAS REFING THE COMMAND BARS OF THE FLT DIRECTOR. IN THIS AIRPLANE ALT PRESELECT IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY ARMED WHEN YOU DIAL AN ALT IN THE PRESELECTOR. THIS IS RELEVANT; BECAUSE OUR COMPANY HAS ANOTHER KING AIR THAT DOES ARM THE ALT PRESELECT WHEN YOU SET AN ALT IN THE PRESELECTOR. ALSO I HAD JUST RETURNED FROM FLT SAFETY AND THE SIMULATOR ALSO AUTOMATICALLY ARMED ALT SELECT WHEN YOU CHANGED THE ALT IN THE PRESELECTOR. THEREFORE; I FEEL THE 2 MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THIS SIT WERE: 1) I WAS USING THE COMMAND BARS OF THE FLT DIRECTOR AS MY REF; AS WELL AS MY VISUAL SCAN OUTSIDE THE ACFT; AND 2) I DID NOT HAVE THE COMMAND BARS ARMED PROPERLY. DUE TO MY INABILITY TO RECOGNIZE THIS (BECAUSE OF PRESUMPTION) THEY WERE NOT GIVING ME RELEVANT INFO. I DISCOVERED THE PROB WHEN I THOUGHT (GEE; I SHOULD BE AT 3000 FT BY NOW). I WASN'T; I WAS AT 3700 FT. I LEVELED OFF AND WAS ABOUT TO START DSNDING WHEN I WAS CLRED TO 4000 FT. THE HUMAN FACTORS INVOLVED WRE POOR INST SCAN AND RELYING ON ONE INST FOR ALL OF MY INFO. THE INACTION OF CHKING THAT THE INST I WAS RELYING ON WAS SET UP PROPERLY. LARGELY DUE TO ASSUMPTION AND HABITS FORMED FROM FLYING A SIMILAR ACFT. CORRECTIVE ACTION ON MY PART HAS BEEN NOT TO RELY ON FANCY AVIONICS AND BECOME SLOPPY; AND ALSO RETRAINING ON THE AVIONICS IN THIS ACFT. WHEN PLTS ARE FLYING MORE THAN 1 AIRPLANE; THEY MUST BE VERY COGNIZANT OF THE DIFFERENCES -- ESPECIALLY THE EVER CHANGING AND MORE COMPLEX AVIONICS.