Professional Pilot, June 2017

both charter and corporate operators New King Air 350i aircraft are standard equipped with the Pro Line Fusion and WiFi Special mission and government operators can enjoy additional range and endurance with the King Air 350ER that has additional fuel tanks and higher operating weights Nextant G90XT Aircraft remanufacturer specialist Nextant Aerospace announced its next comprehensive remanufacturing project 4 years ago the 22 million Nextant G90XT delivered as a new aircraft with zero time and a complete warranty G90XT aircraft are equipped with the FADEC equipped 800 shp GE H75 100 turboprop engines The GE H75 is controlled by a single lever engine control to ease operations Electronic engine controls EEC allow automatic push button engine starts According to Nextant the GE H75 has ultra low maintenance costs low fuel burn and high power Other G90XT features include the customized Garmin G1000 based Regent avionics suite a digital pressurization system winglets aft body strakes and a completely new interior and paint Nextant says that flight test data shows a 10 to 12 improvement in specific fuel consumption versus the stock PT6A engines The Nextant G90XT has a max cruise speed of 280 kts with an IFR range of 1240 nm Piaggio Aerospace Avanti EVO In 2014 Piaggio Aerospace announced the development of an all new version of the Avanti called the EVO Enhancements boost performance and reduce fuel cost and noise Upgrades include new 5 bladed Hartzell scimitar composite propellers winglets 72 PROFESSIONAL PILOT June 2017 an additional 60 gallon fuel tank and aerodynamic improvements Piaggio predicts improved climb performance 250 nm greater range and a 3 reduction in fuel usage EVO with its new propeller system reduces cabin noise by 20 and external noise by 68 Strong points for the Avanti EVO include the highest cruise speed of any turboprop aircraft low fuel consumption and a very large cabin In fact the Avanti EVO is faster than a number of light jets while boasting the economics of a turboprop Powered by 2 PT6A 66B engines 850 shp each the Avanti EVO has a max cruise speed of 402 kts and a maximum IFR range at LRC of up to 1809 nm with the new increased range configuration Avanti EVO is certified to FL410 EVO has the largest cabin 390 cu ft of any business aviation turboprop The cabin comfortably seats 8 passengers and is 5 ft 9 in tall and 6 ft 1 in wide on par or better than most light jets Passengers stay connected with broadband and satellite technologies A full size restroom is also standard Up front the cockpit is equipped with NextGen capable Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics Piaggio promotes the EVO as Combining lavish made in Italy style meticulous attention to detail and groundbreaking aviation tech the Avanti EVO defies expectations and The fastest twin turboprop ever made Avanti EVO achieves greater speed without compromising operating costs running at up to 30 less than a jet of the same size and boasting a support program that keeps maintenance cost at a rate guaranteed by the manufacturer To date Piaggio has delivered over 200 Avanti series aircraft Single engine turboprops Europes SE IFR acceptance further validates SETPs safety EASA conducted an independent study concluding that accidents of all causes involving SETPs in IMC or at night would be more remote than 1 accident every 4 million flight hours To date nearly every country in the EU has adopted the new SE commercial IFR rules with the exception of the UKs CAA as the agency is taking a wait and see approach Another driver in the market acceptance of these aircraft is a continuous upgrade cycle of existing airframes and a few clean sheet designs that have recently been certified or are in the works Significant upgrades range from big ticket items such as new engines props or avionics to interior enhancements that often include redesigned seats and other amenities like USB power outlets or airborne WiFi Pilatus PC12NG With 91 deliveries in 2016 this is the worlds top selling turbine powered business aircraft A combination of speed range economics versatility and a very large cabin 330 cu ft make the PC12 a top seller Powered by a PT6A 67P 1200 shp it has a top speed of 285 kts and an IFR range of 1638 nm Pilatus expects to deliver its 1500th PC12 in mid 2017 The bizav turboprop market has been very important for Pilatus since the 1st delivery of a PC12 in 1994 A PC12 can do much more than other typical business aircraft It is the proven reliable tool for many medevac operations rescuing patients from harsh environments says Pilatus Aircraft VP General Aviation Ignaz Gretener The ability to fly into small and even unpaved airfields together with the large comfortable flat floor cabin served by a passenger and a standard cargo door allow many bizav customers to fly objects in their PC12s to sites they could not carry in another aircraft In 2016 Pilatus introduced a number of improvements to the PC12NG including an increased cruise speed quieter cabin updated interior options and reduced drag that increase climb performance speed and range Designworks a BMW Group Company provided new cabin features Gretener adds The bizav market will continue to be a very important market for Pilatus This is why Pilatus is currently developing the PC24 Super Versatile Jet as an addition to the PC12 to serve the upper class market segment Cessna Denali concept was officially announced at EAA AirVenture 2015 One year later more details emerged and Cessna formally named its new aircraft the Denali According to Cessna the Denali is a clean sheet design that is not a derivative or variant of any existing product and will complement the companys current product lineup Piaggio Avanti EVO Nextant G90GTx Pilatus PC12NG