An Alaskan maintenance shop has re-engined a Cessna 208A Caravan with a Honeywell TPE331, planning to fly the aircraft in June or July. Replacing the single-turboprop Caravan's Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A is expected to increase performance and reduce operating costs, says Anchorage-based Aero Twin. US certification is planned for March next year.
The company has installed a 775kW (1,040shp) TPE331-12 derated to 635kW and driving a four-blade Hartzell propeller. The engine replaces a 445kW PT6A-114 in the 208A and a 505kW -114A in the stretched 208BGrand Caravan, both with a three-blade propeller.
As well as being bigger, the TPE331 provides "instant power" compared to the reverse-flow PT6A, says Aero Twin president Tony Sestnick. The TPE331 also doubles the time needed between overhauls, from 3,500h for the PT6A to 7,000h.
Aero Twin declines to quantify the expected performance improvements until it has flight-tested the re-engined aircraft, but Honeywell estimates the TPE331 retrofit will reduce take-off distance by 18% for the 208A and 11% for the 208B, increase climb rate by 60%, improve payload and range and lower fuel consumption.
Aero Twin conservatively expects to re-engine 4-5% of the 1,200 Caravans now flying. Sestnick says the retrofit will make a big difference to the float-equipped version, which accounts for around 100 of the fleet.
Another new application forthe TPE331 is the re-engining of Raytheon King Air C90 and E90 twin-turboprops by Florida-based Kilo Alpha 290, which received US certification late last year.
Replacing the King Air's PT6As with TPE331-10s driving five-blade McCauley propellers boosts climb rate, cruise speed and altitude and range, and cuts operating costs, says Honeywell.
Kilo Alpha 290 says cruise speed is increased to 290kt (540km/h) and range extended by 15%.
Source: Flight International
