Honeywell announced yesterday at the show that its TPE331-12JR turboprop engine has received FAA certification as a replacement for the existing power-plant – the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A engine – on Cessna Caravan 208 series aircraft.
The Honeywell engine, originally developed for the Casa C212 series 400 aircraft, has been in operation for eight years and will enhance both performance and capability of the Cessna Caravan 208, providing improved payload range and
anti-ice operation as well as lower fuel burn and operating costs.
"An operator choosing to retrofit their Caravan with Honeywell's TPE331-12JR will be able better to utilise the broad capability of the aircraft," says Jeff Johnston, director of Honeywell's Turboprop and Regional Fan enterprise.
"Amphibious Caravan operators will expect to see improved take-off performance. The take-off run will typically be around 12- 14sec compared with the nearly 28sec required by the original power-plant.
Response
"Operators will also enjoy the instantaneous power response delivered by TPE engines."
Approximately 1,200 Cessna Caravan 208 and 208B models are in service and all could benefit from the engine retrofit programme.
"The Caravan is a fantastic aircraft — we've just helped it to the next level of refinement," says Tony Cestnik, president of 850 LLC. "We are very excited by the results of the flight tests. The new 850 Caravan engine package has exceeded our design expectations in all flight regimes.
"The water performance of the 850 Caravan amphibian is fantastic and the shorter water runs mean more operational flexibility along with reduced airframe stress."
Source: Flight Daily News
