Nextant Aerospace flew its G90XT remanufactured King Air twin turboprop to Orlando Executive Airport (KORL) on Saturday for NBAA 2016, having installed single-lever power control technology that will become an enhancement to the type once added to the aircraft’s certification.
During a short flight, the single-lever controls developed by Unison Industries were demonstrated to AIN by Nathan Marker, chief pilot and v-p of flight operations for the Cleveland, Ohio-based company. The aircraft, which will be on display at the NBAA static park this week, has already undergone around 150 hours of flight testing.
Executive v-p Jay Heublein said his company waited for the single-lever system to be installed before fitting its new cabin. This is why NBAA 2016 is the first major business aviation show where the G90XT has been on display, despite being certified by the FAA in November last year. Deliveries will begin once the new power-lever system–which includes full autostart capability–is approved by the FAA, which Nextant expects in the first quarter of next year.
The G90XT is a remanufactured Beechcraft King Air C90A, the test example (registration N190XT) being a 1983 model with some 12,000 hours on the airframe. It has been extensively overhauled and upgraded with a new Nextant ‘Regent’ cockpit based on Garmin G1000 avionics, as well as new GE Aviation H75-100 engines replacing the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6s. The new engines provide the turboprop twin with a 12-percent improvement in specific fuel consumption and 17-knot speed advantage, 4,000-hour/6,600-cycle TBO and flat-rating to 24,000 feet, allowing for much better performance at higher altitudes. Heublein said the company chose one of the oldest examples it could find for the first aircraft, with a large fleet potentially available for the remanufacturing process—well in excess of 1,000 aircraft worldwide.
Heublein told AIN that the single-lever per engine is likely to attract significant interest, and the company claims it to be the first one done electronically on a turboprop twin. In the G90XT, this system uses a single-channel Fadec with a manual reversion mode, which is how the need for a dual-channel Fadec was avoided. Feathering is accomplished via a switch above the fuel management panel, which has been relocated above the new levers, and an easy-to-use detent setting allows fine and reverse pitch. Thus, there are no propeller control levers, with the Fadec managing rpm and propeller pitch in normal operation. The only other lever is the fuel condition lever, which allows easy engine shutdown post-flight.
Meanwhile, the G90XT’s Garmin avionics control a new digital pressurization/cabin system. Cabin noise levels are significantly lower, with a 9.5-dB reduction due to acoustic lining that was very evident during AIN’s demo flight. The Garmin system also includes a GFC700 autopilot and synthetic vision, while Gogo Business Aviation air-to-ground telecom and TCAS are among the available options.
Nextant’s G90XT is expected to cost $2.8 million, including an airframe. The aircraft is designed for single-crew operations with up to seven passengers. High-speed cruise is listed as 283 knots with a range of 1,240 nm with four passengers and IFR reserves. High-speed cruise range is 1,145 nm and long-range cruise 1,500 nm. Takeoff distance is 2,505 feet at mtow.
The company is also displaying its 400XTi light jet in the static area. This remanufactured Beechjet 400A/XP is powered by Williams FJ-44-3AP engines and upgraded with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.
