Unveils Mockup, Dubs Its New Bird 'Denali'

By Kathryn B. Creedy

At its chalet during the first day of the AirVenture, Cessna not only unveiled its new mockup for its clean-sheet single-engine turboprop (SETP), but dubbed the new bird the Cessna Denali in hopes to signal “a rugged, yet refined” aircraft. The move comes only a year after the company announced development of the new aircraft.

The cabin has a three-inch advantage to its nearest competitor at 63 inches in width. The mockup is at its chalet alongside the under-development GE advanced turboprop that will power the new aircraft.

“The clean-sheet Cessna Denali is being designed to outperform its competition in capability, pilot interface and ownership costs,” said Senior Vice President Engineering Michael Thacker. “Engineered to achieve cruise speeds of 285 knots and full fuel payload of 1,100 pounds, the Denali will have a range of 1,600 nautical miles at high speed cruise with one pilot and four passengers and will be able to fly from Los Angeles to Chicago, New York to Miami, or London to Moscow.”

The company opened its order book to letters of intent (LOIs) for the $4.5 million aircraft at EBACE and reported increasing interest and commitments but would not say how many LOIs it has booked. Thacker side-stepped questions as to what other applications it could develop for the Denali, saying only that its focus is on bringing the aircraft, a segment that it has not served before, to market. It also kept to its message points when asked what customer reaction on the choice of the GE engine, talking about the simplicity of the engine as well as the fact it includes FADEC controls, the only aircraft in the space to do so.

Cessna partnered with GE, powering the Denali with the new advanced, 1,240 shaft-horse-power-rated turboprop engine, which includes a single-lever power and propeller control. It will also be equipped with McCauley’s new 105-inch diameter composite, five-bladed, constant-speed propeller, which is full feathering with reversible pitch and ice protection. The time between overhauls for the engine provides an initial 4,000 hours and is class-leading performance retention for hot/high capability.

The Denali features the Garmin G3000 avionics suite with high-res, multifunction displays and split-screen capability. It also features a digital pressurization system for 6,130-foot cabin levels at the 32,000-foot service ceiling. It features a flat-floor cabin for quick cargo/passenger conversions. The aircraft comes in a six-seat standard configuration but the company is also offering a nine-place high-density seating option.

Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing Kriya Shortt said the company is following customer preferences and focusing on total cost of ownership rather than acquisition costs. To that end, it has developed a five-year limited warranty, covering the airframe, engine and avionics. In addition, it linked Denali ownership with it Textron Aviation’s ProAdvantage program to make ownership costs more predictable, something it said was unique to this class of aircraft.

(Images provided)

FMI: www.cessna.com