Company Says New 850 SHP Engine Give Extra Power, Better Performance

By Chris Batcheller

Blackhawk Modifications  ... the modification company, not the helicopter ... recently certified the XP42A upgrade on the Cessna Caravan with the FAA. The upgrade installs an 850 shp PT6A-42 with a new engine warranty. It also installs a new carbon composite, frakes exhaust stacks and a Hartzell 100” four blade propeller.   

The bigger engine has several advantages with the biggest being the extra power will let you maintain airspeed in icing conditions. This is a big plus for older caravans that were built before the weeping wing system was introduced. In flight testing the pilots were able to maintain 170 knots in actual icing conditions with 4-5” of ice on the ice.

The engine has a 3600 TBO, and operators can extend up to 5000 hours with engine trend monitoring.

The most obvious change from an factory Caravan is the single exhaust has been replaced with two stacks. The stacks are angled to minimize exhaust soot on the airplane. Blackhawk spent 35,000 man hours and produced over 102 engineering drawings over 2 1/2 years.  The company has sold out this years production with 20 cash deposits and expects to complete up to 3 conversions per month.

FMI: www.blackhawk.aero

Blackhawk President and CEO Jim Allmon