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When former Cessna chairman and CEO Jack Pelton joined forces with business and military aviation veterans Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson (USAF Ret) and Geoff Miller to form California-based Aviation Alliance and bring “better-than-new” remanufactured turbine-powered aircraft to the market, there certainly wasn’t any blowback. The industry was ablaze with talk of a new era in business aviation.
The best part of this story, at least from an engine standpoint, is that the new aircraft, a remanufactured Cessna 421 renamed “Excalibur 421,” would be upgraded with Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6A-135A turboprops.
According to company officials, the aircraft will be marketed as a “new” aircraft with a new cockpit and cabin class interior, new state of the art avionics, new brakes, new de-icing, hydraulics and electrical systems, a like-new aircraft warranty, most important, new engines.
With two PT6A-135A turboprops powering the Excalibur 421, the aircraft is expected to reach a high-speed cruise speed of up to 300 knots with a range of over 1,400 miles with reserves and a ceiling of 30,000 feet, per Supplemental Type Certification (STC) estimates.
“The numbers speak for themselves.” says Denis Parisien, Vice President, General Aviation Products, P&WC. “Pratt & Whitney Canada is excited to welcome the Excalibur 421 to the PT6A engine family, which has more than 41,000 engines and over 335 million flying hours. The Excalibur 421 owner will benefit from the industry-leading reliability and support that the PT6A provides.”
