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First flight of the Aircraft Structures International Corp. (ASIC) ULtimate Grand Caravan has occurred with the Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A-140 turboprop (867 HP) engine installed. The production configured ULtimate Grand Caravan went through its planned checklist of tests and provided a glimpse of the added performance customers will enjoy with the additional horsepower. Flight testing will continue immediately, working towards certification by the end of the year.
With completion of the first flight, ASIC will start taking refundable deposits for reserving order position delivery dates. More information about performance and placing an order is available at the ASIC website.
Marty McCaslin, vice president of engineering, commented that, “this is an important milestone for the project and we are delighted it went so well. It represents what we expect from this project.”
Following closely behind the ULtimate Grand Caravan, certification of the PT6A-140 into the original Caravan will be next in a series of Caravan model improvements.
