"Excalibur" turboprop Cessna 421C coming
#1
"Excalibur" turboprop Cessna 421C coming
I wonder what this means about demand for cabin class pistons and light turboprops in the US? Everybody got out of the business in the '80s due to lawsuits when the middle segment died out, leaving Seminoles at the bottom and King Airs at the top. Mid- level cabin class twins are still very much in use among private and Part 135 firms, so it is nice to see a comeback if there is one. Personally I think the name is kind of blah, should have been The New Turbo 421C, or something more descriptive. It is also nice to see Mr. Pelton rebounding from his Cessna layoff of a couple years ago.
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New Aircraft Remanufacturing Firm Formed
(1/25/13, C. Trautvetter, AINOnline) Former Cessna chairman and CEO Jack Pelton is among a half-dozen veteran business and military aviation executives who have joined forces to offer remanufactured turbine-powered aircraft to the aviation and defense industries. The newly formed company, The Aviation Alliance, also announced its first business aviation offering yesterday: the Excalibur 421. The remanufactured Cessna 421C will feature Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A turboprop engines, Garmin G600 avionics, winglets, new tires and brakes, and new cabin, de-icing, hydraulic and electrical systems. Including airframe, the aircraft will retail for $2.5 million, complete with a new-aircraft warranty. Preliminary specifications include a 327-knot top speed and 1,420-nm range. A prototype Excalibur 421 is now flying, and FAA STC approval and deliveries are expected by year-end. In addition, a similar program is in the works for the Cessna 414...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Aircraft Remanufacturing Firm Formed
(1/25/13, C. Trautvetter, AINOnline) Former Cessna chairman and CEO Jack Pelton is among a half-dozen veteran business and military aviation executives who have joined forces to offer remanufactured turbine-powered aircraft to the aviation and defense industries. The newly formed company, The Aviation Alliance, also announced its first business aviation offering yesterday: the Excalibur 421. The remanufactured Cessna 421C will feature Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A turboprop engines, Garmin G600 avionics, winglets, new tires and brakes, and new cabin, de-icing, hydraulic and electrical systems. Including airframe, the aircraft will retail for $2.5 million, complete with a new-aircraft warranty. Preliminary specifications include a 327-knot top speed and 1,420-nm range. A prototype Excalibur 421 is now flying, and FAA STC approval and deliveries are expected by year-end. In addition, a similar program is in the works for the Cessna 414...
#2
Eclipse 550 is 2.5 million, and new. I can't believe I'm saying this, since they didn't do so well the last time around, but it seems they are better sorted out now. Anyways, performance seems TBM700ish. That has one less engine to overhaul.
#3
Good point JNB, and TBM 700s are indeed a bit faster & cheaper with the same useful load. But there are some arguments for cabin class twins-
> the extra engine equates to a perceived boost in safety in off shore operations and airline flying. Some airlines have used them quite a bit (Skywest, Cape Air).
> the extra engine drives down insurance and makes Part 135 cheaper.
I agree though, the extra engine is a pretty costly thing to have running out there when a larger PT6A on the nose will do just as well, and may even have the same reliability as a twin that gets rolled due to poor SE pilot skills. Piper had a study stapled to their website when they were working on the PiperJet that made a pretty good case for not having a second engine.
As for the new redesigned Eclipse. No doubt it is a good airplane especially now they have worked out the bugs, but AviationWeek had a long article on the 550 last year and said it still has some design troubles.
> the extra engine equates to a perceived boost in safety in off shore operations and airline flying. Some airlines have used them quite a bit (Skywest, Cape Air).
> the extra engine drives down insurance and makes Part 135 cheaper.
I agree though, the extra engine is a pretty costly thing to have running out there when a larger PT6A on the nose will do just as well, and may even have the same reliability as a twin that gets rolled due to poor SE pilot skills. Piper had a study stapled to their website when they were working on the PiperJet that made a pretty good case for not having a second engine.
As for the new redesigned Eclipse. No doubt it is a good airplane especially now they have worked out the bugs, but AviationWeek had a long article on the 550 last year and said it still has some design troubles.
#5
This.....
Just flew one today, in fact. A sweet, sweet ride.
Originally Posted by Flying Magazine
To say that owners love this airplane is a huge understatement.
Just flew one today, in fact. A sweet, sweet ride.
used airplanes are typically going for 100 percent of their original price.
#6
Agreed 100%. Have about 1000 hours in the Legacy and NG versions. If only I had a few million to spend on an airplane I'd have my own..... luckily someone else did and I was lucky enough to be their pilot .
A go anywhere, carry pretty much anything, airplane.
A go anywhere, carry pretty much anything, airplane.
#9
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09-26-2008 06:59 AM