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...
