Textron details single-engine turboprop

May 23, 2016 By Thomas A. Horne

At the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE), Textron Aviation fleshed out more details of its upcoming single-engine turboprop (SETP) project, and even revealed a cabin illustration and a rendition of the airplane. Textron also said that letters of intent to purchase the clean-sheet design are now being accepted.

Textron's single-engine turboprop will be powered by a single, FADEC-equipped GE turboprop engine of 1,240-shp.

The SETP will be powered by a single, FADEC-equipped GE turboprop engine of 1,240 shaft horsepower. The engine will be controlled by a single-power lever; have a 4,000-hour recommended time between overhaul; and drive a McCauley 105-inch-diameter, composite-construction five-blade propeller. Cruise speeds of up to 285 knots—with a pilot and four passengers—are expected, and at high-speed cruise power, the range will be 1,600 nautical miles. This range will serve city pairs such as Los Angeles-Chicago, New York-Miami, or Geneva-Istanbul, Textron said.

Garmin’s G3000 avionics suite has been chosen for the SETP. Other standard cockpit equipment will include weather radar, advanced Terrain Awareness Warning System, and full Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast compliant shipset.

As for the interior, the SETP will have a flat floor, a forward airstair door, and a 53-inch-wide aft cabin cargo door. The pressurization system will maintain a 6,130-foot cabin altitude at the airplane’s service ceiling of 31,000 feet, Textron said. Six reclining seats and an optional belted lavatory seat are other interior features.

Textron revealed images of the T-tailed SETP at EBACE, which suggests its likeness to a smaller-scale take on a Pilatus PC-12. The windshield evokes that of a Citation Mustang, and the cabin windows definitely resemble those of a Beechcraft King Air.

A cabin prototype mockup is set to debut at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this summer. The SETP’s first flight is set for 2018.

Textron's single-engine turboprop will have a flat floor, a forward airstair door, and a 53-inch-wide aft cabin cargo door.

Thomas A. Horne

AOPA Pilot Editor at Large

AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Tom Horne has worked at AOPA since the early 1980s. He began flying in 1975 and has an airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates. He’s flown everything from ultralights to Gulfstreams and ferried numerous piston airplanes across the Atlantic.

Go to Thomas A. Horne's Profile

Topics: Jet, Aircraft

Textron details single-engine turboprop

Related Articles