Rolls Royce Unveils New GA Turboprop Engine

The folks at Rolls Royce introduced their brand-new GA turboprop at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday morning, complete with flashing lights, a puff of smoke, and a couple of tough-looking guys in dark glasses to shout “Clear prop!” as the curtains parted and the new engine rolled out. The RR 500 TP aims to “capture a significant market share in the light, fixed-wing general aviation segment,” the company said. It’s multi-fuel-capable and will deliver 350 to 450 shaft horsepower at half the weight of equivalent pistons, the company said. Other features include low pilot workload, reduced cabin noise, unimpeded climb-to-altitude performance, and a 2,000-hour shop visit interval. More information will be available later in a podcast interview with Rolls Royce staff, by AVweb editor Russ Niles.

The folks at Rolls Royce introduced their brand-new GA turboprop at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday morning, complete with flashing lights, a puff of smoke, and a couple of tough-looking guys in dark glasses to shout "Clear prop!" as the curtains parted and the new engine rolled out. The RR 500 TP aims to "capture a significant market share in the light, fixed-wing general aviation segment," the company said. It's multi-fuel-capable and will deliver 350 to 450 shaft horsepower at half the weight of equivalent pistons, the company said. Other features include low pilot workload, reduced cabin noise, unimpeded climb-to-altitude performance, and a 2,000-hour shop visit interval. More information will be available later in a podcast interview with Rolls Royce staff, by AVweb editor Russ Niles.

The engine will be produced at a Rolls Royce facility in Indianapolis, Ind., where a new small-engine assembly line is already producing the RR300 engine. More info about the new engine is available online at the company Web site. If you are on the field at Oshkosh, the engine is on display at the Rolls Royce exhibit near Aeroshell Square, and technical talks about it will take place Tuesday and Wednesday at 2 p.m.