Blackhawk Aerospace Launches PC-12 Engine Upgrade Program

5

Blackhawk Aerospace announced at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) that it is working on an engine upgrade program for some Pilatus PC-12s. Once the supplemental type certificate (STC) has been approved, the XP67P Engine+ Upgrade program will replace the stock Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B engine found on legacy PC-12s with a factory-new PT6A-67P. The -67P, which has higher internal turbine temperature (ITT) limitations and produces 142 more thermodynamic horsepower than the -67B, will increase the aircraft’s power and performance including allowing the PC-12 to maintain full power to 23,000 feet.

“Building upon the success of our existing Caravan engine upgrades, adding the Pilatus PC-12 platform to our growing list of STCs was a natural evolution for the aftermarket engine upgrade business that Blackhawk was built on,” said Blackhawk President and CEO Jim Allmon. “Our foundation of innovation continues to carry us to new and exciting heights, and we look forward to welcoming PC-12 owners and operators into the Blackhawk family.”

According to market research conducted by Blackhawk, there are currently 1,700 PC-12 models in operation, more than 600 of which will be eligible for the XP67P upgrade. Flight testing is expected to begin in early 2022. Blackhawk is targeting the first quarter of 2023 for STC completion and estimates that the upgrade will be priced at around $800,000.

Kate O'Connor
Kate O’Connor works as AVweb's Editor-in-Chief. She is a private pilot, certificated aircraft dispatcher, and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Other AVwebflash Articles

5 COMMENTS

    • I assume you got the same -67P powerplant upgrade and a 5-spinner prop? I’m curious what your typical high speed TAS is at say FL270 and your time to climb improvement. The general consensus is that the upgrade is ~15kt faster over the factory original variant series (41/45/47/47E-NG).

      • We fly a second plane without the upgrade. The upgraded plane is 10-15 knots faster and time to climb is reduced but varies depending upon load. My best time to 250 was 18 minutes with 3.5 hours of fuel and just myself in on board. The upgrade was done because the engine was at TBO and for the very real potential of not having much price difference between the overhaul and the upgrade, we went with the upgrade.
        Generally speaking, the advertised improvements are accurate. The 67P airplane has the MT prop and the other has the Hartzell 5 bladed prop.
        We have done several flights that required both planes and the upgraded plane always gets there first.

LEAVE A REPLY