![A Blackhawk technician inspects a PT6A engine in the shop. [Credit: Blackhawk]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-29-at-1.15.29-PM.png)
If you’re an operator whose PT6A-powered King Air, PC-12, or Caravan is due for overhaul, the math has always been inconvenient, if not daunting. Traditionally, you’d have to send the engine out, absorb the downtime, and hope the final bill is close to the estimate.
The Blackhawk Group, the light turbine aircraft services company, built around Blackhawk, AVEX, and Finnoff, knows that operators need a lot more than a hope.
The company’s new Engine Exchange business segment swaps an operator’s core engine for an already-overhauled, ready-to-install replacement. The program collapses the parts delays and queue time that can stretch a single overhaul into a half-year wait down to a two-to-three-day install.
“We deal in the world of engines, so we’re tied into the cycles,” said Dale Morrow, vice president of Blackhawk’s Engine Exchange. “In our experience as a large MRO provider, unforeseen issues with part vendors and supply chains can add a lot to overhaul lead time. What we’re doing is taking that burden up front and overhauling engines to keep ahead of demand. With us, the hard part is already done. If you send your own engine out for overhaul, you have to hope for the best. You can’t guarantee a price or control the downtime.
“Go through us, and we know what it costs and exactly how long the install will take.”
The real unknown rarely has anything to do with a shop’s workmanship. Many issues can delay an engine once it’s in process, such as a backordered part, a vendor’s own queue, or a hold waiting on paperwork. Engine Exchange takes that guesswork out of the equation.
Rather than one engine chasing one overhaul slot, Blackhawk has built inventory ahead of demand, with more than 30 engines in the program at various stages of readiness. Those engines are sourced exclusively through Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Designated Overhaul Facility network.
The timing tracks with what’s happening across the turboprop fleet. New aircraft production is climbing. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s second-quarter 2026 shipment report shows turboprop deliveries up 7.8 percent year over year through the first half, but new-build lead times still stretch out well beyond what a fleet operator or owner-flown Part 91 pilot can plan around.
Meanwhile, the aircraft already flying are working harder. Argus TraqPak’s most recent activity data has turboprops posting the strongest year-over-year flight-hour growth of any business aviation segment, ahead of both light and midsize jets.
These two curves are moving in opposite directions.
“Market demand is there based on the people who are interested,” Morrow said. “A lot of people in the turboprop space are flying a lot of hours right now. These planes are doing important missions for a lot of people, and that necessitates consistent demand for engines to be available. New production can only do so much, while the engines already in service keep logging more hours.”
More hours flown means more engines approaching TBO sooner and less patience for an open-ended wait on parts and scheduling.
Historically, many operators have leaned on rental engines to bridge overhaul downtime, but Morrow argues that’s a stopgap, not a solution.
“Rental overhaulers are getting fewer and farther between,” he said. “You’re just buying time when you do it that way. You’re going to have to overhaul your engine eventually, and you can’t rent an engine indefinitely. When you rent, you’re putting the plane down twice. It creates more steps, more downtime.”
The Engine Exchange instead trades a customer’s core for a comparable, already-overhauled engine of the same type. It means there’s a one-time install, no rental bridge, and no second swap. Blackhawk will also buy desirable, well-maintained PT6A cores outright, even from operators who aren’t buying a replacement engine.
The company’s particular interest runs toward larger variants, including the PT6A-60, -62, and -67 series that power aircraft like the King Air 300/350 and PC-12 family. Fleet and Part 135 operators are priority sources, but if you have an engine, they’ll take a look.
The valuation process is more rigorous than a quick offer based on flight hours alone.
“First, we check the logbook and make sure there have been no major issues,” Morrow said. “We’ll physically inspect it, borescope it, determine the general condition, and ascribe a value.”
According to Morrow, you should be cautious of anyone who gives you an initial offer without doing the research. Straight value based on hours isn’t enough.
“Our team specializes in the function and sale of aircraft engines, particularly PT6A engines, and we’ll give you real, honest guidance,” Morrow said.
Blackhawk has built its name on performance-upgrade engine programs, and the Engine Exchange is an additional option rather than a replacement for that business.
According to Morrow, the company has different customer groups with different mission types. New engine upgrades are more time-constrained. The backlog for legacy PC-12 engine upgrades is over 12 months. Engine Exchange is one way that The Blackhawk Group is ensuring it can meet everyone’s engine needs on the right timeline.
“If you need to move on now and the benefits of a full upgrade aren’t as valuable to you, we have an option for you,” Morrow said. “We’re not turning anyone with an engine need away. Whether it’s an upgrade, a replacement, an overhaul, or managing an overhaul while you keep your existing powerplant, we’ll help manage that process.”
The program is beneficial to a range of operators, from owner-flown Part 91 operators to professional fleets running Part 135 operations. Anyone, Morrow said, for whom downtime is a direct hit to the bottom line.
“When an aircraft isn’t flying, it isn’t making money, and fleets have to generate revenue just to pay for themselves,” he said. “Any downtime is not good. With our Engine Exchange, the only downtime is the two to three days it takes for the physical install. If your aircraft is your livelihood, that’s the way to go.”
Blackhawk showcased the Engine Exchange program, along with the rest of its engine and upgrade offerings during NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas on October 20-22.
Click here to learn more about The Blackhawk Group.
