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A Jolt of Power, Texas Style

Texas Turbine float-equipped Supervan 900 Texas Turbines
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Turbine engine swaps are a popular method for aircraft owners to enhance the value, performance, and hauling capabilities of existing airplanes without purchasing new ones.
  • Texas Turbine Conversions offers a specific upgrade for the Cessna Caravan, replacing its stock Pratt & Whitney PT6 engine with a more powerful 900 shp Honeywell TPE331-12JR.
  • This conversion dramatically improves performance, resulting in 25-40 knots faster cruise speeds, over 30% better takeoff and climb rates, superior hot-and-high capabilities, and a 260-pound gross weight increase.
  • Despite a higher upfront cost ($495,000 with engine exchange), the Honeywell conversion boasts a significantly higher commercial TBO (7,000 hours vs. 3,600 hours) and promises long-term savings in fuel burn and maintenance, making it attractive for demanding operations like floatplanes.
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Engine swaps for turbine airplanes are, as Lane Wallace pointed out in her overview of the turbine re-engining marketplace, a popular way for airplane owners to get more value out of an existing airplane. For those owners who are looking to get more hauling power or improved performance without trading up, an engine swap is often just what the doctor ordered.

For potential customers who want to see how much extra performance or economy a different engine could provide in their Caravan or Citation, the specifications are only a few keystrokes away. And while there’s some understandable skepticism about just how accurate those numbers are, my experience has been that they are dead on. I’ve flown a number of airplanes with new turbine engines, and in every instance, I’ve seen the advertised numbers or better.

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