The first production example of the new Cessna 182 JT-A Turbo Skylane made its inaugural flight this week, ushering in a new era as the first modern single-engine piston airplane designed specifically to run on jet-A.
“The Turbo Skylane JT-A performed just as expected,” said Cessna senior test pilot Dale Bleakney. “The weather conditions were fantastic, and we took the Turbo 182 up for what turned out to be a very normal first flight. We flew for 2.3 hours, achieved a flight level of 8,000 feet, and attained a true air speed of 158 knots. We brought it in and did some takeoffs and landings, and everything went as expected.”
Announced last year at the Oshkosh Airshow, Cessna JT-A version of the 182 is the result of years or development work put in by the Wichita company’s engineering, research, and manufacturing teams. The airplane is powered by a Safran SMA diesel engine engineered specifically for aviation. It burns just 11 gallons per hour while delivering 227 horsepower. Flight at max cruise speed has demonstrated improved fuel efficiency, and the JT-A is expected to burn 30 to 40 percent less fuel than comparable avgas engines.
The Turbo Skylane JT-A has an estimated range at max cruise speed of 1,025 nm. The certified ceiling will be 20,000 feet, while estimated useful load of 1,018 pounds. Deliveries of the $515,000 jet-A-burning Skylane are scheduled to start later this year.
