Textron Aviation (NYSE: TXT) is increasing the operational flexibility of the recently certified Cessna SkyCourier with the introduction of a new gravel kit. The addition of the gravel kit will give customers more flexibility allowing them to operate their aircraft from unimproved runways.
Company officials predict that the gravel kit option will make the SkyCourier more attractive to a variety of customers such as humanitarian organizations, government agencies, law enforcement and militaries, air ambulance operators, freight haulers, and corporations that benefit from operating off unimproved runways.
The SkyCourier, Cessna’s clean-sheet design twin-engine turboprop, was FAA certified in March 2022. Deliveries began two months later.
The Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine, high-wing turboprop can be configured for both freight and up to 19 passengers. The aircraft has single-point pressure refueling to enable faster turnarounds when time is of the essence. The aircraft is designed to hold up to 6,000 pounds of payload.
The SkyCourier is powered by a pair of wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines with McCauley C779 four-bladed propellers. The flight deck features Garmin G1000 NXi avionics.
“The addition of this new gravel kit greatly enhances the already rugged reliability of the SkyCourier,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of sales and flight operations. “Cessna aircraft have been moving people and critically-needed goods in and out of remote areas for decades, and this new capability allows SkyCourier customers to operate in some of the world’s most demanding environments.”
The SkyCourier has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and a range of approximately 900 nm.
The first deliveries of the SkyCourier with the gravel kit option are expected to begin later this month.
