It may be hard not to think of “Pratt & Whitney PT-6” when one thinks of the remarkably successful “Cessna Caravan,” but Alaskan aircraft mod shop Aero Twin hopes that in time it can change that perception with its 850 Caravan conversion, which it expects to have STC’d around the time that you read this.
The modification replaces the PT-6 on the Caravan with the Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701S, a 1,060-shp engine derated to 850 shp for the 850 Caravan. The TPE331-12JR, which was originally designed for the CASA 212 turboprop twin, has been in service on that airplane for eight years. Also included are a new, lightweight cowling, a four-blade reversing Hartzell propeller (in place of the three-blader on the original), and a gross weight increase of 360 pounds from the Cessna POH.
