The latest version of the venerable Hawker line of business jets, the 900XP, has been certified and deliveries have begun. The 900XP airframe is unchanged from the previous 850XP model with winglets, but new, more powerful Honeywell TFE731-50R engines increase range and speed while chopping runway requirements.
The new engines give the 900XP a 2,800 nm range with six passengers, so nonstop New York to the West Coast flights are possible against 99.9 percent probability headwinds when flying at long-range cruise. At high-speed cruise, range is up from 2,111 nm to 2,307 nm. The extra power cuts takeoff runway requirements, particularly on hot days at high elevation airports.
The Dash 50R engines also have longer inspection intervals, with the major periodic inspection event increasing from 2,100 hours to 2,400 hours, and the compressor zone inspection growing from 3,000 to 6,000 hours. The increased efficiency of the engines is expected to save 5 percent on fuel burn, and the extended inspection intervals will cut engine maintenance costs by 10 percent. It all adds up to a 6 percent per mile cost savings compared to the previous model.
A typically equipped 900XP is priced at $14.3 million. For more information see hawkerbeechcraft.com.
