OSHKOSH, Wisc. – July 31, 2013 – Blackhawk Modifications, Inc., a global leader in the design, development and installation of performance improvement systems for single- and twin-engine turboprop aircraft, has delivered an XP135 upgrade of a corporate transport Hawker Beechcraft King Air C90B for B&G Aircraft, LLC.
Flanders, N.J.-based B&G Aircraft flies the improved-performance King Air in support of the corporate operations of ADD Systems, a leading provider of software for the petroleum, propane, gasoline and convenience-store industries.
Blackhawk’s XP135 upgrade replaced the 550-shaft-horsepower (shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PT6A-21 turboprop engines on B&G Aircraft’s King Air C90B with two factory-new, 750-shp PT6-135A engines, which carry new-engine warranties from P&WC. No airframe modifications are required for the XP135 upgrade, which has received Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval from the FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency and Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC).
“The XP135 upgrade has delivered everything that Blackhawk said it would, and then some” said Bill Tharp of ADD Systems. “We’ve seen an increase in true airspeed, a good, steady improvement in climb rate through 20,000 feet and higher, and an improvement in single-engine performance. In addition, passengers have noticed the cabin is quieter on takeoff, since we now take off at 1,900 revolutions per minute instead of the previous 2,200 rpm.”
The XP135 upgrade, which also offers King Air operators lower operating costs and increased resale value, includes a flight manual supplement, instructions for continued airworthiness, a P&WC engine logbook, a Blackhawk logbook case, a cycle book and aircraft decals, as well as a prepaid enrollment in CAMP Systems’ aircraft maintenance tracking program and The Trend Group Turbine Trend Analysis program. New Blackhawk DigiLog gauges are available as option with the upgrade.
“Blackhawk’s expertise and efforts are focused on enabling turboprop operators to get greater performance and economy from their aircraft,” said Blackhawk President and CEO Jim Allmon. “We’re pleased to deliver that greater capability for B&G Aircraft.”
Blackhawk offers a series of XP upgrades for King Air aircraft. To date, it has completed more than 340 such upgrades of King Air 90- and 200-series aircraft. It will be displaying those upgrades and its other products and services for turboprop-powered aircraft at Booth Number 358/359 during EAA’s Airventure 2013 here through August 4.
Blackhawk Modifications, Inc., founded in 1999 in Waco, Texas, is a recognized aviation leader in providing engine performance solutions to the turboprop fleet. The company has the largest installed fleet of STC twin-engine turboprop engine upgrades and is the largest buyer of new Pratt & Whitney Canada turboprop engines in the world. A worldwide network of approved dealers and service support centers complements Blackhawk’s U.S. facilities.
For more information, visit www.blackhawk.aero.
