Story ID: 391 
Beechcraft Denali Certification Extended by a Year
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: Textron Aviation said the delay in Denali deliveries was to align with the production of its GE Aviation Catalyst turboprop engine.
Word Count: 253
Type certification of the Beechcraft Denali turboprop single has been delayed by a year, Textron Aviation announced Monday at its NBAA-BACE 2022 news conference. The clean-sheet airplane poised to take market share from Pilatus Aircraft’s venerable PC-12 is now expected to be certified in the second half of 2024.

The Wichita-based airframer said the certification schedule that was earlier anticipated in 2023 was moved to align with the production of the airplane’s powerplant, the GE Aviation Catalyst. The Catalyst, an 850- to 1,600-shp engine, is the first clean-sheet business turboprop engine design in 50 years. The engine is also the first to use 3D-printed components. In May, Avio Aero, the GE Aviation unit developing and manufacturing the engine, said it had completed nearly 50 percent of certification testing.

As for testing, Textron Aviation (Booth 1273, Static AD_502) also announced that the third and final flight-test Denali completed its first flight, achieving 250 knots and an altitude of 17,500 feet during the two-hour jaunt. In all, the Denali test fleet has accumulated about 600 flight hours.

A mockup of the Denali is available for viewing this week at the company's NBAA-BACE static display at Orlando Executive Airport. In addition, the Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 and XLS Gen2, which were announced at last year’s NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, are making their debut alongside the Denali mockup. The company also brought an example of the Velis Electro from Pipistrel Aircraft, which Textron acquired this summer as a means to enter the electric aviation business.