Story ID: 637 CaravanTTxLABACE13
Cessna Trio Makes LABACE Debut
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: 
Word Count: 321
Appearing for the first time in Latin America at Cessna’s LABACE display is the single-engine turboprop Grand Caravan EX. The new version of the turboprop single offers increased power through its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 867-shp engine to better serve hard-to-access areas. It delivers 25 percent more horsepower than the original Grand Caravan, which translates into a 38-percent increase in rate of climb, a 340-foot (106-meter) reduction in takeoff distance and a 12-knot faster cruise speed.

“The aircraft can haul a 907-kilogram (2,000-pound) payload nearly 833 kilometers (450 nm), making it an ideal solution for safely getting people and cargo into areas other aircraft simply cannot reach,” said Jodi Noah, Cessna’s senior vice president for single-engine/propeller aircraft. The Grand Caravan EX can seat 10 people. It has a base price of $2.149 million.

Also making its first trip to LABACE is Cessna’s four-seat TTx, the world’s fastest certified single-engine fixed-gear aircraft. It has a top speed of 235 knots (435 km/h) with range of 1,250 nm (2,315 km), meaning the airplane can fly from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires nonstop. Its cockpit is designed around the Garmin G2000 avionics suite. “In flight the aircraft is fun, fast and sporty, while still offering a comfortable interior reminiscent of a luxury sports car,” said Kriya Shortt, the manufacturer’s senior vice president of sales. “It is a high-performance aircraft providing customers with the best of both worlds.” Deliveries of the TTx began in June to U.S. customers.

Rounding out the trio of LABACE first-timers is the Textron subsidiary’s recently upgraded Citation Sovereign. Among the improvements to the nine-passenger twinjet is the addition of winglets, which increases its range to 3,000 nm (5,556 km), its top speed to 458 knots (848 km/h) and a direct climb to 45,000 feet (13,716 meters). The new Sovereign also has improved short-field performance, allowing it to operate at a wider range of airports.