Story ID: 571
Nextant Aerospace Completes G90XT Test Program
By: Ian Sheppard
Caption: Nextant is now on the cusp of FAA certification for the King Air G90XT, with EASA validation to follow.
Word Count: 257
Nextant Aerospace has completed certification trials for the King Air G90XT’s new single-lever engine control system, paving the way for FAA certification. This is expected within 30 days of NBAA 2017, with EASA validation following, said the Cleveland-based company. The system allows each engine to be controlled with one lever, leaving pitch control to the Fadec.

“The combination of single-lever power control technology, the fully integrated Garmin G1000 cockpit and the new digital pressurization system delivers the most advanced combination of technology I’ve seen in a turboprop,” said Nathan Market, vice president flight operations and lead test pilot. The aircraft is parked at the NBAA 2017 static display and following the show will embark on a demonstration tour of the U.S.

According to Nextant CEO Jay Heublein, “The King Air family is the most successful business aviation platform in the history of our industry, but it has lacked the technology that the jet market has benefited from over the past decade.”

The G90XT also offers a 20 knot increase in speed at altitude and an all-new cabin and environmental system.

Nextant’s business is improving, or “remanufacturing,” existing types that can be given a new lease of life by retrofitting modern technology to the airframes. Its first project was the 400XTi, based on the Beechjet 400 airframe. Nextant claims to have sold 70 of the remanufactured business jet in 13 countries. After launching the G90XT project, it also embarked on another project, the 604XT, based on the Challenger 604.