Story ID: 848 Nextant.doc
Nextant Looks to Super-mid and Above
By: David Donald
Caption: Having created ‘new’ versions of the Beechjet 400 and King Air 90, Nextant is now looking for a bigger aircraft.
Word Count: 524
Nextant Aerospace expects to announce its next remanufacturing program at the NBAA show later this year, to follow on from the 400XT/XTi and G90XT that are based on the Beechjet/Hawker 400 and King Air 90, respectively. Both offer considerable performance and comfort advances over the original aircraft, and are priced attractively against new-build competitors.

President and CEO Sean McGeough shed a glimmer of light on what the new project may be at EBACE by revealing that the company is looking at the super-midsize segment and larger. “We’ve got the entry level pretty well covered. Much as we like the entry level, we’re now looking at the larger market,” he said. “We are looking at several types, but we have to be able to offer the same great 50-cents-on-the-dollar value proposition. A great product, with a great warranty.”

Initiating a larger aircraft remanufacturing program will entail significant investment, and the choice of aircraft has to be right. The ability to source used aircraft for remanufacturing is an important factor, although the company has noted that, with a greater acceptance of the remanufacturing concept, the proportion of existing owners placing their own aircraft into the program has grown, reducing the need to find airframes. Helping Nextant in their selection of a type is a series of customer advisory boards of operators. The first was held in China, followed by another at Nextant’s headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. A third board is taking place this week at EBACE.

Nextant’s current product line is performing well. Flight tests of the G90XT and its General Electric H75-100 engines have shown an 8 percent improvement in specific fuel consumption over the regular King Air 90, a figure expected to improve further when a new gearbox is introduced. High-altitude performance is reported as excellent, and time-to-climb figures show improvements of between 10 and 15 percent. Nextant is predicting operational savings of around $85 to $100 per hour.

For training G90XT pilots as part of the purchase package, Nextant has signed up Flight Safety International, which is providing a full flight simulator. The G90XT’s Garmin-based Regent flight deck greatly eases pilot workload, including single-lever engine control, integrated fuel/engine monitoring and automatic pressurization scheduling.

Deliveries of the 400XTi light jet continue, with the first European customer–Time Air in the Czech Republic–scheduled to receive its third aircraft next week. Nextant (which is here with a 400XTi on the static display) recently took a five-aircraft order from fractional ownership company PlaneSense, and the first two will be delivered this year. PlaneSense’s aircraft are the first to be completed with the Safe Flight AutoPower autothrottle option, which is due for certification in the next three to four weeks.

An important recent development for Nextant has seen it become a partner of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, allowing the company’s remanufactured products to be financed in the same way as new-build aircraft. The company has also created a re-sale division to manage pre-owned aircraft sales and to re-enter aircraft into the remanufacturing process if applicable.