Nextant completes G90XT certification programme

Nextant G90XT

Nextant Aerospace has completed all of the necessary work to certificate its King Air G90XT conversion programme.

The Nextant G90XT was first announced as a collaboration between engine manufacturer General Electric (GE) and Nextant during the 2013 NBAA show.

As well as replacing the original engines with newer GE H80 turboprops, the cockpit has been replaced with a Garmin G1000 avionics suite. The cabin of the aircraft has also been re-worked.

Unlike the original engines, the H80 is electronically controlled, with each engine having its own control lever. The twin H80s both have independent full auto startup capabilities.

“When we launched the G90XT programme, we had an opportunity to be the first company to deliver on the full potential of this great airframe by providing technology that operators have been waiting years for,” says Jay Heublein, executive vice president of Nextant. “The King Air family is the most successful business aviation platform in the history of our industry but it has long lacked the technology that the jet market has benefitted from over the last decade.”

Nextant says that it is expecting to receive FAA certification within 30 days, with European EASA certification following shortly afterwards.