Nextant G90XT makes maiden flight

Nextant G90XT

Nextant Aerospace has completed the first test flight for the new G90XT business turboprop. The company celebrated the landmark event with a rollout celebration at their headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.

“This is a very exciting day for the team at Nextant and our customer base,” said Sean McGeough, president and CEO of Nextant. “We announced this programme just twelve months ago and we are on schedule for certification. We have great expectations for this aircraft and believe the new technology that it offers will be appealing to this market segment.”

The G90XT by Nextant Aerospace is a remanufactured King Air C90A that features the new H75 engine by GE. The aircraft has also been upgraded with several significant technology enhancements including a fully integrated Garmin G1000 cockpit. The aircraft has also had an interior upgrade for enhanced cabin comfort.

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McGeough added: “We spent several months with existing King Air operators during our feasibility studies trying to understand what types of enhancements would significantly improve their ownership experience. We listened carefully and believe we are delivering a product that will have a large impact within this market segment. Like our previous aircraft, the 400XTi, we’ve tried to take a good aircraft and make it a great aircraft.”

Captain Nathan Marker, chief test pilot and vice president of Nextant’s flight operations was at the controls of the G90XT for the first flight: “The increased power was very noticeable during the take-off run. I was also impressed by the lower noise levels in the cockpit. The change in position of the propellers relative to the fuselage combined with the new engine makes for a much quieter and more comfortable flight experience for passengers.”

In addition to the G90XT programme, Captain Marker led the test flight program for the 400XTi. “Like we did with the 400XTi, we will spend the next several weeks running the aircraft through a full test flight envelope.”

Nextant expects the flight test programme to last approximately six weeks and anticipates certification for the aircraft in the second quarter of 2015.

Once certified, Nextant will begin delivery of production aircraft immediately.

The company released a short video of the first flight