Cessna Grand Caravan EX flies to GA future
January 11, 2013, 01:38 pm
According to Cessna, the Cessna Grand Caravan EX has exceeded company expectations, earning a Federal Aviation Administration Type Certification as deliveries are currently taking place.
“When we started with this design, we knew we could push the performance envelope on the Grand Caravan EX and get it into service for our customers in ‘high and hot’ missions, but the performance we’ve realized through the certification process with the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine has truly exceeded our already aggressive performance targets,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Cessna business leader for the Caravan.
Company officials stated that the Grand Caravan EX has a 38 percent improvement in the rate it climbs compared to the Grand Caravan, a projection, they added, that is far higher than the 20 percent rate they anticipated.
Cessna and Open Airplane partner up
Toward the end of 2012, Cessna announced OpenAirplane had become an endorsed partner, helping enhance products to offer a better overall experience for pilots.
Implementing business practices from OpenAirplane, a wider variety of aircraft can be rented by pilots away from home. The two companies are looking to streamline the renting and checkout process between pilots and fixed based operators, who will now easily be able to confirm a pilot's training and qualifications.
Jodi Noah, senior vice president of Propeller Business at Cessna, saidthat the partnership is looking to make flying more valuable for pilots.
"By being part of this network, our customers find more utility in flying," Noah said. "Together we can make flying more useful, safer, and more fun. Working with OpenAirplane, CPCs will offer pilots a checkout that comes with the added benefit of access to a network of the same make model aircraft across the country without a local flight checkout, rather they will only need to complete a procedure briefing that can be accomplished ahead of time online.”
As partnerships continue advancements in the aviation community, general aviators are sure to make their mark on America down the road. This past year general aviation paved the back roads to America's network of flights, helping victims of national tragedies, producing jobs and contributing to the economy as a whole.
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