Cessna Updates Progress On Denali Turboprop

Textron Aviation on Monday updated the progress of its Cessna Denali turboprop single, a program the company formally announced more than 18 months ago at NBAA and to which it assigned a brand, Cessna, and name, Denali, at AirVenture last year. In a phone briefing last week, Textron Aviation's Brad Thress announced a few milestones for the program. The company, Thress said, has started manufacture of the first test aircraft and is building tooling for production. First flight for Denali is pegged for next year---Textron isn't naming a date, but based on current program progress, one would assume that flight would take place later in 2018.

Courtesy of Textron Aviation

Thress said that Garmin has been chosen to provide the avionics for the Denali, with the plane getting the touch-controlled G3000 system with three large displays with split-screen capability. The Garmin announcement was not a huge surprise, as several Cessnas already sport the G3000 suite, or one of its close relatives, the G2000 or G5000.

Textron also announced a milestone near and dear to every manufacturer's heart---it has started taking letters of intent from first customers for the Denali, and Thress said interest in the aircraft has been great, which should come as no surprise to those who study the market.

The Denali is the first plane in its class not equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT-6 variant. The GE advanced turboprop---like you, we're still waiting for a name for the engine---is a 1,240-shp engine with full authority digital engine control (FADEC), a first for a turboprop engine in this class. Standard is a five-blade McCauley composite prop.

Targeted top cruise speed is 285 knots with a full-fuel payload of 1,100 pounds, allowing for long legs with big loads. And the Denali is a big plane---it seats from six (in executive layout) to nine (in all forward facing seats) with a flat floor. The Denali also has what Textron says is an industry-best cabin altitude of 6,130 feet at its ceiling of 31,000 feet.

Learn more at Textron Aviation.

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Isabel GoyerWriter

A commercial pilot, editor-in-Chief Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.