50 African Pilot April 2015
Texas Turbine Conversions has modifi ed aircraft with Honeywell (Garrett)
TPE331 engines for more than 20 years. The company holds multiple
Supplemental Type certifi cates (STCs) for engine modifi cations on numerous
aircraft platforms. Presently specialising on DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter and
the Cessna 208/208B Caravans, the company has modifi ed and delivered
more than 80 aircraft all over the world. In southern Africa the appointed
agents for this Cessna Caravan upgrade are InterJet based at Lanseria
International airport.
Supervan 900, Texas Turbine Conversions’ most recent and highly successful
STC, provides Caravan owners with unprecedented thrust, performance
and effi ciency regardless of operating conditions. Whether you take-off
from a prepared asphalt runway or a semi prepared gravel airstrip, with the
Honeywell TPE331-12JR under the cowls, rest assured you have plenty of
power to get in and out, without having to leave anyone or anything behind.
Regardless of the business of your company, be it airline, parachutists’ drop
zone, private user, or to conduct special missions, the Supervan 900 can get
you there faster, safer and more effi ciently than any other engine upgrade on
the market. The Namibian Desert Air Caravan shown in the accompanying
pictures has been the most recent conversion to the Supervan. For the
record the engine is rated at 1,000 SHP for take-off and 975 continuously,
but it has been fl at-rated to 900 SHP in the Caravan. That fi gure still
represents an increase of around a third, a huge boost for any airplane and
the performance improvement you obtain with that jolt of power is as good as
you might expect. Though all published book speeds and restrictions remain
in effect, the benefi ts are still enormous.