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we’ll have a fully-equipped Raisbeck EPIC King Air B200 at the show.
LP: The EPIC Caravan was an- nounced last year in April. What mod- els does the STC pertain to and what does it do for performance?
RG: The STC applies to Caravan 208B models. It’s comprised of a com- posite cargo pod fairing and dual metal aft body strakes. Operators will realize at least a five-knot cruise speed increase and better range. The new pod fairing reduces drag greatly and only weighs 38 lbs. The strakes significantly improve lateral stability. Interestingly, the majority of our pro- spective clients for the EPIC Caravan are international operators, so we are going all over the world demonstrat- ing and talking about it. It’s super exciting for us.
LP: Tell me a little about the new five-blade swept propeller STC for King Air 300s.
RG: It’s a significant enhancement to the heavy 300s, including the 350, 360 and MC-12W. Operators will real- ize increased thrust and cruise speed, lower noise and better landing per- formance. They’re carbon fiber and weigh almost 54 lbs. less than the original props. They also look very cool and have unlimited blade life.
LP: Raisbeck STCs are standard equipment on Textron Aviation’s King Air production line. How is the relationship with the OEM, and do you anticipate any new programs with other OEMs in the future?
RG: As you know, we have a strong and healthy relationship with Textron Aviation. Raisbeck ram air recovery systems are standard on the King Air 260, and Raisbeck aft strakes and wing lockers are standard on the 360. We’re
excited about our Caravan programs and hope to possibly have some new STCs for the current production EX in the future.
As far as other OEMs, we don’t have anything planned necessarily, but we’re always looking for oppor- tunities to improve performance and utility for operators.
LP: What is unique about the EPIC packages? Obviously, there are other propeller and aircraft upgrades out there, even from the OEMs themselves.
RG: The EPIC packages come with certified performance in the form of certified f light manual supplements. This means that Raisbeck has done the work and invested funding into prov- ing our performance upgrades through f light testing, which has then been certified by the FAA. For instance, our King Air 200 EPIC Platinum pro- gram provides operators with swept-
award schedule (MSA) agreement with the US government, can you talk about anything new on the horizon?
RG: Yes, the GSA schedule is sig- nificant because it makes Raisbeck’s products accessible through a sim- plified buying process to state and federal government agencies. It cer- tainly expands our footprint in the federal government marketplace. Last year, we completed a large US Army contract in which we added our five- blade propellers to around 42 C-12s, the military’s King Air B200 equiva- lent. We definitely want to increase our government and special mission activities, and that’s why we have pur- sued the GSA certification.
LP: From a personnel standpoint, the last three years at Raisbeck have been pretty dramatic. The whole avia- tion world mourned James Raisbeck’s passing in August 2021. What other
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blade propellers, ram air recovery, enhanced leading edges, dual aft body strakes and high-float gear. Operators can also take credit for the runway performance, which is incredibly im- portant and differentiates Raisbeck’s upgrades because we went to the ex- pense of certifying everything.
LP: With Raisbeck’s recent an- nouncement of the five-year general service administration (GSA) multiple