Page 22 - Oct2016 Vol 20 No 10

Innova AerosOffers Improvefor “Forgotten” Kiby Leroy CookIn twin presentations at EAA Airventure Oshkosh last electronic instrument panel suite that brings anyJuly, Innova Aerospace unveiled upgrade packagesfor the venerable King Air 90-series airplanes. Unlike most mods, the Innova upgrades are planned for all cruciform-tail King Airs, even the A90 and B90 series.Shortly before the Oshkosh showing, we visited Innova’s base at Perryville, Missouri, a river-plain airport located just south of St. Louis. Long the center of support for the Rockwell Sabreliner business jet fleet, of which 50 or 60 are still flying, as well as providing a broad offering of maintenance for other aircraft, Sabreliner Aviation was bought by Innova in 2015, giving it an impressive amount of space on the 7,000-foot runway field.The Innova shops in Perryville are capable of complete interior and exterior renovation, avionics upgrades and inspection and overhaul services. Now, Innova is lending its expertise to refurbishing the Beech King Air fleet, by offering GE engine replacements for the PT6A turboprops, and by STCing a Bendix/King AeroVue20 • TWIN & TURBINEconventional-tail 90-series King Air into the modern era. Innova’s two demonstrator King Airs, featuring the engine and avionics upgrades, were painted in the modern 40,000-square-foot paint facility at Perryville before being flown to Oshkosh.A New Level Of Performance With New EnginesFirst, we’ll address the engines upgrade. As briefed by Innova’s director of marketing, David Meske, in 2015 Innova acquired the STC previously owned by Smyrna Air Center that replaced King Air 90’s PT6A engines with General Electric H80 powerplants. Based on the Czechoslovakian Walter engines, GE’s H-series turboprop is available in 750, 800 and 850-shp variants, with the H80 offering 800-shp capability. Flat rated to 500 shp in the King Air 90, the engine offers abundant high-and-hot reserve and can go to its 4,000-hour overhaul without an intermediate hot section inspection. There are also no recurrent fuel nozzle inspections.OCTOBER 2016p mn