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The Latest on the Cessna Denali and SkyCourier by Rich Pickett Textron Aviation currently has 19 aircraft in production and is continuing the progression with the development of two new turboprops – the single-engine Cessna Denali and twin-engine Cessna SkyCourier. Differing in design and mission, the products represent new opportunities for the company. We recently visited with Textron Aviation’s Martin Tuck (technical marketing advisor), Matt Warner (turboprop communications specialist) and Brian Rohloff (vice president of sales) to obtain the latest progress and specifications for both aircraft. Cessna Denali The Cessna Denali, first announced at the 2015 EAA AirVenture, is a clean- sheet design from tip to tail. The aircraft is a pressurized single-engine turboprop, with a maximum operating altitude of FL310, cruise speed of 285 KTAS and high-speed range of 1,600 nm (with one pilot and four passengers). The Cessna Denali inherits many design traits from Textron Aviation’s latest jets and has a list price of $5.35 million. The closest compet- ing turboprop aircraft in current produc- tion is the Pilatus PC-12. From strictly a price perspective, the Cessna Denali will also compete with light jets such as the HondaJet Elite, Phenom 100EV and Cessna Citation M2. New Powerplant While the PC-12 and the TBM 940 uti- lize versions of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT-6A engine, the Cessna Denali will be the launch aircraft for GE Aviation’s new “Catalyst” turboprop engine. General Electric’s Catalyst makes exten- sive use of modern additive manufactur- ing (technology highlighted in our August 14 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2019 IMAGES COURTESY OF TEXTRON AVIATION