Hartzell Propeller and airplane modifier Texas Turbine Conversions are collaborating on a supplemental type certificate for a new four-blade composite swept propeller for the single-engine Supervan 900. The propeller STC is expected in this year's fourth quarter.

"The Supervan 900's new lighter-weight Hartzell prop helps the airplane distance itself even further from any possible competitors as the best-performing Cessna Caravan," said Texas Turbine Conversions president Bobby Bishop.

Texas Turbine Conversions recently completed successful vibration flight-testing of the new 110-inch diameter Hartzell composite propeller. The new prop will also be available for retrofit on 90 Supervan 900 conversions already in service. The Denison, Texas-based company, which has modified Caravans with Honeywell TPE331 engines for more than 20 years, holds multiple STCs for engine modifications on numerous aircraft and specializes in de Havilland DHC-3 Otter and the Cessna 208/208B Caravan conversions.

"The Hartzell/Texas Turbine program matches engine upgrades for converted Cessna Caravans with structural composite propellers especially designed for the Supervan 900," said Hartzell Propeller president Joe Brown. "Advanced aerodynamics and sophisticated manufacturing processes increase performance and deliver extraordinary reliability for the 110-inch diameter propeller, which is 60 pounds lighter than the prop it replaces."