Stevens Aviation’s facility in Nashville, Tennessee, completed its first certified Blackhawk XP67A engine retrofit on a King Air 350 combined with a flight deck upgrade to the Garmin G1000 NXi.

Work on the installation of the Blackhawk XP67A modification, which includes two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A engines and new five-blade MT-Propeller composite propeller assemblies, was ongoing as Garmin was completing the STC for the modification on the G1000 NXi to accommodate the XP67A engine conversion, Stevens said. The FAA certified that accommodation last month.

The Blackhawk engines provide a 40-knot boost in speed and stronger climb capabilities, Stevens said. Meanwhile, the replacement of the existing Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics on the King Air 350 with the G1000 NXi updated capabilities, while shedding close to 200 pounds in hardware and wiring, the company added.

Stevens noted that it has completed a number of Blackhawk and G1000 upgrades across the King Air family, but with the combination of the two, the company added, “This project required a significant depth of installation and engineering experience due to being the first of its kind.”