Blackhawk Aerospace has received an STC from the FAA for its XP67A engine upgrade for the Beechcraft King Air 300, the company announced this week at EAA's AirVenture. The authorization, which applies to both the 14,000- and 12,500-pound gross weight versions of the turboprop twin, replaces the standard 1,050-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines and four-blade Hartzell metal propellers with factory-new 1,200-shp PT6A-67A engines and Hartzell five-blade propellers.

Blackhawk’s engineering team was awarded the STC nine months after the first test flight. During testing, the upgrade delivered maximum cruise speeds as high as 343 ktas and an initial rate to climb of up to 4,000 fpm, slashing the climb time to FL350 by more than half over the stock King Air 300.

Other benefits include an 80 percent improvement in single-engine climb, as well as more thrust, noise abatement, and weight reduction from the new propellers.

“The XP67A on the King Air creates a whole new class of turboprop and will make this one of the most desirable models on the market,” said Jim Allmon, president and CEO of the Waco, Texas-based company. “Not only has the upgrade exceeded our expectations with jet-like climb and speeds, but it does so with King Air comfort and economics.”

Blackhawk is offering a $100,000 discount on the modification for orders placed before the end of September.