Cessna Turbo Skylane JT-A™ Makes First Production Flight

Cessna Skylane JT-A Cessna announced its first production flight of its latest Skylane variant Turbo Skylane 182 JT-A light utility ...

Cessna Skylane JT-A

Cessna announced its first production flight of its latest Skylane variant Turbo Skylane 182 JT-A light utility aircraft on May 21 at its facility in Independence, Kansas. The aircraft has the distinction of being the first modern single engine aircraft powered by a piston engine specifically designed to run on Jet-A fuel.

“The Turbo Skylane JT-A performed just as expected,” said Cessna senior test pilot Dale Bleakney. “The weather conditions were fantastic, and we took the turbo 182 up for what turned out to be a very normal first flight. We flew for 2.3 hours, achieved a flight level of 8,000 feet, and attained a trueair speed of 158 kts. We brought it in and did some takeoffs and landings, and everything went as expected.”
The Turbo Skylane JT-A has a seating capacity for four and an estimated range at max cruise speed of 1,025 nautical miles (1,893 kilometers).
The certified ceiling will be 20,000 feet (6,096 meters). The Garmin G1000 avionics suite is pilot-friendly and highly-functional, bringing great levels of situational awareness to the cockpit.
The engine diagnostics are shown on the primary and multi-function flight displays. Fuel capacity is 87 useful gallons (329 liters),with an estimated useful load of 1,018 pounds (462 kilograms).
The Safran-made SMA engine in the Turbo Skylane JT-A uses only 11 gallons per hour of the typically lower-cost Jet-A fuel at the estimated maximum cruise speed of 156 knots. The 227 horsepower engine will offer customers increased range or payload capacity without sacrificing performance. Flight at the maximum cruise speed demonstrates greater fuel efficiency, and it is expected to burn approximately 30 percent to 40 percent less fuel than comparable avgas engines.