Some two months after announcing the relaunch of 19-seat Twin Otter production, Canada’s Viking Aerospace has begun cutting metal on the first unit at its final assembly plant in Calgary. Scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2009 to Zurich’s Zimex Aviation, the first Twin Otter 400 will look virtually identical to the operator’s “legacy” Twin Otter 300s. It will, however, carry a few closely considered improvements that should help improve reliability and lessen Viking’s cost burden.
The most significant change, perhaps, will center on the powerplant choice–a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprops, derated from 750 to 620 horsepower. Originally powered by 620-hp PT6A-27s, the Twin Otter will see its TBO requirement increase from 3,600 hours to 4,000 hours due to the cooler-running engines. Viking also offers the PT6A-35, a variant of the -34 with a higher T5 limit for hot-and-high operations.
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