Maintenance and Modifications
TBM 700 Re-engining Program Advances at Blackhawk
Flight testing is validating performance improvements
Blackhawk Aerospace TBM 700 airplane
Blackhawk Aerospace has begun flight testing of a TBM 700 modified with a more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine.

Blackhawk Aerospace has achieved first flight of a Daher TBM 700 retrofitted with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine and completed baseline flight testing for its re-engining supplemental type certificate (STC) program. The engine upgrade will bring the TBM 700 to similar performance capabilities as the TBM 850.

During the initial flight, the testbed airplane—N590JL, serial number 306—“achieved higher speeds and altitudes than previous models, validating the engine's improved performance using the existing certified components,” according to Blackhawk. The STC development and flight testing is taking place at Blackhawk’s Waco, Texas headquarters.