The British Parachute School, trading as Skydive Langar, has taken delivery once more of its Cessna 208B Caravan, after installation of a Blackhawk XP140 Engine+ upgrade by Air Alliance in Germany. The work was carried out in two and a half weeks.

Chief pilot Angela Hickling, an Air Alliance customer for more than two decades, has since flown close to 30 hours on the modified aircraft and says that it is performing brilliantly. “We are a full-time parachute and skydiving centre, and we only carry out parachute missions here,” she tells EBAN. “It is probably the first time an engine of this kind has been put in to a skydiving aircraft in Europe. It has been used in the States a few times, but only for charter work in Europe so far.

“Air Alliance in Siegerland is our normal maintenance base. The team changed the engine quickly and it is excellent because all the gauges are new. They are dialogue, that is to say analogue and digital, so all needed new wiring.”

The operator collected the aircraft after it had completed a flight test with the engineer. “We then did our own flight tests and were amazed at the speed of it,” continues Hickling.

“Since then we have arranged about 40 lifts with skydivers on, and the aircraft has been really impressive. The engine is much more powerful than the normal PT6A-114A, and we can put two more people in it now. We can also climb to 14,000 feet and save about five minutes on each lift.

“We could have gone for the Blackhawk 42, but that has got different cowling and exhaust. This engine was just a straight swap, so nothing else needed to be changed.”

The school has operated Grand Caravans for 18 years, and has been based at Langar in Nottingham for 41 years.

“This was a rather expensive upgrade, so we are hopeful for better weather and more visiting jumpers. I think that when the skydiving community hears about the aircraft there will be business coming our way, because it is fast, warm and comfortable,” Hickling concludes.