GROB is also putting the finishing touches on a new single-engine turboprop, the G 160. First announced at 2003’s Paris Air Show, the all-composite, seven-seat G 160 made is first flight on March 29, 2004, and has progressed through flight testing — including a series of more than 180 spins in 13 different configurations. As of April 2005, the GROB Ranger G 160 had logged some 60 flight hours in 105 test missions and accumulated 165 takeoffs and landings. A lone Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A engine, flat-rated to 850 shp, powers this growth version of the company’s G 120 and four-seat G 140TP singles. Designed to reach a top cruise speed of 270 knots, the G 160’s goals include a 2,200-nm range, or 1,800 nm when carrying a full complement of six passengers. Its maximum useful load will be 1,590 pounds. Other technical data on the Ranger G 160 include a revisable Hartzell propeller and maximum gross takeoff weight of 7,275 pounds. Honeywell will provide its Apex avionics suite, including digital radios, a flight management system, a digital autopilot, three flat-panel displays measuring 10.4 inches diagonal (6 by 8), a Mode S transponder, engine indicating and caution alert system (EICAS) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS). Available options will include weather radar, TCAS, a radio altimeter, DME and Honeywell’s Flight Information System (FIS). No word was available on an updated certification or first-delivery timetable.
