Carpenter Avionics Announces FAA Approval of the Big Sky MVP STC Digital Engine Display Upgrade for Cessna Conquest II Aircraft

SMYRNA, TENNESSEE, April 17, 2018  –  Carpenter Avionics announced today that it has received FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval of the Big Sky MVP STC digital engine display upgrade for Cessna Conquest II/441-series turboprop aircraft.  This is the first commercially available digital engine system upgrade certified for this venerable aircraft model and the first commercially available STC for a twin turboprop aircraft application of the highly regarded Electronics International MVP-50T system.  The complete STC kit is available now for installation by Carpenter Avionics or by other Repair Stations.

“The Big Sky MVP STC is an important upgrade as this enables Cessna 441 operators to be smarter and safer about how they manage their valuable twin turboprop engines – not just in real time but also over time, thanks to trend monitoring,” said Mark Lee, President of Carpenter Avionics.  “The completion of this STC also represents the culmination of a major, multi-year, multi-disciplinary effort to bring this sophisticated solution to market with an economically-priced conversion that’s designed to be performed with minimal aircraft downtime by qualified FAA Repair Stations.”

“After flying with the dual MVP-50T setup in the test article Conquest II, I was excited about not only how the units look in the instrument panel, but more importantly about how much more information I could clearly see about the condition of our TPE331 engines during each phase of flight,” said Josh Kearns, who has deep expertise in the Cessna 441 and served as flight test pilot during the STC program. “This seemingly simple upgrade results in an airplane that is more reliable, capable and, I believe, safer to fly, in large part because of the clearer situation awareness it affords the pilot.”

More than 350 Cessna Conquest II aircraft were produced between 1977 and 1987, and nearly 200 continue to fly today in North America, according to industry sources.  The aircraft’s original analog engine instruments are becoming harder to find and increasingly expensive to repair when they fail. Plus, the aircraft is unavailable for use when it is down for repair of its analog engine instruments.

“With a proven history of reliability in hundreds of single turbine-engine applications, the MVP-50T digital engine system not only eliminates reliability issues common with analog engine instruments, but they provide Conquest II pilots capabilities that are just not possible with the legacy analog instruments,” said Ron Roberts, CEO, Electronics International. “These capabilities give pilots flying with the Big Sky MVP STC upgrade superior engine management and situational awareness otherwise found only on today’s brand new turboprops.”

Each display in the Big Sky MVP STC delivers a wealth of clear information on its Main Screen, System Screen, and Flight Data Screens.  The installation provides for redundant operation in the unlikely event one display fails.  This system is state-of-the-art with features such as Automatic Crew Advisory/Alerting annunciations, Dynamic ITT ranging during start-up, clearer EGT management, an array of Fuel Management functions, Dynamic Weight & Balance, Customizable Checklists and more.

The Big Sky MVP STC package for the Cessna 441 includes the detailed engineering documentation and instructions for replacing the legacy analog engine instruments with a pair of high-resolution MVP-50T engine multi-function display units.  The STC kit also includes the engine-mounted hardware, interface units, other specialized gear and the two MVP-50T display systems – all configured specifically for the Cessna 441 aircraft.  The complete STC kit is offered at $39,175 list price, which includes the STC license.  Night vision goggle compatibility is also available.

Carpenter also announced an Early Adopter Program for Mitsubishi MU-2 and Twin Commander aircraft, as the company plans to extend support of this dual MVP-50T digital engine management system upgrade for these popular twin-engine Honeywell TPE331-equipped aircraft.  Carpenter has initiated an Approved Model List (AML) STC for these two airframes that may in future also extend to other models.

Source - https://www.carpenter-avionics.com/news