The King Air G90XT arrived at Orlando Executive Airport on 29 October after a three-hour flight from Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia, wher a FlightGlobal journalist boarded the remanufactured and heavily modified five-seater.

After adding GE Aviation H75 engines with electronic monitoring, a Garmin G3000 flight deck and a new interior, Cleveland-based Nextant continues to be in an extended certification campaign for the G90XT.

Flight testing is expected to wrap up a few weeks after the show, says Jay Heublein, executive vice-president at Nextant.

The flight demonstration revealed how the digitisation of the King Air’s systems leads to extensive changes. Pilot workload is reduced with the single-level power settings. The pilot can command a maximum torque setting from the H75 turboprops, enabling the aircraft to fly about 17kt faster from 18,000ft to cruise altitudes around 22,000ft.

Inside the cabin, Nextant has replaced mechanical pressurisation controls with a digital system, providing another labour-saving feature for the flight crew. Three G3000 flight displays transform the appearance and functionality of the cockpit, while the repositioning of fuel controls to the centre pedestal allows a two-pilot crew to actively manage all aspects of the aircraft’s systems.