Kestrel Aircraft has chosen the Honeywell TPE 331-14 engine for its new turboprop aircraft currently under development. Kestrel is headed by Alan Klapmeier, former CEO and founder of Cirrus Design.
For this application, Kestrel will utilize a version of the engine de-rated from the normal 1,760 shp to only 1,000. This should provide wide margins for takeoff and climb performance, as well as improve maintenance costs, since the engine will be working at only slightly more than half its full capacity. The TPE-331 was selected over the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6.
Kestrel recently located its headquarters and manufacturing facilities at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, and anticipates a strong market for the aircraft, which will be priced between $2.5-$3 million per copy.
