Blackhawk taps J.A. Air Center as distributor

Blackhawk Modifications has named J.A. Air Center as the newest distributor of its engine performance solutions for Beechcraft King Airs, Cessna Caravan 208A/208Bs, Conquest I and Cheyenne aircraft.

Based at Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR) in Sugar Grove, Ill., about 45 miles west of Chicago, J.A. Air Center recently completed its first Blackhawk installation, an XP135A upgrade that incorporated two factory-new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A engines on a corporate operator’s King Air C90.

That upgrade, which is approved by the FAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Brazilian aviation regulator ANAC, increases the King Air’s true airspeed and rate of climb, decreases its time and fuel to climb, and raises its single-engine service ceiling while lowering operating costs and boosting resale value, according to company officials.

“J.A. Air Center has made a concerted investment in expanding the services and capabilities we offer the turboprop and light jet aircraft markets,” said Ron Jennings, J.A. Air Center’s director of maintenance sales. “The performance improvements and cost savings of Blackhawk Modifications’ upgrades have huge appeal and will help us better serve the large number of King Air, Caravan and Conquest operators in the Midwest.”