The UK's Army Parachute Association (APA) has upgraded one of its Cessna Caravans with a Blackhawk engine in order to 'future proof' the performance of its skydiving aircraft. The operator selected Bournemouth, UK-based MCA Aviation to perform the upgrade. “Having looked into various options, prices and installation organisations, we decided that the Blackhawk upgrade via MCA Aviation was the sensible choice,” says chief pilot James Mitton. “We operate three Cessna Caravans with 14 pilots; we would only have ever gone with a free turbine, preserving commonality with increased performance.”

The upgrade is expected to lead to more flights per hour, more skydives, less time in the air and in turn lower fuel costs, with the aircraft able to reach altitude in half the current time.

APA carries out military and civilian skydiving operations and supports military skydiving display teams such as the Red Devils and RAF Falcons.

“We have plans to upgrade all three Cessna Caravan aircraft with Blackhawk conversions over the coming years,” concludes Mitton.