Discovery Aviation is hoping to secure US certification for its model 201 piston twin before the end of the year, when it will begin asking customers to convert their options into firm orders.
The high wing type is a modernised version of the 18-year-old Russian-designed Avia Accord 201, equipped with Garmin 500 glass cockpit and a 210hp Continental IO-360ES7 engines. “Flight testing is done,” says Discovery founder and chief executive Rick Cunliffe. “Seat crash testing is all that remains, and we should complete this within 60 days.”
Cunliffe says a lot of the demand for the $1 million 201 has come from charter operators in remote regions of the world, particularly Alaska and Canada “The aircraft is designed for short field capability,” he says. “It can also be equipped with skis and retractable floats, allowing it to operate from snow and water. This broadens its appeal hugely.”
The seven-seat 201 is a replacement for rugged piston-twin designs such as the De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, which has been out of production for nearly 40 years.
Discovery is planning to build up to 75 aircraft in 2016 from its base in Melbourne Florida, where its XL-2 piston single is also being produced.
“We will ramp up production as demand increases,” Cunliffe says.
The company is planning to offer a diesel-engined version of 201 for operators in parts of the world’s where the Avgas supplies are limited.
The 201 has a cruise speed of 145kt (270km/h) and a range of 1,350nm (2,500km).
Source: Flight International
