German light sport aircraft (LSA) manufacturer Flight Design is readying the first of three C4 production prototypes for its debut flight in the third quarter, as its first certificated aircraft advances towards European validation and service entry in the middle of 2016.
The proof-of-concept prototype made its maiden flight in April from the company’s headquarters in Kamenz near Dresden, and the four-seat model has since notched up around 15h, according to Flight Design's US president Tom Peghiny.
“One of the three production prototypes will be shipped to the US for the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] certification programme,” he says.
This region is expected to account for around 50% of C4 sales, Peghiny says, and in anticipation of demand Flight Design is planning to establish an assembly facility somewhere in the east of the USA. “We could either find an established facility and go it alone or build a new facility with a partner company,” Peghiny says.
Flight Design already has production facilities in Germany, Ukraine and China, which build its CTLS LSA for the European, US and Asian markets. The company recently broke ground on a second production facility in China, which will house CTLS and C4 production.
The high-wing, four-seat type is one of the first aircraft to be designed with the rewrite of the FAA/European Aviation Safety Agency Part/CS-23 certification rules in mind. The refreshed standards – which are expected to be introduced next year – are intended to streamline and simplify airworthiness requirements for most piston, turboprop and light turbine aircraft, and ultimately reduce the cost of developing new models and equipment.
The C4 will be powered by Continental’s recently-certificated 180hp IO-360-AF (alternative fuels) engine, which Peghiny says will appeal to customers based in regions where Avgas is expensive or not widespread.
Based on numbers collected through flight testing with the proof-of-concept aircraft, the C4 is expected to cruise at around 145kt (270km/h). So far, the aircraft has been flown at a weight of 1,200kg (2,640lb), where it has shown stall speeds around 54kt.
Flight Design has secured around 100 deposits to date for the $250,000 C4, Peghiny says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
