Italian airframer Vulcanair hopes to complete certification of its first piston-single, the V1.0, by the end of the third quarter and hand over the first of the four-seat aircraft to an undisclosed customer by year-end.
“Certification testing is almost complete,” says Vulcanair director Remo De Feo. “We have just finished testing the V1.0's 180hp Lycoming IO-360-M1A engine with Mogas fuel. In September we will conduct noise testing [the final European certification requirement] and begin deliveries soon after approval.”
US validation of the high-wing aircraft is expected around the middle of 2016, opening up a potentially huge market for the Casoria, Naples-based airframer.
Full-scale production of the V1.0 was launched earlier this year, and a number of aircraft are now being assembled at Vulcanair’s facility.
Priced at €233,000 ($257,000), the aluminium type fits in the market sector between top-end light sport aircraft such as the P2008 – developed by fellow Italian airframer Tecnam – and entry-level piston-singles like the Piper Archer, says De Feo.
The V1.0 has a maximum take-off weight of 1,160kg (2,550lb), a maximum cruise speed of 130kt (241km/h), a range of 589nm (1,090km) and a luggage capacity of 40kg.
Meanwhile, Vulcanair has secured US certification for its upgraded A-viator twin-engined turboprop, and plans to hand over the first aircraft to an unnamed owner in the fourth quarter.
The Rolls-Royce 250-B17C-powered utility type entered service in Europe in April with the German flight inspection company SVEGE. Priced at €2.3 million, it features a three-screen Garmin G950 flightdeck, a Cobham 2100 digital autopilot, an improved landing gear and an electrically operated sliding cargo door.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
