South Korean firm Vessel is in the final stages of certificating its KLA-100 two-seat sport aircraft.
The second example of the aircraft produced in South Korea has accumulated 250 flight hours, and has completed all but its spin test, says Enoch Oh, an executive in the company’s aerospace division. The spin test is due in the coming months.
The first example of the KLA-100 has not flown, but will be used for display and marketing purposes. The company displayed the aircraft at the Seoul ADEX show.
Another KLA-100 has flown in Europe, because Vessel has developed the aircraft in conjunction with European firm Flight Design.
Greg Waldron
The third example will be produced in South Korea will incorporate learnings from the flight tests of aircraft two.
Initially the aircraft will be certificated in South Korea and China. The company has a Chinese partner to help market the aircraft in the Mainland. Oh declined to name the partner, but says that its main line of business is electronics, with secondary activities in aviation.
The KLA-100 will be targeted at flying schools and private pilots. Oh says a major selling point is its price tag of $150,000. He adds that the 10.3m wingspan provides an extra margin of safety, with the cuffed wing providing resistance against spin.
In 2018, the company will also equip the aircraft with floats, to create an amphibious version.
Oh says that Vessel has ambitions beyond the KLA-100. Initially, it aims to produce a four-seat version. It also wants to expand into larger aircraft, with six to eight seats, and perhaps more.
The KLA-100 is powered by the Rotax 912 is2 piston engine.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
