Graham Warwick/ATLANTA
EURAVIATION IS close to signing agreements with the first four base stations which will operate the single-turboprop ST-50 under its Time Sharing Consortium (TSC) programme. The Geneva, Switzerland-based company plans to have ten TSC stations in place by the time ST-50 deliveries begin in July 1996.
Three of the initial stations are in Germany and one is in the UK. Part-owners will pay $150,000 a year for a one-third share in a station aircraft, then pay $500 per flight hour. Euraviation says that it has secured bank guarantees to help TSC customers finance their shareholdings (Flight International, 5-11 October, 1994).
Aircraft deliveries from Israeli manufacturer Israviation will pace development of the TSC, says president Stephane Juffa. He hopes to build 40 ST-50s in 1996, enough to equip the initial ten base stations with at least two each, and supply aircraft to the USA and to direct customers.
Availability will be reduced until each station is up to its full strength of three aircraft, he admits.
Israviation plans to produce 110 aircraft a year from 1997, to expand the European TSC, establish similar schemes in the USA and Canada, and fulfil direct sales. Juffa says that Euraviation already has "double-digit" orders for the $1 million ST-50.
Juffa says that engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada has still not traced the cause of the flame-out which resulted in the emergency landing of the proof-of-concept ST-50 on 19 May. The aircraft was repaired in 14 days, but a Paris show debut was cancelled when difficulties with a replacement PT6 prevented Israviation accumulating sufficient flying hours.
The ST-50 is scheduled to be flown to Jordan in late July/early August at the request of King Hussein, who has expressed strong interest in the project, says Juffa. The first prototype is scheduled to be flown in November, and certification is planned for early 1996.
A second prototype and the first production ST-50 may be used for certification testing.
Source: Flight International
